King Arthur Movie Tristan

I've been trying to get my challenges in order and see what I have completed.

Here's the books I've read that go along with the Suspense & Thriller challenge:

-Read SIX (6) different (one from list above to total six) sub-genres of thrillers in 2008.

-Read SIX (6) different (one from the list above to total six) sub-genres of thrillers in 2009.



By the end of this challenge, you will have read 12 different sub-genres of thrillers. Don't worry about when you start this challenge. It officially ends on the very last day of December 2009. You have plenty of time!

Completed!

1.The Taking Sci-Fi thriller



2.All The Pretty Girls Serial Killer thriller


3.Heart Shaped Box Horror thriller

4.The Host Sci-Fi thriller

5.Demons Are Forever Comic Thriller


6.Angels & Demons Religious thriller

7. The Secret Scroll Religious Thriller

8. An Absolute Gentleman Serial Killer thriller

9. The Good Guy Psychological thriller

10. Carpe Demon Comic Thriller

11. Duma Key Psychological thriller

12. DraculaHorror thriller

13. The Shining Horror thriller


14. First Daughter Political thriller

15. Wicked Nights Erotic thriller


16. Velocity Psychological thriller

17. Breaking Dawn Supernatural thriller

18. Blue Dahlia Supernatural thriller/Romantic thriller


19. The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (Nancy Drew) Amateur Detective mystery




I love reading horror/thrillers, so technically, this challenge is never over for me :P

title: The Taking

author: Dean Koontz

genre: horror/suspense

pages: 410

first line: A few minutes past one o'clock in the morning, a hard rain fell without warning.

rated: 5 out of 5








'One rainy night, the end of the world began.'







'The Taking' is one of my favorite Dean Koontz novels. The only books I re-read are ones I absolutely love, so I decided to pick this one up again.


Early one morning, in her cozy California home, Molly Sloan wakes up from bed, unable to sleep. Her husband, Eric, is next to her, sleepy soundly. Molly can hear the sound of rain falling outside, and she senses something is not right.

'Nonetheless, as she scanned the night woods, the nape of her neck prickled as though a ghost lover has pressed his ectoplasmic lips againts her skin. A shudder of inexplicable misgiving passed through her.

Rattled by the conviction that something in the forest returned her scrutiny from behind the wet veil of the storm, Molly backed away from the window.'

She winds up going outside and touching the rain drops, and knows for sure there is something dangerous happening. This is not normal rain, it has a strange scent to it, and touching it makes Molly feel dirty.





Soon enough Eric wakes from a nightmare, and he and Molly turn on the TV to see if there are any weather forecasts. The rain is a heavy downpour and blue snow is falling in other parts of the world. They soon find out that this is not normal weather, that something sinister is out there, so they decide to head out in search of others. While in thier car, they hear a radio broadcasting a recording of a team of astronauts who have recently made contact with these other 'beings'. They hear these astronauts being slaughtered by the aliens.




They find a group of townspeople who have taken refuge in the local bar. These other people are divided in what they want to do. Some want to fight, others want to hide and some want to make peace with whatever has landed on Earth. Molly has a premonition that she is meant to save any children that have been abandoned in this 'rainstorm'. She & Eric head out in search of the children.







I enjoyed the plot, the characters are well written and this book takes off from page one. There isn't a dull moment.

'Although she had resisted this knowledge all her life, had lived determinedly in the future, focused there by ambition, she understood at last that this was the real condition of humanity: The dance of life occurred not yesterday or tomorrow, but only here at the still point that was the present. This truth is simple, self-evident, but difficult to accept, for we sentimentalize the past and wallow in it, while we endure the moment and in every waking hour dream of the future.

What Molly had done thus far in her life was the history of her soul, unalterable, ineradicable. What she hoped to do in the future was of no meaning if she failed to do the wise thing, the good thing, moment by moment, here at the still point, here
in the dance of life.'

I also like Molly & Eric's relationship, it is believeable and you wind up caring what happens to these characters. 'The Taking' is a great read, especially if you're in the mood for a good science fiction/horror/end of the world story. At time Koontz writes this novel, almost like poetry. And I enjoy the references to T.S. Eliot throughout.

'They were as different as mice and moonbeams.

Considering their contrasting natures, they shared a love that seemed unlikely. Yet love was the cord that bound them together, the sinewy fiber that gave them strength to weather dissapointment, even tragedy.'

Some of you have already heard this story...but I'm telling it again. *grin*

I liked this book so much, that when I first read it a few years ago, I mailed Dean Koontz a fan letter telling him how much I loved the book and his writing. I included one of my crocheted elephants with the letter. I didn't expect a response, but a few weeks later, I received a package in the mail. It took me a few seconds for my brain to register what this was once I opened the package....lol. He sent me a personalized letter, thanking me for the elephant. And a hardcover copy of 'The Taking', personally autographed for me. Yeah, that was an O-M-G moment for me. I love my personal autographed book and letter, and I show it off to whoever will listen...lol.














this read has been part of the following reading challenges:

100 +

it's the end of the world challenge

TBR

suspense & thriller

I won a copy of 'All The Pretty Girls' over at j.kaye's blog. Here is my review of this suspenseful thriller.


title: All The Pretty Girls

author: J.T. Ellison

genre: crime thriller


pages: 411


first line: 'No, please don't.'

rated: 4 out of 5











Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson works in Nashville Tennessee. She is working on a case involving a serial killer, that the media has dubbed 'The Southern Strangler'. Taylor is working on the case with her love interest, FBI profiler, John Baldwin.

In the middle of all this, there is also a rapist on the loose...nicknamed 'The Rainman' since he only strikes when it rains.




I found this book to be creepy at times, full of suspense, with enough twists and turns to keep you hooked. The characters were likeable, the plot was believable and the storyline was interesting. It was an intense read. It kept me hooked till the very end!

'It all looks familiar. This is similiar to what i've seen in all the other girls' apartments. The unmade bed, the blood. I think he charms them, gets them to invite him home and into thier beds, then strangles them and cuts off thier hands. Transports the body to wherever he's picked next.'

I also enjoyed the love connection between Taylor and Baldwin.

Baldwin put the phone in his pocket and leaned against a sherrif's cruiser. He steepled his fingers in front of his mouth and blew out a sigh. In the midst of all this, he missed Taylor. She had saved him from himself, from the world of death and dying. She's saved his soul, which was more important to his continued living than a heartbeat would ever be. Just the thought of her made him smile. A moment alone with her would make everything better.

If you're in the mood for a suspenseful thriller, something to keep you guessing, I recommend this read.



Right away, this book reminded me of the TV show Law & Order










this has been part of the following reading challenges:

suspense & thriller

TBR

100 +

triple 8

title: Heart Shaped Box

author: Joe Hill

pages: 366

first line: Jude had a private collection.

genre: horror

rated: 4 out of 5










Famous musician Judas Coyne collects rare and grotesque items. He lives with his current goth girlfriend, Georgia a.k.a. Marybeth, and his pet dogs Angus and Bon. When his personal assistant, Danny, tells him there is a ghost for sale on the Internet,
Jude buys it for $1000.00.
The package arrives at his door, it is a black heart-shaped box, inside is a suit belonging to a dead man. Jude just puts the box away in his closet and forgets about it until one day he sees an old man in his home, wearing the suit.






Turns out the suit belongs to one of Judes ex-lovers, stepfather. Anna was manic depressive and has passed away, apparently by committing suicide. Now her deceased stepfather, Craddock McDermott, wants his revenge on Jude.






The old man has black squiggles where his eyes should be, and he tends to show up everywhere Jude goes. Sound creepy? Very. This book really scared the heck outta me. I am the type that when reading a book, gets very into it, so it's no surprise I was really scared while reading certain passages in this one.



Craddock was a hypnotist in life, and used this knowledge to hurt others. Now that he is haunting Jude, he can make Jude and others do whatever he says. The sound of his voice is mesmerizing. He is trying to get Jude to kill his girlfriend, then himself.

Craddock had spent most of a week now trying to make Jude kill himself. Jude had been so busy resisting he hadn't stopped to wonder if the price of surviving would be worse than giving the dead man what he wanted. That he was sure to lose, and that the longer he held out, the more likely he would drag Marybeth with him. Because the dead pull the living down.

I really enjoyed this book, Joe Hill, is the son of none other than Stephen King.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. This read was scary, creepy and intense. It has lots of twists and turns, and is full of some unexpected surprises.
I liked the main character, Jude and his girlfriend, Georgia. You want them to figure out a way to get rid of this ghost, yet it seems impossible for them. Craddock is insane and he's very scary.

Craddock McDermott moved in stop motion, a series of life-size still photographs. In one moment his arms were at his sides. In the next, one of his gaunt hands was on Georgia's shoulder. His fingernails were yellowed and long and curled at the end. The black marks jumped and quivered in front of his eyes.

It's been a while since I've read a book that scared me. This read was long overdue. I think the last book that spooked me like this one was Salem's Lot.





visit the author's website: http://joehillfiction.com/




this has been part of the following reading challenges:

suspense & thriller

TBR

100+

Triple 8



this book has also been reviewed by ladytink

title:The Host

author: Stephenie Meyer


pages: 619




first line: 'The Healer's name was Fords Deep Waters.'

genre: science fiction

rated: 5 out of 5 stars











Being a big fan of Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight' series, I was excited to grab a copy of her first novel for adults, 'The Host'. And I'm happy to say I enjoyed this one so much, I was pleasantly surprised at the romance involved in the plot.



'The Host' begins with an Earth inhabited by creatures that have taken possession over human bodies. Melanie Stryder's body has been injured to the point of death, but these creatures healed her body, then put a soul into it, one called 'Wanderer'.
Wanderer has lived on several planets and has inhabited several species. However, she has never been to Earth and has never been inside a human host before. But once she is placed inside Melanie's body, she can hear Melanie's thoughts and dream her dreams. Wanderer thinks this is a sign of her own weakness, and refuses to leave the host body. Instead she decides to fight against Melanie's thoughts and mind, and take over the body completely.

'With the truest instinct of my kind, I'd bound myself securely into the body's center of thought, twined myself inescapably into its every breath and reflex until it was no longer a seperate entity. It was me.'

Wanderer soon finds out that Melanie's will is very strong. Melanie 'speaks' to Wanderer and convinces her to travel in search of Melanie's little brother, Jamie and love interest, Jared. Melanie shows Wanderer her memories of Jared and Jamie,and soon enough Wanderer begins to love them, just as Melanie does.




Wanderer is supposed to dig into these memories and find out if there are any more humans in hiding that they can overtake. Yet Wanderer is having a hard time with this, she doesn't want anyone Melanie loves to get hurt.



Risking much, Wanderer heads out, following a set of directions Melanie's uncle, Jeb, left for her. Eventually Melanie and Wanderer reach Jeb, and find that there is a group of several humans living in hiding underground, in caves, including Jamie & Jared. However, once Melanie and Wanderer find the group, these humans do not trust Wanderer, and want to kill her. They know that once an alien soul invades the host body, the person that the host once was, is gone forever. The only reason she is kept alive at first, is because of uncle Jeb, who gives Wanderer, the nickname Wanda. Jeb and Jamie everntually see that Wanda and Melanie are two people in one body. They know Melanie is still there.



This novel was wonderful, it was hard to put down, especially towards the end. Classic Stephenie Meyer's style, it was pretty much squeaky clean. She found a way to keep Melanie & Jared from getting too intimate.



I also like how the author adds a second love interest, a guy named Ian, to the story. Ian also lives hidden in the underground caves with the rest of the group, and slowy but surely he falls in love with Wanda. Then there's the jealousy between Jared and Ian, then add jealousy between Wanda and Melanie....what do you have? A foursome :P I really like Wanda's character. And I much prefered Ian to Jared.





I like Wanderer, and the idea of how she almost becomes human living in this host, how she comes to love Jamie, Jared & Ian and even Melanie. Wanda begins to make connections with others living in the cave as well and considers them her family.


The stories she told about living on other planets were entertaining too. She was once a bear, a flower, a bat and a spider. It was creepy how these aliens take over the planet, live like regular humans and make sure to eliminate any real humans left. They have 'Healers' that heal all disease, 'Comforters' who act as counselors and give advice and 'Seekers' who find humans and use them as hosts. Yet for the most part, these aliens are against violence & claim to have made Earth a better place.




I enjoyed the plot, the characters were well written and I recommend this read. Even if you're not a big fan of science fiction, you might enjoy this one.
It's a story about love, compassion & hope.







visit the official Host website: http://www.thehostnovel.com/




this read has been part of the following reading challenges:

RRC

suspense & thriller

TBR

100 +

triple 8

title: Demons Are Forever : Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom

author: Julie Kenner


genre: suspense/mystery

pages: 292

first line: 'I killed my first demon at the ripe old age of fourteen.'

rated: 3 1/2 out of 5

"What would happen if Buffy the Vampire Slayer got married, moved to the suburbs and became a stay-at-home mom? She’d be a lot like Kate Connor." -- Publishers Weekly

After reading Carpe Demon and enjoying it much, I had to read the third book in Julie Kenner's series. I skipped the second book, but that's ok! I'll catch up later.



Kate Connor, stay-at-home mother of 2 and devoted wife, used to be a demon slayer. She was married to a fellow slayer, Eric, and had a baby girl, then she and hubby moved to San Diablo to live peacefully. Eric is killed in what they think is a mugging. Kate eventually remarries Stuart Conner, and has a son, Timmy. She has been retired for 14 years, but ends up finding demons in her town. Kate is thrown back into demon hunting and now her 14 year old daughter, Allie, has found out about her mother's dangerous job, but believes Kate to still be retired. Allie now wants to join the hunters herself. Hubby Stuart has no idea about Kate's alter ego. Kate keeps it hidden and mostly goes out demon hunting at night, while her family is sleeping of course.


In this book Kate figures out that her first husband wasn't killed at random in a mugging. He was targeted as a demon hunter. As Kate grasps this reality, she begins to believe that her daughters school teacher, David Long, might actually be possessed by her late husband's spirit. So technically, the school teacher is really her late husband Eric. Yeah, confusing, a bit.

'I told myself I didn't want him. I had a new family. A new life. And as sad as that made me, my life with Eric died when his body did.'

Allie wants to become a demon hunter like her mom, she eventually finds out that her mom is no longer retired, but still actively hunting demons. There's been a few attacks on Kate now and on her best friend. And the next attack is on her daughter. Kate wants to find the cause of this and kill the head demon that is sending his evil minions out to attack Kate and her loved ones. Each time they are attacked, the demon demands she hand over the 'stone'. After Allie is attacked, Kate decides to train her daughter herself to become a demon hunter.



The storyline is good, it's a light, fun read. It had a great ending, leaving it open for the next installment....






This series reminds me of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.







Will I read the next book in the series? Probably :)





visit the author's website:


http://www.juliekenner.com/



this has been a part of the following reading challenges:

Triple 8

suspense & thriller

TBR

100 +

title: Angels and Demons



author: Dan Brown

pages: 569

first sentence: 'High atop the steps of the great Pyramid of Giza a young woman laughed and called down to him.'

rated: 3 1/2 out of 5

An ancient secret brotherhood.
A devastating new weapon of destruction.
An unthinkable target.




When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth.



The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.

Professor of religous iconology at Harvard, Robert Langdon, is woken from his sleep by his telephone ringing. A man named Maximillian Kohler tells Robert he needs to see him right away. Robert thinks it is a prank call by one of his crazier fans, and hangs up. Minutes later a photo is faxed to Robert, it is of a murdered man with the 'Illuminati' symbol branded on his chest.



'Langdon's eyes were locked on the brand. Illuminati, he read over and over. His work had always been based on the symbolic equivalent of fossils-ancient documents and hisorical hearsay-but this image before him was today. Present tense. He felt like a paleontologist coming face to face with a living dinosaur.'


Robert is flown to Switzerland to a research facility where the murder took place, on a plane that goes Mach fifteen no less, so he is there in an hour.


Kohler shows him the body of the scientist Vetra, and tells him what he thinks is happening, the Illuminati, and ancient underground organization is behind the killing. Vetra's daughter a scientist as well, Vittoria, quickly arrives and goes off with Langdon in search of a bomb that has been placed in the Vatican City. The bomb was made using the encased antimatter that Vetra and his daughter helped create.





'The image of her father's quiet genius being used as a tool of destruction was like poison in her blood. Antimatter was the ultimate terrorist weapon. It had no metalic parts to trip metal detectors, no chemical signatures for dogs to trace, no fuse to deactivate if the authorties located the canister. The countdown had begun....'





This was an exciting read. It was intense. I like how Dan Brown puts alot of information on so many different topics, mostly religious ones:


'The early cross, Langdon knew, was the most common symbol of the four elements-four arms representing Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Beyond that, though, there existed literally dozens of symbolic occurrences of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water throughout history-the Pythagorean cycles of life, the Chinese Hong-Fan, the Jungian male and female rudiments, the quadrants of the Zodiac, even the Muslims revered the four ancient elements...although in Islam they were known as "squares, clouds, lightning, and waves."'



The reason I only gave it a 3 1/2 star rating is because...okay hear me out...I know alot of readers like Dan Brown, but I'm not a big fan of his. His work is very good, but for some reason, for me, it starts off great, then he drags it out too long for my taste, then eventually I begin to get bored with it. I enjoyed this book but I felt he could have told the story in less than 569 pages. I did like Robert Langdon & Vittoria's characters.







'Langdon fought to focus his thoughts, but the situation was too bizarre to grasp rationally. Six hours ago he had been sound alseep on Cambridge. Now he was in Europe, caught up in a surreal battle of ancient titans, packing a semiautomatic in his Harris tweed, and holding hands with a woman he had only just met.'



this has been part of the following reading challenges:

triple 8

TBR

suspense & thriller

title: The Secret Scroll

author: Ronald Cutler


pages: 337


genre: Fiction/Action Adventure



first sentence: Josh Cohan was feeling spiritually heightened.



rated: 4 out of 5 stars









'The Secret Scroll' is a book I received for review from publicist Lisa Roe.







Archaeologist Josh Cohan has recurring dreams about finding a cave in Israel and a secret within. After having some trouble at work over being given proper credit for a discovery he made, Josh decides to branch out on his own and goes to Jersualem in search of the cave and the secret. He does find the cave, goes inside and finds a jar, containing a scroll. The writing on the scroll is in Aramaic, thought to be the language of Christ.



'I am Yehoshua ben Yosef. In the next two weeks, I will meet my fate. I write this scroll so you will know the truth of who I am and what I preach and believe. I am a prophet with visions of the future and I will write this scroll to prevent my worst fear-that my teachings will be forgotten or worse, that I will be misinterpreted and my message subverted by the teller of lies.

I taught in parables, but even my closest companions had trouble understanding thier true meaning. I write now in a way that the simplest of men and women may understand, yet will touch the hearts of even the brightest minds.

I was born in Nazareth in Galilee during the last year of the reign of Herod the Great.'


Josh believes this scroll to be written by Christ. He takes photos of the scroll then calls the IAA (Israel Antiquities Authority) to report his find. He comes in contact with a man who works at the IAA, Moshe, and from there they begin to try to date the scroll and see if it is authentic. Josh also meets Moshe's daughter, a fellow archaeologist, Danielle.



'He felt an urge to loop his arm in hers. Where was this coming from? Though his heart told him he could trust her, his head told him to stay on guard....Yet he didn't want to stay on guard with Danielle. Every instinct suggested that he cherish this moment, rejoice in her prescence, bathe himself in her light.'




Josh tells no one else about the scroll, but soon after, his room is ransacked and he receives a threatening phone call, the caller demands the scroll. Josh knows his life is in danger over his find. Moshe gives him a bodyguard named Dov, and they learn Josh is also being followed wherever he goes. When Danielle goes missing and Josh's good friend is found murdered, Josh knows this is a life threatening situation, he doesn't know who he can trust.



He learns of a religious cult named the 'Guardians'. This cult claims to be the only true Christians, according to them, everyone else is wrong. And they want the scroll, to destroy it.

Josh figures someone from the IAA is part of this cult, but he doesn't know who it is.



'Josh had asked himself many times over the past few days what he had brought into the world when he discovered the scroll. The consequences had already been more horrible than he could have imagined. But there was no doubt in Josh's mind that the scroll was real.'





This book was great, full of excitement. It is reminiscent of 'Da Vinci Code' and 'Indiana Jones'. You like Josh from the start and the book takes off right away.
It's definitely a page-turner, very entertaining. This is the kind of book that if done correctly, would be great on the big screen. It deals with religion and different peoples beliefs and is very well written.




'The existence of evil in the world can be attributed to mankind alone. As long as he wages war, man is a savage, for war is a savage act and is a blockade to enlightement. The day will come when there will be justice in this unjust world. When all people realize their potential, the impossible will happen.'