Review of The Julius House (An Aurora Teagarden mystery)

Since she met her fiance Martin Bartell, Roe Teagarden has never been happier. There's a difference in age and in background, but he seems to know exactly what she wants - like the Julius house. Roe is thrilled when Martin gives her the house as a wedding present. She's a keen amateur sleuth, and she has always been intrigued by its infamous history: six years ago, the family who lived there disappeared, never to be seen again. As Roe throws herself into renovating the Julius house, her misgivings about Martin's rather murky past recede. But when Roe is attacked by an axe-wielding maniac, she realises that the secrets inside her four walls - and her brand-new marriage - could destroy her. (www.goodreads.com)

Wow. And not in a good way either. I struggled through it, not expecting this kind of rubbish after the others were kind of okay.
First, each time I read this Lauren Bacall reference and I don't care, really I don't . I don't know that woman and am not about to look her up. I love to have each character developed solely in my mind and comparing to someone else is cheap and easy. And doesn't need to be mentioned in each book.
Second, I don't need to have an agenda of every time Martin and Roe get it on. God, each time I have to read such a reference I feel like I'm like 15 years too old to be reading this. Yes, they are married and yes they have lots and lots of sex. Sometimes we can grasp a good time without it actually being pointed out.
Third, lazy and sloppy story. I wasn't prepared for this and felt definitely bad for spending my time on it. Halfway through the novel I already had figured out what had happened and the 'clues' the writer leaves behind are really not necessary, it couldn't be more see through if you meant it to be that way.

My conclusion. I definitely need a break from Aurora Teagarden, because I find her to be a whiny, nosy and too naive to be believable at all.
I had read a few pages from the successor, 'Dead over Heels', but feel I probably will get disappointed. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.. so I'm switching to something else. Not sure what yet.

My opinion: 2 stars

Review of Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (An Aurora Teagarden mystery)

Deciding if she wants to go into real estate becomes a life-or-death choice for Aurora "Roe" Teagarden. A naked corpse is discovered at her first house showing. And when a second body is found in another house for sale, it becomes obvious that there is a very cool killer at large in Lawrenceton, one who knows a great deal about real estate-and maybe too much about Roe.(www.goodreads.com)

The third installment of The Teagarden Mystery novels. If you have read the Sookie Stackhouse novels before trying your hand at this, you might find the first two a bit boringly decent. Aurora is a woman who wasn't had much romantic experience and is quite naive. Well, Charlaine Harris must have thought while writing this novel that it was time for Aurora to grow up because very suddenly a hot and juicy kind of relationship falls into her lap. In the beginning she's still dating the priest but when she meet Martin she falls head over heels. Instead of a harsh break-up the priest declares he's infertile, a young woman with a daughter comes to live in Lawrenceton and there's the end scene for the priest, let's all welcome Martin, ruthless and sexy Martin, an older man with the confidence they mostly come with. I'm not sure I'm buying into all this. Sure someone can change, but either you are on the prudent side or not, that doesn't change so easily, in my opinion.
Liking it or not, that's the background for our next mystery. A young woman murdered, soon followed by another young woman and the town is wondering why the killer chooses to kill in empty houses which are for sale. Aurora tries to unravel the mystery and eventually becomes a part off it.
Comparing it to the other two, it wasn't the worst and it wasn't the best, so it goes right there in the middle.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Review of A Bone to Pick (an Aurora Teagarden Mystery)

Aurora "Roe" Teagarden's fortunes change when a deceased acquaintance names her as heir to a rather substantial estate, including money, jewelry, and a house complete with a skull hidden in a window seat. Roe concludes that the elderly women has purposely left her a murder to solve. So she must identify the victim and figure out which one of her new, ordinary-seeming neighbors is a murderer- without putting herself in deadly danger.(www.goodreads.com)

My second in row. I'm reading this at work during lunch break, which is an ideal way to relax my brain muscles.
I've been lukewarm about the first installment, and this one is a lot like it. Only difference is that I'm already a little hooked on it. At the moment I'm reading the third installment. I'm just happy they aren't too thick. I breeze through them easily.
A Bone to Pick is a better novel than Real Murders though. Instead of various murders happening in this little town, Aurora stumbles upon a skull in a house she inherited. She tries to find out whose skull it is and whether the previous owner of the house had anything to do with it. A cozy little mystery which doesn't give away it's secret until the very end. The ending does feel blunt. You trail along with 'Roe' on her little investigation while her life continues and ultimately the answer is a bit forced down our throat to put an end to this novel.
The best way to describe this book, is that it is entertaining. I read it during one of those warm March days and this story takes place during a Georgia summer which gave me a great mind set to finish it.

Personal rating: 6,5 out of 10

Review of Real Murders (An Aurora Teagarden mystery)

Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side-and crime buffs. One of whom is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime-until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss. And as other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects-or potential victims.(www.goodreads.com)

This isn't what you call high end literature, and in my opinion not all books written should be. After reading fairly heavy novels, I was ready for something lighthearted and I chose this.
I've read Charlaine Harris before, meaning the True Blood series. Almost every one. I like the novels better than I like the adaption running on the tv.
This is written before that, and you notice it in the style. It's written very matter of factly, not really getting deeper into the main character's personality. She stays a little flat. As for the other characters, there wasn't a single one I thought stood out more than the others.
The storyline is quickpaced but there's nothing much to it. Simply said, murders happens, 'Roe' Teagarden happens to be somewhere around when they discover the bodies and gets sucked in at the end. She never goes out investigating those murders, she's just an innocent bystander, a little on the pathetic side.
I'm not sure which target audience Charlaine Harris had in mind, but I think 10 to 12year olds would love to read this even if they don't know everything mentioned in the book. Even for hormone filled teenagers, this is a little too mellow.
All together it was a quick read and I'm going to read the others as well. It's much like a tv show, you might not identify with the characters, but you still want to know what happens to them.

Personal rating: 5 out of 10.

Review of The Shining Girls

I picked up this book because the title reminded me of one of Stephen King's novel. A reason as good as any to stumble upon a good read.

1930’s America: Lee Curtis Harper is a delusional, violent drifter who stumbles on a house that opens onto other times.

Driven by visions, he begins a killing spree over the next 60 years, using an undetectable MO and leaving anachronistic clues on his victims’ bodies.

But when one of his intended ‘shining girls’, Kirby Mazrachi, survives a brutal stabbing, she becomes determined to unravel the mystery behind her would-be killer. While the authorities are trying to discredit her, Kirby is getting closer to the truth, as Harper returns again and again…(www.goodreads.com)

I wasn't sure what kind of novel I was getting into when I took it home from the library with me. Maybe the title got me carried away, because it has nothing to do with the twins of the famous Stephen King novel 'The Shining'.
When you start reading, and you're like me, you'll get carried away quickly. Not so much because the story is excellent or filled with cliffhangers (those who've read Game of Thrones know what I talk about), but this novel got me seriously involved because it's been written really good. The characters feel like they too have blood running through their veins. It's like a fantasy story about a killer that could've almost really happened. Especially Kirby is a character other writers can take notes from, Lauren Beukes has portrayed her infamously good. I liked this novel, mainly because I liked Kirby and I wanted to see her kick ass.

I've never read anything from Lauren Beukes before, but I'm going to try my hand at another. If she's as good a writer in all her novels, she's got herself an extra fan!
Plus, completely of the point, I do like books with short chapters.

Read it and you'll love it!

Personal score: 4 stars

Review of The Solitude of Prime Numbers

Wow!
Don't let this one slip away!

A prime number can only be divided by itself or by one—it never truly fits with another. Alice and Mattia, both "primes," are misfits who seem destined to be alone. Haunted by childhood tragedies that mark their lives, they cannot reach out to anyone else. When Alice and Mattia meet as teenagers, they recognize in each other a kindred, damaged spirit.

But the mathematically gifted Mattia accepts a research position that takes him thousands of miles away, and the two are forced to separate. Then a chance occurrence reunites them and forces a lifetime of concealed emotion to the surface.

Like Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, this is a stunning meditation on loneliness, love, and the weight of childhood experience that is set to become a universal classic. (www.goodreads.com)

Where to start?
This is a diamond amongst pearls.
It's been recommended to me by a longtime friend and she told me I'd certainly was going to like it. I have to buy her something expensive since she got it spot on.
This novel hit home. It almost felt personal, as if the writer knew me. Many of the things said or thought, I can relate to.
Of course most of you don't know me, but I am quite a loner. Not antisocial, or anything, but I just don't seem to connect to others as easily as most seem to do.
In this novel we follow a girl and a boy who both have gone through something horrible when they were very young and we see how it has scarred them growing up. Alice is punishing herself quite abusively and Mattia seeks to flee away in a world of mathematics where everything can be logically explained.
It's a novel about how loneliless sometimes is more than only an occurence one needs to remedy by being with others. You can be lonely together.
It's not a long novel, It's been written wonderful or translated into English I have to say, since the original novel is in Italian. As I was reading it, I kept thinking that it would make a great movie and as I searched the internet for a picture to put up in my blog, I found out it has already been adapted to the big screen.
So, read and don't forget this novel! Especially when you're one of those people not quite adapting to others.

Personal score: 5 stars