The Waters Edge By Karin Fossum

The Waters Edge is a mystery novel by a Norwegian author. The book starts with an old married couple out for their weekly walk in the woods. As the wife thinks about how bad their marriage has been the husband comes across the dead body of a young boy. While his wife makes a call to the police the husband is seen by her taking cell phone photos of the body. What follows is a nicely paced mystery. The two detectives Sejer and Skare are on the case and are following all leads. Then the unthinkable happens another young boy is reported missing.
I liked this book. It is fun to read a book by an author from another country. You get a feel for the country they are from and many times look at things differently. This book looks a pedophilia from a different angle that many will not agree with. overall it is a good quick read.

★ ★ ★

New DVD Releases For 8-18-2009

Hannah Montana The Movie
When Hannah Montana shows signs of forgetting her roots as Miley Stewart, her father Robbie Ray puts his foot down. Miley has always strived to live a relatively normal teenage life, but when late stage entrances, exclusive shopping trips that end in brawling catfights, and ditching friends and family in favor of Hannah appearances become commonplace, Robbie Ray gives her a dose of hometown reality at her grandma's in Crowley Corners, Tenn. Unfortunately, she's followed by British reporter, Oswald. Miley is furious at being tricked into staying at her grandma's, but her bad attitude eventually gives way to resignation. She begins to reconnect with her family. As the days progress, Miley begins to understand her self-absorption. She finds herself attracted to Travis, an old elementary friend and is drawn into her grandma's fight against the commercialization of Crowley Corners. A boastful impulse finds Miley in charge of bringing Hannah Montana to town for a benefit concert. Miley's worlds collide onstage and she reveals her true identity.

Last House On The Left
After kidnapping and ruthlessly assaulting two teen girls, a sadistic killer and his gang unknowingly find shelter from a storm at the home of one of the victim's parents, two ordinary people who will go to increasingly gruesome extremes to get revenge. How far would you go to get revenge?

Dexter The Complete Third Season

Dexter is an American television drama series that airs on American premium channel Showtime. Set in Miami, the series centers on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a serial killer governed by a strict moral code who works for the Miami Metro Police Department as a blood spatter analyst.

The Informers By Brett Easton Ellis

The Informers is a collection of loosely connected short stories. The stories take place in Los Angeles in what appears to be the 1980's. Drug use and sex prevail through most of the stories and overall the characters are unlikeable. There are a couple of stories that show how the glitz and glamour of Hollywood can change a person but overall i found the book a mess. I didn't care for anyone or what was going to happen next. I did finish only because i respected the authors previous work. This was just not the book for me.
★ ★

In This Way I Was Saved By Brian DeLeeuw

Six year old Daniel is playing in a New York park on a chilly autumn day. There he meets Luke a boy like him and soon the two are inseparable. Luke comes home with Daniel that day which also happens to be the day Daniel's mother and father decide to get a divorce. Luke helps Daniel got through this tough time. soon Luke wants all of Daniel's attention and he is willing to do anything to get it.
In This Way I Was Saved is a good book that will keep you guessing all the way until the end. It has the most unique narrator i have ever encountered and it has some very dark scenes.
★★★★

When you reach me By Rebecca Stead

When you reach me is a young adult novel about a sixth grade girl named Miranda. Miranda lives in New York City with her single mother. One day Miranda recieves a strange note that reveals things that no one should know. Who sent the note and what it means is the central plot of the book. Overall it was a good story with interesting characters and a great twist that will have you wanting to go back and read it again.
★★★

New DVD releases for 8-11-09

I Love You Man
After Peter gets engaged to the woman of his dreams, he realizes he has not one friend to serve as his best man. To rectify the situation, he goes on a series of man-dates before he meets Sydney Fife, with whom he instantly bonds. While Peter and Sydney become closer, his relationship with his fiancee begins to suffer, forcing him to choose between her or his new B.F.F.

17 Again
What would you do if you got a second shot at life? Mike's glory days are decidedly behind him. His marriage has fallen apart, he's been passed over for a promotion, and his kids think he's a loser. But Mike is given another chance when he is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17 and he's suddenly back at Hayden High School where he becomes the star of the basketball team, a total hottie and a classmate to his own teenage kids

The Class
Francois Marin and his fellow teachers gear up for another school year at a racially mixed high school in Paris. With the best of intentions, each teacher will try his or her own way to inspire their students. Through the ups and downs, successes and failures, Marin himself sometimes comes to his own breaking point, and when all is said and done next year will bring another group of students. Includes commentaries, and featurette.

The girl who played with fire

From the Publisher
Mikael Blomkvist, crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government.

But he has no idea just how explosive the story will be until, on the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered. And even more shocking for Blomkvist: the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander—the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker who came to his aid in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and who now becomes the focus and fierce heart of The Girl Who Played with Fire.

As Blomkvist, alone in his belief in Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation of the slayings, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she is the prey, and which compels her to revisit her dark past in an effort to settle with it once and for all.

I can not remember the last time i was so excited for a book to come out. I waited like a kid waits for Santa on Christmas morning. All the waiting was well worth it. When I picked up The girl who played with fire from the library i never made it out of the building before I grabbed a seat and started to read. I read 50 pages uninterrupted before I even looked up. This is the second book in what is called the "Millennium Trilogy" The first book The girl with the dragon tattoo was a world wide bestseller. The author Stieg Larsen tragically died of a heart attack soon after he delivered the final draft of the third novel to his publisher.Larsson's character of Lisbeth Salander is one of the strongest most interesting women in all of crime fiction. This is a book that will stick with you long after you have finished reading it. Although you do not have to read The girl with the dragon tattoo to understand this book. You would be doing yourself a disservice not reading it.
The girl who played with fire is one of the finest books I have read this year. Packed with intrigue and excitement. This book is the definition of a page turner. The book starts off strong with the focus on Lisbeth Salander. Near the middle it slows a bit with the story leaving lisbeth. Then the ending comes at you at a ferious pace. I found myself holding my breath in anticipation of what was to come next. I loved this book!
★★★★★

Reading outside your comfort zone

In Luck WI we have a ice cream shop called The Scoop and everytime me and my family go there i get something different. I try to not get the same ice cream twice, my son asks "dad, why do you always get a new kind of ice cream?" and I tell him "There are so many kinds that I want to try them all and maybe I will find a new favorite". That is how i approach my reading. Years ago all I would read was Stephen King, John Sandford, Patrica Cornwell, and John Grisham. After listening to a podcast about books where they had gave great reviews to a book called The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson I decided it was time to get out of my comfort zone. I went right to the m.o.r.e. site and requested the book.When it arrived I started reading I could not put it down. The Gargoyle is a book that has a romantic side to it and is something I never thought I would read not to mention become one of my favorite books of all time.

★★★★