List #23 - I'll show you my books; you show me yours... vol.2

Steph and Jana host a monthly link-up - a place for bloggers & readers to share what books they've read the previous month.  I blog.  I read.  I've talked about the multiple book challenges I'm tackling.  So, this link-up is a great way to share my thoughts on books I've read, keep track of my book challenges, and find (even more!) books to read that are shared by others.

Link-up here

Books I've read since the last link-up:

 Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach - There was a time that I dreamed of getting an American muscle car...a '60s Corvette Stingray or Mustang or Camaro. Now, that I've read the chapter about car crash experiments with human cadavers, I don't think I could ever drive it without worrying about the steering wheel impaling me straight through the heart. Prior to reading this, I was completely supportive and open to donating my organs and/or body to science. I still am. In fact, as much as I watch crime dramas and documentaries, I kind of think it would be cool if my body was used to determine various degrees of decomposition...and if what they learned could catch a killer. That would be awesome. Some of the science-y stuff got a little technical. I skimmed those parts. Overall, I enjoyed this book and Mary Roach's voice.

 Deadline by John Sandford - I have read John Sandford books since the early '90s with his first in a series featuring Lucas Davenport. In recent years, he's written a spin-off series as well featuring a cop who works primarily in rural areas in Minnesota named Virgil Flowers. I can not say enough how this author never disappoints me. The characters are fantastic, the stories twist and turn, and as it rolls into the end at a fast-pace, I can't put the books down. This was my favorite in the Flowers books. This laid back cop finds himself in the midst of dog-nappers, meth-cookers, embezzlers, and murderers. The stories intertwine perfectly. If you read thrillers/mystery/cops vs bad guys books, give John Sandford a try.  Even though he writes series, they are written well enough that you could pick up this book and not need to have read any of the others.

 

 Dead Famous by Ben Elton -  Great concept. In a house being filmed around the clock for a reality show (think Big Brother), one of the contestants/housemates is murdered. The story bounces around from days in the house before and after the murder from housemates' points of view to the detectives studying film to the film crew and producer. All this bouncing around got a little tiresome. Plus, the lead detective wasn't a particularly endearing fellow.  Great concept, but just an okay book.

 Hope to Die by James Patterson - Dang, I never tire of these Alex Cross books (there's been 22 of them). They do have a formula, and I know the good guy always wins, but I enjoy the ride of getting there.  Unlike the Sandford book above, I think you'd have to read at least this one's predecessor to truly get into it.

My Booky Wook by Russell Brand - I was somewhat disappointed by this book. He doesn't gloss over the fact that he was kicked out or fired from jobs and schools (deservedly so) for being an all-around ass; I respect him for the honesty. I just felt like he could be more insightful rather than just re-telling a story. The chapter about his show RE:Brand was great.  This was published in 2007, so a lot has happened in his career and personal life since publication. (No, Katy Perry is not in this book).  He leaves it open for more books to come, and he has had more published.  I'd read another, but I wouldn't rush to do so.

Have you read any of these?  Are there any MUST read books that you recommend?