Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

Genre: mystery, crime fiction
FTC Disclosure: library
Published: 2009
Pages: 321
Content: R for language and gruesome violence

Description from Goodreads.com: In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.

This is more of a CSI type mystery along the lines of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. So I do enjoy these very much. But it wasn't the best. The ending was a bit anti-climatic and it didn't have as much punch as I was hoping for. I didn't quite get some of the characters, but the main character was interesting. She's a semi-tough sheriff who grew up Amish, so that makes for an intriguing plot device. It's a decent mystery/thriller novel and worth one read.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Partial Hiatus

I've kind of been in partial hiatus for a month or so now...but thought I'd make it official. I'm still reading a lot but right now I need to take some time away from blogging and the Internet in general since I'm focusing on finishing off school. I try and read my fellow followers when I can and post here and there. But I'm going to be a bit out of the loop for a bit. I may come in full force once Halloween and Fall and the holidays come back around, but for now just need to focus on a few other things. I will still try to participate and post when I can, but not as much as I'd really like too (sad face icon here).

Thanks so much for following and I hope to return full-force once I'm done with school!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!

 Me and my mommy at the hospital! Love ya, Mom!

I thought it would be fun to post about the etymology of the word mother. It's a classic word like brother and father in the sense that its etymology can be traced back to Indo-European *mater- (asterisk means no historical documentation has been found for this word, but historical linguists have been able to determine what its likely form was).

Different forms of mother in various related and unrelated languages:

1.Old English: modor
2. Old Saxon: modar
3. Middle Dutch and Dutch: moeder
4. Old High German: mouter
5. Old Icelandic: modhir
6. Gaulish: Matrebo
7. Old Irish: mathir
8. Latin: mater
9. Oscan: Maatreis
10. Umbrian: matrer
11. Greek: meter
12. Lithuanian: motyna
13. Latvian: mate
14. Old Slavic: mati

 Love language; it's fascinating! Hope you enjoyed some Mother's Day trivia!

All information was taken from Chambers Dictionary of Etymology. The mother words do not contain their proper accents/dashes, etc due to not having them on my computer or my inability to figure out how to do it!

Friday, May 7, 2010

Things i LOVE Friday

Getting my car fixed

Enjoying a day with Archie and Gabe eating out and playing hard!

Free pie Wednesday at Village Inn

Support groups and forums

Dark chocolate

Into the Woods

Staying up late reading...

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

Genre: mystery
FTC Disclosure: library
Published: 2008
Pages: 320
Content: PG for dramatic themes and some violence

I really enjoyed this mystery. A great mystery debut with the dog Chet as the narrator. It really did feel like a dog...his mind wandered a lot and he didn't know what was going on half the time, he liked to pee to mark his territory, enjoyed the she-dog ladies. It was just cute and definitely unlike any mystery I've ever read.

Chet and his owner Bernie, a Private Eye, investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. Soon Chet is kidnapped and eventually Bernie is too. It's up to both of them to save each other and find the missing girl...

I recommend this one for all mystery lovers and especially dog lovers!


Rating: 3.5/5 

Sunday, May 2, 2010

The Mark by Jen Nadol

Genre: young adult, death, supernatural
FTC Disclosure: library
Published: 2010
Pages: 228
Content: PG for dramatic themes and some violence
Reading Challenges: 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge 

I thought this was a cut above the other teen fic of late. It didn't feel too cliche and I thought it had some interesting ideas on fate, destiny, choice. I think this could be a great book for some discussion on death as well.

Cassie, 16, and knows if someone is going to die today; she sees the mark, a glowing essence around the person that marks them for death by the end of the day. Can she do anything about it? Can she tempt fate? Why does she have this power?

Cassie struggles with all of these questions after her grandmother's death and a summer in her deceased parents' home town.

It's really short, but it packs a powerful punch. It was a good read.

Rating: 4/5