One Fine Day You're Gonna Die (Rapid Reads: Charlie D #2) by Gail Bowen

 

Summary:

 

Charlie D is back doing his late-night radio call-in show. It's Halloween--The Day of the Dead. Not a day filled with good memories for Charlie, but the show must go on. His studio guest this evening is Dr. Robin Harris, an arrogant and ambitious "expert in the arts of dying and grieving," who also seems to be auditioning for her own radio talk show. Charlie and Dr. Harris do not hit it off. Things go from bad to worse when the doctor's ex-lover, Gabe, goes on air to announce that he's about to end his life. Dr. Harris is entirely unsympathetic until she learns that Gabe also has her daughter Kali and plans to poison her too. It will take all of Charlie D's on-air skills to save both Gabe and Kali.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 93 pages (Paperback)

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: October 1st 2010 by Raven Books

 

A few years back I picked up the first book in this series Love You to Death because when Mr. Turning the Pages and I first started dating I kind of went into a big reading slump that lasted months and that one helped get me out of the slump. A few years went by and in May of this year I realized there were two more books in this series and One Fine Day You're Gonna Die looked good and I wanted to read more about the protagonist Charlie D so I had to read it.

 

I wasn't expecting a lot from this novella because as much as I enjoyed the first book in the series it was only a three star read for me and this one turned out to be not as good as the first.. While I was happy to revisit Charlie D I found myself to be a little let down by the fact that we didn't learn anything more about him as a character. I was hoping that despite the crime aspect of the story that more of his past would be revealed but I was sorely disappointed.

 

The plot line of this one just didn't seem to flow together as well as the one in the first novella in the series. While I was reading it I often found my mind wandering and I would struggle to stay focused on the story. I think much of this was because the characters were so one dimensional. There was very little character development and with a lackadaisical plot line things just didn't mesh well. I found all the characters to be rather annoying because they weren't explained enough. I understand that with a novella things have to be condensed but this one seemed as though everything of importance relating to the story line had be edited out and we were left with a shell of a book.

 

I was unconvinced by Dr. Harris. I've might my fair share of narcissistic doctors but this lady really took the cake. Everything was about her even other people's grief and she tried to tell them that people put them through grief and can basically turn that off by moving on as if it was the simplest thing  in the bloody world. She made me so angry and every time she became the focus of the book I cringed. Even the fact that the man kidnapped her daughter it didn't seem to shake her all that much and I found that to be so wrong I just wanted to reach through the book and strangle her.

 

I also was unconvinced by the idea of Gabe kidnapping the doctor's daughter just because she slighted him. This was supposed to be a crime novella and most of the book wasn't even about the crime and it seemed like the author just kind of let things slide a little too much and then was rushing to bring the story together but for me it simply did not work.

 

Overall, I found that One Fine Day You're Gonna Die was a bit of a disappointment. When I finished the book I originally gave it 3 stars because it didn't seem so bad. But, as I started writing this review and really analyzing the book and how I felt about it I think it deserves a much lower rating. I just expected more from it and for it to be on par with the first book in the series. However, just because I didn't enjoy this one it does not mean I will not be picking up book three to read soon just to see how things progress with Charlie D and I also plan on picking up another of the author's other books to try out as well.

 

I would recommend this to fans of novellas who are looking for a darker sort of read perhaps for a day at the beach or for someone trying to get into the genre or back into reading. Reading the first book isn't necessary to read One Fine Day You're Gonna Die but I do recommend it so you get a bit of a feel for Charlie D. 

 

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

2013 Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge

 

Not For Me!
★

 

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Her Kilt-Clad Rogue by Julie Moffett

 

Summary:

 

Englishwoman Genevieve Fitzsimmons never expected she'd return to the wilds of Scotland. And she certainly didn't expect to become governess to the son of Connor Douglas, the man with whom she shared her first kiss and her first heartbreak. The man who still intrigues her...

For Connor, duty means everything. Years ago, it forced him to break Genevieve's heart and marry another woman, —one who made him miserable. Now a widower at odds with his son, he's determined to put his heart first.

As Connor and Genevieve begin to find their way toward a future together, they can't escape the past. Someone is bent upon revenge against Connor and his feelings for Genevieve make her the perfect target.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 103 pages

Source: Toronto Public Library

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: August 1st 2011    

 

Those of you who have been following my reviews for a while know that I am not a fan of novellas in general so I was totally surprised by how much I enjoyed Her Kilt-Clad Rogue when I read it last weekend.

 

Admittedly, I picked up the book on a whim and wasn't expecting to like it at all but I ended up enjoying it a lot. The novella centers around Genevieve Fitzsimmons a first time governess who has had to turn to working due to family debts and much to her chagrin she ends up taking a position in her teenage sweetheart's castle who abandoned her, married another woman and had a son.

 

So as you can figure poor Genevieve is having a rough time of it already and now she has to deal with Connor's unruly son Ewan as well as feeling for her old flame who is acting rather strangely. I really liked Genevieve's character a lot. She was smart, witty and was a woman who knew what she wanted. Plus she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself and Ewan when the time came.

 

Connor was a bit of an enigma in the beginning of the story and I wasn't sure if I liked him very much in the beginning but as the plot developed I liked him more. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders and when the big mystery behind his wife's death came to fruition things that were keeping him and Genevieve apart were resolved.

 

I also really liked Ewan. He was a little boy trying to be a man dealing with the sudden suicide of his mother at what he thought could have been his father's fault as well as being governed by a English woman, and dealing with a stuck up woman who was intent on taking his mothers place. He had a lot going on and I'm glad he and Genevieve were able to become friends despite his earlier reservations.

 

The overall plot was very well developed especially for a novella. I wasn't expecting there to be as strong of a story as there was given that the story was just slightly over 103 pages in length. There was a lot of components to the story and the author didn't rush into the romance aspect Her Kilt-Clad Rogue. I thought every thing went together so well and I was pleased at how the story played out. I was also pleased that the characters were as developed as they were.

 

As a first time reader of Julie Moffett I have to say that the author did an awesome job hooking me onto her writing style and I can't wait to read many more books by her and hope that she continues writing for a long time to come.

 

I would highly recommend Her Kilt-Clad Rogue to all historical romance fans out there. I think this would make for the perfect afternoon read curled up on the couch as it rains outside with a cup of hot tea on the side table and a pet in your lap. Or anytime really. Especially if you're looking for a quick, well written read.

 

Loved it!
★★★★★

 

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Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez

Summary:
On the eve of his ninetieth birthday a bachelor decides to give himself a wild night of love with a virgin. As is his habit–he has purchased hundreds of women–he asks a madam for her assistance. The fourteen-year-old girl who is procured for him is enchanting, but exhausted as she is from caring for siblings and her job sewing buttons, she can do little but sleep. Yet with this sleeping beauty at his side, it is he who awakens to a romance he has never known.

Tender, knowing, and slyly comic, Memories of My Melancholy Whores is an exquisite addition to the master’s work.
Summary taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 115 pages (hardcover edition)
Source: Toronto Public Library
Publication Date: November 14th 2006

My main motivations for reading this book were very simple. I needed to read a book by a Colombian author for my Around the World challenge,  and I've been meaning to give this author a try ever since I saw his book Love in the Time of Cholera in the  2001 movie Serendipity starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusak. Plus lets be completely candid here, I'm 21 and am allowed to be immature at times so I also wanted to read the book because of the title. Sue me. So when I saw this short little book sitting high on the bookshelf at the library I thought...that now was as good a time as any to finally see what all the hype about him was about.

I knew right off the bat that this was going to fall in the more poetic side of novels and I was fine with that, despite my misgivings about novels like that I was more than willing to go into this one with an open mind. Now it may surprise some that I actually liked a lot of the story. I found the character of our unnamed protagonist to be fascinating, at 90 years old he calls a madame requesting a virgin for the night to help him celebrate.

Now I request that you get your heads out of the gutter because while the book is sensual there's no other words for it, it is not sexually explicit. In fact if you read it you'll know what I'm talking about.  Most of the book actually focuses on the man reminiscing about what he has missed out in in life as well as his recollections with whores.

Despite the fact that I liked this book more than I thought I would I feel as though I didn't get what I expected out of reading it. I thought that it would be better and more...captivating. Perhaps it's because that it's a novella and that to fully experience this writers obvious talents I will have to read one of his longer works, of which I have every intention. However, I'm thinking that it will be a long while before I pick up anything written by him. I appreciate the book for what it was and his writing style is beautifully poetic and I adore it. For me it was the story that was slow and lacking.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy novellas, poetic novels, fans of the author or other people who want to give this author a try but are not sure where to start. Like always, I encourage you to try the book for yourself and see if you like it. If you do. Leave me a link to your review.

★ ★ ★