Sunday, May 31, 2015

Eeny Meeny is a serial killer novel, but not an ordinary one. The killer is kidnapping pairs of people and one must kill the other in order to be released.  It reminds me of the Saw movies. How far will you go to survive? Will you kill?  Are surviving and living the same thing? 

The killer is playing a game with the police, a game that's twisted, dark, and smart. DI Helen Grace is smart and dark, too - but that isn't helping the victims. A strong, well-respected team leader, juggling an increasingly horrific case and problems within her team, Helen has to face her own issues if she wants to come out of this alive and on top. 


Character development, pacing, action, creativity of plot - everything was there and top-notch. Why can't I give this 5 stars? Because the structure of the novel was at time a barrier I struggled to cross. I don't  mind multiple POVs in a novel. I do mind when the POV switches mid-paragraph.  Or the POV changes in the middle of a scene, then after a short paragraph switches back to the original POV/scene. This happened throughout the novel. It was intrusive enough, and at times so difficult to decipher, that if not for the great plot I would have given up less than 10% into the book. 


I strongly suggest re-editing this book, as it takes a strong 4.5 star book down to a weak 3. I suspect no small number of readers would give up on this book early in  due to the structural and formatting issues. 


Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Berkley NAL/Signet Romance, DAW for the opportunity to read this book for free inexchange for an honest review.


Thursday, May 7, 2015

Liebster Award!



Thanks to Lauren of My Expanding Bookshelf for nominating me! The Liebster Award is a chain award created to welcome  and introduce new bloggers into the community.

Rules
Link back to the person that nominated you
Give 11 random facts about yourself
Answer 11 questions from your nominator
Nominate 11 new and obscure bloggers
Come up with 11 questions for them to answer
Inform your nominees

Random Facts About Me
1. I've been married thirty years.
2. Some of my favorite crafts are knitting, crochet, and Hardanger embroidery.
3. I lived in 8 different cities by the time I was in high school.
4. My car is 8 years old and only has around 30,000 miles on it.
5. I love to cook, especially seafood dishes.
6. My favorite fruit is cantaloupe.
7. I started playing the piano when I was nine.
8. I took two semesters of French in college, and remember almost none of it.
9.  My one trip out of the country was to Ireland, and I wish I could go again. And again!
10. I have 3 dogs: 2 chihuahuas and a pit bull.
11. My favorite color is purple.

Questions From Lauren
1. What was your favourite class in school?
Biology

2.  What is your favourite movie quote?
I'm not a movie quote kind of person. We really have only  one in our family:
'Did he have to pay to enter the pie eating contest?'
Used  appropriately in response to a question demanding details unrelated to the point of the story.

3. If you were Prime Minister/President, what would be the first law that you would want to pass?
Marriage equality

4. Have you ever been given a detention? What for?
no

5. Sweet or Savoury?
Savory

 6.Who is your favourite character from childhood?
My mother agrees that I was never big into typical childhood characters, but I did have a huge crush on Joe Mannix. Mannix aired until I was 8 years old, but I think I had given him up around 7. It aired after my bedtime, and was full of car chases and all kinds of action. I used to sneak out of bed to hide and watch it.

7. Are there any books that you are inspired by?
The book I've read most frequently is To Kill A Mockingbird. I'm sure I don't live up to Atticus Finch, but it's better to try than not.

8. Do you have any middle names?
Leigh

9. What is your favourite book cover?
I primarily read e-books. I don't pay much attention to book covers.

10.What TV shows can you recommend to someone who really needs to find a new show to obsess over (me)?
This year I'm watching The Americans, Broadchurch, Ripper Street, Orphan Black, whatever is airing on Masterpiece on Sunday nights, and generally watching a lot of reruns of old shows on Netflix.

11. What is your favourite social network site to share your blog posts, and why?
I like Bloglovin', both as a blogger and a reader.
As a reader, I like the layout of the posts. I can quickly see what I want to read and what I want to pass. All the blogs I follow are listed on a sidebar, and I get some good recommendations.
As a blogger, I especially like that it doesn't require any extra effort to add my posts. I can easily see who is following me, too. It's also simple for blog readers to add my blog to their feed, and the widget is small.


My Nominees
  1.  Emily Confessions of a Bookaholic
  2.  Literary-ly Obsessed
  3.  A Shropshire Girl
  4.  The Inside Mind of a Paranoid Puppet
  5.  P.S. I love that book
  6.  The Bookish Thought
  7.  Let's Get Lost in a Good Book
  8.  Katie's Corner
  9.  Piper's Book Blog
10.  My So Called Book Reviews
11. Bookmouse Blog

Questions for My Nominees
1. How has reading affected your life?
2. Do you generally prefer the book or the movie?
3. Do you prefer physical books or e-books?
4. Do you have a special place to read?
5. Name a book that everyone else loved but you hated it.
6. What genre of book do you avoid?
7.  First book you remember reading yourself?
8. Which musical instrument, if any, do you play or would like to play?
9.  What's the most recent book you DNF'd, and why?
10.  What's your favorite holiday?
11.  Name your favorite literary character.