She Went all the Way by Meg Cabot

She Went All The Way by Meg Cabot fits into the romance fiction genre and was published in 2002. It is recommended for adult readers.

When I first picked up this book I wondered what the title was hinting at and why the random shoe and clouds on the front. After reading it I think the title is referring to her sex life and the meaning of the shoe and clouds still escapes me. The she in the title refers to Lou Calabrese a screenwriter who made it big writing the movie Hindenburg for her struggling actor live-in boyfriend Barry, also known as Bruno di Blase. The only problem is that Bruno falls in love with his costar Greta Woolston and runs off and marries her leaving Lou bitter and alone to contemplate what went wrong. Greta, in the process of marrying Bruno, also left a boyfriend, actor Jack Townsend. The most predictable thing next would be to have Lou and Jack pair up, which is exactly what happens. However, the way this happens is quite unpredictable. Jack and Lou are on a helicopter on their way to remote Alaska and the set of a new movie in which Jack is the star and Lou the screenwriter. Unexpectedly the helicopter crashes and Jack and Lou find themselves running for their lives from crazed killers on snowmobiles. While on the run they irritate and frustrate each other and every turn then it randomly turns to lust which they satisfy in a remote cabin that they miraculously happen upon. After a good meal and a romp in the sack the two head on trying to find civilization so they can get help. In the end they find out the identity of their would be killer but not without further risking their lives and falling in love. The idea of this story was interesting and at time executed nicely but I thought it was a tad too predictable and I've never been a fan of detailed love scenes. Overall it was a quasi-entertaining read and while interesting not great.

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

Big Boned by Meg Cabot fits into the mystery fiction genre and was published in 2007. It is recommended for adult readers.

Big Boned is the final installment in the series that began with Size 12 Is Not Fat. In this novel Heather's life finally seems to be going the right way but still it's not exactly what she wants. Her job is going well, even though her boss is a little crazy about office supplies. She has a boyfriend named Tad, but he doesn't agree with her on fundamentals like the consumption of meat and good old television. Heather is also working on getting into shape, but when jogging she feels as if her uterus may become dislodged. Then one morning after a “workout” with Tad she walks into work to find her boss murdered and inevitably gets involved in the investigation around his murder. As always Cooper is there concerned about her and taking care of her. Tad is also there for her but Heather begins to think that he is not exactly what she had in mind. As the story progresses Heather finds herself helping everyone out of one type of jam or another. In the end she finds love when she comes up with an answer to Tad's big question. She also is able to catch her boss's killer and in typical Heather fashion almost gets killed herself.

Other Reviews Available:

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot fits into the romance mystery fiction genre and was published in 2002. It is recommended for adult readers.

The Boy Next Door is an addictive story told through a series of emails with various senders and recipients. In these emails we learn about Melissa Fuller (Mel) and her previously disastrous love life. We also read about Mel's neighbor Mrs Friedlander and the events surrounding her mysterious attack that left her in a coma. After the attack John Trent, as a favor to his friend Max Friedlander, came to help with Mrs. Friedlander's pets and, as per Max's request, posed as Max. John raises suspicion by insisting that Mel call him John and by not living up to Max's bad boy reputation. What follows is an interesting story of love and mystery that truly captured my attention in a single sitting read.

Other Reviews Available:

Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot

Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot

The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad fits into the mystery fiction genre and was published in 1907. It is recommended for adult readers.

The Secret Agent was good but not at all what I expected. It follows the story of Adolf Verloc and his attempt to blow up the Greenwich Observatory. Verloc is a secret agent for the French Embassy in London and while he was previously invaluable to the Embassy he has grown redundant of late and was urged to do something big that would embarrass the British and give his employers the opportunity to inspire a revolution. He was told to strike at something scientific as that was the fad of the day. After much worrying and thinking upon the subject he finally decided to take some action. Nothing goes as planned leading to many deaths and the loss of everything he had. Nothing he did actually inspired a revolution.

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot fits into the murder mystery fiction genre and was published in 2006. It is recommended for adult readers.

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either like its prequel Size 12 Is Not Fat is recommended for adult readers because of the age of the characters involved and not because of any inappropriate content. There are a very few pages near the end of the book that use the F-word more than I'd care for but other than that it is a really clean book. One of my friends complained that it started out too much like the first book so she didn't want to read it. I'll admit they are fairly similar but just like most books in a series are and not overly alike. Basic plot: Heather still works at the dorm and has a new boss to replace the psycho killer from the previous book. They find a head in the cafeteria but not the rest of the body and Heather is determined to stay out of this case. However, she keeps learning things from her residents and ends up unable to quell her interest and starts to investigate. In the end she does help find the killer but winds up in the hospital as well. The one and only thing I was disappointed with in this book was that more didn't happen with her and Cooper. Heather actually gets up the nerve to talk to him about her feelings but that's as far as they get. I eagerly awaited this book hoping that there would be at least some resolution there but maybe in Big Boned, the last book of the series, they'll finally figure things out.

Other Reviews Available:

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

Blind Side by Clair M. Poulson

Blind Side by Clair M. Poulson fits into the murder mystery fiction genre and was published in 2006. It is recommended for adult readers.

Blind Side was a really fun and refreshing read. I enjoy murder mystery fiction immensely and this book had the added bonus of being the cleanest of the genre that I have ever read. Poulson is an LDS fiction author thus his books have slight LDS undertones. They talk about things common in the church like callings and various leaders. The characters, for the most part, live the standards of the church and thus the book is free of immorality and foul language. Honestly coming into it with those types of constraints I didn't think it would be a good murder mystery but I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were interesting and complex and I was surprised by a few elements, which is difficult with such a prolific reader. The novel follows the story of Noletta Fahr and her dog Taffy. These two went out for a nature walk to look at the changing leaves and came across a murder scene. Unfortunately the murderer was still there and shot Noletta and left her for dead. She did not die but was left blind and thus couldn't identify her attacker. Taffy was trained as a guide dog but was kidnapped around the time when a lot of suspicious people entered Noletta's life. Martin Atkinson was the officer called to the scene to help Noletta find the dog and amazingly also helped her catch the murderer who caused her blindness.

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot fits in the Adult Mystery Fiction genre. It was first published in 2006 and is recommended for adult readers.

Admittedly I am a size twelve so I picked this book up for vain reasons, the title flattered me. I have read a lot by Meg Cabot, mostly the Princess Diaries Books, and I enjoyed the shift into adult fiction by an author I already love. Cabot's chatty writing style engages readers as she tells the story much like friends talking on the phone about a life more interesting than mine has ever been. This novel centers around Heather Wells who as a former teen pop star is used to having the world center around her. Heather is a former star because she decided she wanted to sing her own songs and her label didn't agree and decided to drop her. She also lost her figure and her boyfriend at the same time. Thus she is forced to live in the real world where people are always saying, “don't I know you from somewhere” and she's just trying to get on with life. Heather lands a job as an assistant dorm director at a college in New York and she things she's finally getting everything back together until a girl is found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Heather is the only one who is convinced there is foul play and makes it her mission to discover the truth. The twists and turns that follow captured my attention and kept me guessing. I was happily surprised at the ending and can't wait to read the other mystery books that feature Heather Wells.

Other Reviews Available:

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

I am the cheese by Robert Cormier

I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier fits into the Juvenile Mystery Fiction genre. It was first published in 1977 and is recommended for ages 14 and up.

In the beginning of “I am the Cheese” we learn that Adam Farmer is on his bike in Monument, Massachusetts on his way to Rutterburg, Vermont but that is about all of the information we are given. As the book unfolds the reader gets more and more as Adam's memories are triggered by interviews with a man named Brint. They have interviews that lead Adam to remember stories and then we get more information. It's a really interesting way to write a book and I was captivated by what I knew and what there was yet to learn. Bit by bit we learn about his life and family. They had a home and a nice life but they left in a hurry one night and never went back. We learn also about his girlfriend Amy Hertz and how they used to play practical jokes together. Further into the book Adam begins to question Brint's motives and get suspicious because all of the interviews focus on certain parts of his life and while

Brint says he's there to help, Adam is sure he's being pumped for information. In the end we learn that almost nothing is as it seems and that Adam has had one exciting life.

And Both Were Young by Madeleine L'Engle

And Both Were Young by Madeleine L’Engle

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Published in 1983

Recommended Age Group: 12 and Up

Summary: And Both Were Young is the story about Philippa Hunter, nicknamed Flip, and her journey toward womanhood with the help of a boarding school and a friend named Paul. Flip’s father takes her to the boarding school along with a friend of her father's named Eunice. Eunice is the one who suggested the boarding school but Flip is not excited and wished she could stay with her father who was touring the world creating illustrations for a new book. Flip also doesn’t like Eunice and feels that she is inappropriate with her father whose wife died not even a year before.

It is because of her mother’s untimely death and Eunice’s infatuation with her father that Flip closes off and isn’t friendly with the girls in her new school and as a result Flip isn’t popular. However, she does meet and get to know Paul, a mysterious boy with a troubled past. It is with his help, and the help of her art teacher Mrs. Perceval that she is able to get past her loneliness and achieve things she never thought possible.

Personal Notes: The many interesting elements made this book more fun to read. The boarding school experience reminded me of my first experiences in college. Another interesting thing was the post World War II time setting. In the boarding school there were German people and Jews but they realized that the problems were caused by the leaders and managed to make friends and get past the pain and suffering caused by the war. I think this was a valuable lesson. Flip taught another lesson when she realized that her popularity problems were as much her fault as they were the fault of the other girls. Overall it was a great book and fun to read.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

First Published: 1997 by Scribner

Genre: Crime Mystery Fiction

Age Group: 21 and Up

Summary: This New York Times Bestseller features Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist living in Quebec to escape her marriage in North Carolina that is falling apart. As the book opens she is putting someone's skull back together and thinking about her upcoming vacation to Quebec City. She never makes it though because a body is found dead at a construction site. She is hoping that it is just an ancient burial uncovered until she interviews the men who found it, ancient burials don't stink. Then, instead of a vacation she gets involved in the investigation to find the murderer. Brennan is also dealing with a less than supportive investigator, her friend's odd habits and requests, her failing marriage, and her college age daughter who wants to drop out of school to follow around her basketball playing boyfriend. In spite of all these distractions she manages to add a lot to the investigation. She has a fresh and distinctive look at the case and puts together things that the detectives missed. She learns to trust herself and her instincts. In the end they find the murderer and come across a few surprises along the way.

Personal Notes: This is the writer who inspired Bones, my favorite television show, so I thought I'd pick up the book. I was a little intimidated by the number of pages but it flowed nicely and I hardly noticed them flying by. I was also happily surprised by some of her story line. I usually have mystery books figured out from page one and I did with this one to a little but there were still things that were unexpected and I appreciated that. Overall this was a fabulous novel especially for a debut. I can't wait to read her other books.

Other reviews available:

Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs

Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs


Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs


Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs


Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs


Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs


Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs


Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs


Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Published: Little Brown and Company 2002

Genre: Mystery

Recommended Age Group: 21 and Up

Summary: "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." After this gripping beginning Alice Sebold continues to capture the reader with her story of Susie's life on earth and her new life in heaven watching her friends, family, and killer from heaven. The beginning is about the rape and murder then Sebold goes on to tell us more about Susie, her family, and her killer. We learn that Susie and her family had a pretty good life together. Susie's mother didn't want to be a mother in the beginning but molded herself to her new role. She has a younger sister Lindsey who took Susie's death pretty hard. The youngest was Buckley, four at the time of her death. Susie's father was very close to her and made up for her mother's lack of enthusiasm for the children.

George Harvey, the killer, killed many people before Susie and at least one after her. He grew up with his Dad after his mother was forced to leave them. His mother taught him how to steal and called him her "little accomplice." From this rocky start a killer grew. He did not kill his first victim. He called his rape of he an accident and led himself to believe it. He was not punished and no one was notified of his crime. From this his attacks grew and then focused on children.

Susie looks down on her friends and loved ones from heaven and continues to live through them. She follows Ray Singh, the boy who gave her her first kiss, and Ruth Connors, the girl she saw on her trip from her body to heaven. Her family has a difficult time and a lot of struggles but in the end they are all stronger from this experience and while they still miss her terribly they are able to move on with their lives. Mr. Harvey ends up being killed when some icicles fall on his body and kill him.

Personal Notes: Alice Sebold tackles a tough topic with grace and beauty. I was a little worried when I heard that Susie was raped before she was killed but there is not a lot of detail and after it is described the initial time Sebold doesn't go back to it. This is definitely not a book for children or teens. There is a lot of adult content in the book and it is a difficult subject matter. It is also at times difficult to follow because Sebold jumps around between past, present, and the murder from several different peoples point of view. All in all, it's a pretty good book and an interesting take on the afterlife.