March 2007 50 Books

Category: 50 Books

 

15. Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris
I had this book on reserve since January and it FINALLY came in last week and it was FINALLY my turn. I was so excited because it meant that I HAD to stop reading the other books I had (O’malley Series of Complete Waste of Time) and read something sinister. Every time the book was returned I’d ask the person who brought it back if they liked it or not. Most people said, “Meh.” And one old lady was all, “It was about his childhood! Bah!” Which, duh, lady. I guess she didn’t hear ANYTHING about the book or movie and chose NOT to read the jacket cover? I don’t know. She didn’t finish the book because it was about his childhood and that’s not what she wanted to read about. Old ladies, guys. You never know what is going to set them off.

 

I wasn’t sure what to expect what with people bringing it back going, “meh.” and the fact that the last book, Hannibal, was one of the worst book betrayals I’ve ever read. Hannibal was so bad that I wanted my money back, I wanted my time back, and I wanted to have never read the book back. Er, you know what I mean. Not only was it gross for gross’s sake (and I’m okay with gross as long as it adds something to the novel, but this was gross just to be gross, over and over), but it was a COMPLETE betrayal to Clarice Starling’s character.
ASS.

The Silence of the Lambs was like perfection, and Hannibal was the antithesis of that very thing. So the best I was hoping for was that Hannibal Rising would be somewhere ‘twixt the two.

I REALLY liked this book.

It takes place during and after WWII in Eastern Europe and France. Hannibal’s family (very rich) is killed in the war and he and his sister are taken by looters and bad things happen and then the war is over and Hannibal (who is a genius, but also insane) goes to live with his uncle and aunt and then he goes to medical school and then he exacts his revenge on the bad guys who looted him and his sister when they were kids.

I love all the history bits and the art bits. The suspense was good. The chapters were short and had a plain white page before them so it was like you’d finish a chapter and then cleanse your palate before starting the next chapter. Or maybe like, if it was a movie, the blanks would kind of be like camera flashes flashing to the next memory. I dunno, but it didn’t feel like a waste of paper.

So anyway, if you loved The Silence of the Lambs and felt betrayed by Hannibal, worry not. Hannibal Rising is much better.

 

14. The Protector by Dee Henderson
Yeah, same as the others. This time it was about Jack O’malley, a firefighter. It also involved his sister, Rachael a bit. The next book is about her. Anyway, Jack falls in love and becomes a Christian…both in the span of a month….just like the other books…

Only two more books to go. I recommend that you read the first one, The Negotiator and then not read any of the others. The first one is actually novel. The others are complete copies of the first one.

Jennifer’s cancer is out of remission…and it’s spread.

 

13. The Truthseeker by Dee Henderson
Eh, the series is pretty much formulaic by now. The focus is on one of the siblings. They fall in love and become Christian. There’s danger and mystery solving. This one was about Lisa O’Malley. She’s a forensic science person doctor of crime scenes. She ends up with Quinn Diamond, a U.S. Marshal and Marcus’s (her brother) partner. They solve a mystery. And fall in love. And she ends up believing in God. It’s just that easy.

The story is meh, but Jennifer (the one with cancer), is in remission and they get to have her wedding. I cried in some parts. I just know she’s going to kill Jennifer in one of these books.

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