Series Sunday: Explosive Eighteen

Series Sunday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Post a review/recommendation on your blog, FB, Twitter, Goodreads, or Shelfari pages.
• Share your review/recommendation by posting the link in the comments section below.
• Include the title, author, and name of the series so that other Series Sunday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists.

My Series Sunday pick is Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. It is the 18th book in the Stephanie Plum series. Our one and only New Jersey bounty hunter has finally taken a vacation. Of course the vacation didn't go as planned and Stephanie was forced to leave Hawaii ahead of time. But what really happened while there? Stephanie comes back to Trenton, New Jersey without a ring and the man who sat next to her on the plane didn't board after the layover. Why not? Because he was found dead in a garbage can. A slew of people are searching for his killer and a missing photograph that only Stephanie saw.

All of the characters are back: loud Lula, good cop Morelli, mysterious Ranger, gun toting funeral attending Grandma Mazur, alcoholic mother, quiet hungry father, FTA's, exploding black car, etc. The jokes are still there but either flat or just wrong. For example, Grandma Mazur says, "You could have the vitiligo, like Michael Jackson. Remember when he turned white?" SKERT! Too soon, Evanovich. Too soon.

If you are hoping this is FINALLY the book where Stephanie makes a choice between Morelli or Ranger, then you will be thoroughly disappointed again. If you are interested in a book where Stephanie is not so predictable, then you will be rolling your eyes again. But if you are interested in keeping up with this series, sit back with this same-story-different-title. The characters have not grown (unless you count growing on the annoyance factor). In fact, the characters actions are so predictable, you can write the ending yourself. 

I had hope about Explosive 18. Because it was released so soon after Smokin' 17, I assumed something big would happen in the series. I was expecting some big change that would merit Evanovich releasing another book of the series sooner than expected. I thought I might actually get into this mystery more than the last few Plum books. But now? After reading in its entirety? I am ready to chuck the deuces to the entire series and stop reading the Stephanie Plum series altogether. (Or at least give Evanovich until the 20th book to stop this train on its tracks.)

Check out the book trailer below.

Title: Explosive Eighteen

Author: Janet Evanovich

Published: November 2011

Pages: 146

Edition:  eBook

Rating: ♥♥

 

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.  

 

"Only twenty-four days until Christmas, and this Christmas is going to be one you won't forget." 

~ The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Have you ever wondered if everyone was hanging out without you? No? Oh, okay.

There's nothing like reading a memoir type book and being able to relate to the author. Mindy and I have a lot in common. We both would like to be friends with Beyonce. We both put on the freshman thirty-five and have big appetites. And I realized I'm not the only person to memorize my credit card numbers to shop online with quick ease. The fact that Mindy Kaling is also the writer, actress and producer of The Office show (which is a chapter in the book) added more to her interesting life story. It is obvious why she is a comedy writer.

Mindy Kaling writes about romance, dating, friendships, childhood, Hollywood and unfair funny situations. On page 13, Mindy predicts it will take two days to read this book. "If you're reading this book every night for months, something is not right." Her prediction is true. It only took two days to start and finish. I enjoyed every minute spent reading it. I think you will too.

Title: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Author: Mindy Kaling

Published: November 2011

Pages: 201

Edition: eBook

Rating: ♥♥♥♡

 

US vs. UK

Everyone knows I'm completely obsessed with the UK. "US vs. UK" was created by Jenny from Wondrous Reads and it compares covers from books released in the two countries. Today is a mystery series theme.

 

US

UK

The first comparison is The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. The US cover has gold script with a silky navy blue background. Very bland. The UK cover has white script with a black and red background. It's more striking and mysterious. It's no question about which cover I like better: UK wins this round.

Total: US 8, UK 7

US

UK

The second comparison is A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. The US cover is simple with a green background and large A. The UK cover is dark with a large A and a burnt orange object I can't figure out. Sometimes less is better. The US wins this round.

Total: US 9, UK 7

US

UK

The third comparison is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. The US cover has black letters with a yellow background. If you look closely, you can make out a dragon tattoo. The UK cover shows a bare back woman with a clear dragon tattoo. It is obvious and true to the book title. If I were browsing the bookstore shelves, the UK version would grab my attention first. (FYI: The other two covers of the Millenium Trilogy are the same style in both countries.)

Total: US 9, UK 8

Which covers do you favour?

Series Sunday

Series Sunday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Post a review/recommendation on your blog, FB, Twitter, Goodreads, or Shelfari pages.
• Share your review/recommendation by posting the link in the comments section below.
• Include the title, author, and name of the series so that other Series Sunday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists.

Today is all about recommending your favorite series. As much as I enjoy reading standalone books, I rather read the continuing lives of characters in a series. So share your faves in the comment section.

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a new bookish meme hosted by yours truly, Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author. 

 

"Hot Box is a baseball drill that can be played with three or more players and two to four bases. The players take turns being fielders and runners, ultimately trying to tag the rest of the players out. People often practice this drill in real life, but instead of tossing around baseballs, they toss around hearts and emotions."

 
~ The Hot Box by Zane

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"I don't remember a time when I wasn't chubby. Like being Indian, being chubby feels like it is just part of my permanent deal."

 
~ Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

 

The Not Hot Box

Best friends Lydia and Milena seek love and sexual fulfillment. Lydia is in a relationship with Glenn and secretly sleeping with his best friend, Phil. Milena is still scorned from her ex-fiance of eight years ago, whom she dumped right before the altar. He cheated on her at his bachelor party destroying all trust. But now her ex-fiance is back in town and determined to win her back. Milena makes up a boyfriend (a homeless man found on the street), cleans him up and actually starts to fall in love. -__-

Perhaps I have outgrown Zane? It was just okay. I didn't really care about the characters or how the story would end. The most interesting part was actually learning what a "hot box" is. Check back here tomorrow for the definition of a "hot box" in my First Lines Friday meme.

Title: The Hot Box

Author: Zane

Published: August 2011

Pages: 230

Edition: eBook

Rating: ♥♥