Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow by J.K. Rowling

@Bunnitaz #ThrowbackThursday
5stars

From Goodreads:
'His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.' With these words "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" draws to a close. And here, in this seventh and final book, Harry discovers what fate truly has in store for him as he inexorably makes his way to that final meeting with Voldemort. In this thrilling climax to the phenomenally bestselling series, J.K. Rowling will reveal all to her eagerly waiting readers.

My Review:
This is going to be long so you have been warned.

The List

• Lily is older than James by a couple months.
• There are 80+ characters names in the first 250 pages (I stopped counting after that)
• Causaliteies - Hedwig, Mad-Eye Moody (body not recovered), Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, Gornuk (goblin), Bathilda Bagshot, Dobby, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Colin Creevey you can find a complete list here because I stopped counting 
• Tonks and Remus got married on the low and Tonks is pregnant
• Tonks dad is a muggle and mother is sister to Narcissa and Bellatrix
• Dudley had become accustomed to having Harry around (I think he thought of him as a brother)
• This list can go on forever so here's the review
• Harry and the Weasleys are distantly related

This is the last book of the series. :( Though it has been years, it is still sad to know that we will longer have any more adventures in Harry Potter land. For seven books, we have read about this ordinary boy forced into the extraordinary role of the-boy-who-lived. 

In the Deathly Hallows, the trio has dropped out of school to search for horcruxes. They don't, however, know where any of them are. At the beginning of there journey there are at Bill's and Fleur's wedding when the ministry falls. Thanks to Hermonine they end up in a diner where Death Eaters end of finding them. With no other place to go they return to Grimmauld place. It is there that they find out who R.A.B. is. Kreacher tells them what they need to know about the locket.

During retrieval of the locket Hermonine inadvertly takes a Death Eater to Grimmauld place. They end up in the woods. From that point on the story starts to pick up...a bit. They have the locket but unable to destroy it. Each take a turn wearing it (to keep track of it) as it intensify any negative feeling of the wearer. While wearing the locket Ron argues with Harry and leaves. But I'm not going to summarize the whole book. This is towards the beginning.

What we learn during this book is that Harry has a sense of wanting to know the truth. He was unable to understand that people were not always who they grew into being. It is a very black and white view. He learns that what you see is not always what is going on. We also learn the biggie. Snape had always had Dumbledore's back. He did not kill Dumbledore. He carried out his last wish. Snape had always loved Lily and that love made it impossible for him to betray the promise he made to Dumbledore years ago.

Harry finds out that was always suppose to subject himself to the killing curse, it just doesn't end the way he thinks. During he visit with Dumbledore while he (Harry) was in the "in-between" he get the answers he was seeking. Once he returns to his physical body (unbeknownst to anyone other than Narcissa) Voldemort has Hagrid carry Harry to the castle thinking that this will be the end of the resistance. However, the fight continue. Neville, the boy who many wonder why he was in Gryffindor, killed the snake Negini. Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix, showing that is stronger witch than some many have ever thought.

In the end, Harry and Voldemort square off. Harry tries to give Voldemort an out explaining to him the magic he doesn't understand. We all know, however, that Voldemort would have never taken the out. His ego wouldn't allow the possibility that he could be defeated by anyone especially a kid. Voldemort is a warning to value those things we think are small or even insignificant. It is those things that usually have the most impact in the grand scheme of things. Really it has been the thread throughout the series. Something that was mention in one book could come along 2 books later as being part of a big deal.

Well that is it isn't? The end of the Harry Potter series. Ah...so sad. Alas, there is always rereads and the movies. I must confess I like the movies but only love the first two and maybe the third one but the rest were just to different from the book to have love status. Anyway, it's been such a ride. Speaking of ride. Universal studios is yet another way we can continue to get our Harry Potter fix. I will say this. I think the Hogwarts castle ride was a mistake. Qudditch would have made an excellent ride. The castle would have made an excellent and unique hotel experience. Who wouldn't want to stay there. The Great Hall could've have been the hotel restaurant. First floor classes could have been interactive perhaps with classes or other hands on experience. The castle along with Hogsmeade would have given those who don't want or unable to go on the ride to have a full Harry Potter experience. Regardless, it's definitely on my to do list. Well I guess there's only one think left to say is...mischief managed.

The List of Question Unanswered

• What did Harry end up doing for a living
• Did the trio go back to school to finish especially Hermonine
• Did George keep Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes going
• What happened to Teddy Lupin cause he's not enroll in Hogwarts
• What's going on with the Weasley now that Fred is gone especially with George

Challenges:

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Hogwarts Reading Challenge 2014 Sign Up

YA Bingo Reading Challenge 2014

Dismissed with Prejudice by J.A. Janice

#ThrowbackThursday
J. P. Beaumont book 7
mp3 audiobook 8 hrs 49 min
rating 3stars

Synopsis:

Top ten New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance′s classic tale of suspense featuring Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont and his desperate race to track down a twisted killer.

Japanese businessman Tadeo Kurobashi had many passions, including computers, poetry, money, and Samurai lore. So his suicide method of choice would naturally be the ancient art of seppuku - what the uninitiated call ⧡ra-kiri.⟂ut despite the bloody Samurai sword Kurobashi clutches tightly in his lifeless hand, Seattle detective J.P. Beaumont senses the dead software magnate played a less active role in his own demise. Because glaring errors have been made in the time-honoured Asian death ritual - which has Beau looking for someone with a less traditional passioner cold-blooded homicide.

Review:

I think care for this book as much as the other ones.  The book as always flowed nicely. And I love the narrator. I can't really put my finger on it but there was just something off about this novel. This one is about people who think they know each other only to discover that they only saw what the other wanted them to. Kurobashi and his wife went through something as a young couple that had negative effects on their relationships with their daughter and friends. During the course of the investigation we learn more about who the Kurbashi's are and why Tadeo was murdered. We also find out as does J.P. why he wakes up with splints on his fingers.

Challenges
2012 Support Your Local Library
All About You Challenge
2012 Mixing It Up Challenge

Company by Max Barry

rating: 2 stars
mp3 10 hrs 17min

from Kobo:

Stephen Jones is a shiny new hire at Zephyr Holdings. From the outside, Zephyr is just another bland corporate monolith, but behind its glass doors business is far from usual: the beautiful receptionist is paid twice as much as anybody else to do nothing, the sales reps use self help books as manuals, no one has seen the CEO, no one knows exactly what they are selling, and missing donuts are the cause of office intrigue. While Jones originally wanted to climb the corporate ladder, he now finds himself descending deeper into the irrational rationality of company policy. What he finds is hilarious, shocking, and utterly telling.

My Review:

I am torn. I really liked Jennifer Government. Many people did not and I could see why they didn't. Many people like this book and I can see why they did. However, for me this book was lacking. So let's break it down like this. 

What did I like?

I like that the company turn out to be an experiment. Even though it's to the extreme I have worked places where people are too afraid to speak. Managers who don't do anything. Managers who don't even know how to do the job of the people they are managing.

What didn't I like?

I didn't like the main character. I found him to idealistic and naive. I cannot tell you how much he annoyed me. The ending also didn't impress me. The type of people in the Alpha program didn't strike me as the type of people who would just give up and go on to other things. The experiment was done in secret so to me they seem like the types that would've tried to set up shop in another city. 

Company was an interesting look at corporate American in what I would probably say as the 80s. Good for a fast read. Don't take it too seriously but don't be surprise if you see a little of your workplace environment depicted in the story. TBR 3

Challenges:

2013 Audio Book Challenge

Let Me Count The Way

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=S*4/FsYOoLE&subid=&offerid=258185.1&type=10&tmpid=9309&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobobooks.com%2Febook%2FPS-I-Love-You%2Fbook-pB-VBeGosUawT7a4VlUuzA%2Fpage1.html%3Fs%3DWGexNlszTEafO6bTH4g-KQ%2526r%3D2
#ThrowbackThursday
rating: 3stars (2.8)

From Kobo:
A wonderfully warm and heartfelt debut from a stunning new talent. Everyone needs a guardian angel! Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry. Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each other's sentences and even when they fought, they laughed. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other. Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry's death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He's left her a bundle of notes, one for each of the months after his death, gently guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed 'PS, I Love You'. As the notes are gradually opened, and as the year unfolds, Holly is both cheered up and challenged. The man who knows her better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing -- and being braver than ever before. Life is for living, she realises -- but it always helps if there's an angel watching over you.

My Review:
P.S. I Love You is about love. Holly and Gerry have been together since they were teenagers. They are childhood sweethearts and soul mates. And more importantly best friends. Gerry dies and now Holly must learn to live without him.
Let me start by saying that this was perhaps not the best book to read for this game as it is long and quite emotional. I usually do not like lead female characters who are very dependent on others. Holly would seem like a character I would not like but the subject matter made me feel for her. She had the love of her life and to become a widow at such a young age would make any person more than just a little depressed. Gerry cares for her even after he is dead by leaving her a series of letters. The most important thing about these letters is that it gives her his blessing for her to keep moving forward with her life. So often when people we love leave our lives some times it may feel like you are betraying the person by having fun, falling in love, or whatever else the case may be.
This book has been sitting on my shelf for well over a year. Every time I look that it I would just say I am just not in the mood for what I thought would be a sappy book. Like I said above it may not be the best book for the relay but it is a great read. I can't say I can relate but I was in a relationship for years and when it ended I was lost for awhile. I missed our friendship most of all. And that to me is why the book is about love. If you are in a relationship and the two of you are truly friends then I think you will enjoy this book.
Note: I know that the likelihood of this ever really happening (the letters) is slim but I’m leaving this book on my boyfriend’s nightstand. I don’t want letters after he’s dead as I hope we have a long time together. But maybe it’ll spark some kind love note every now and then. LOL…a girl can hope.

Reading Challenges 2013:

2013 Book Bingo Reading Challenge
2013Book to Movie
2013 TBR Pile Challenge

Fun and Games 2013/2012

PBT's 5th Anniversary Relay (Play Book Tag)
Readers of Romance Book Challenges Winter 2013

Killing Rain by Barry Eisler

#ThrowbackThursday
book 4 John Rain series
narrator:Michael McConnohie
mp3 audiobook
rating: ★★★★ (4.4)

From Goodreads:
Killing Rain, John Rain has a new employer, the Mossad, which wants him to fix a "problem" in Manila; a new partner, Dox, whose good-ol'-boy persona masks a sniper as deadly as Rain himself. He also has a new hope: that by using his talents in the service of something good, he might atone for all the lives he has already taken. But when Rain's conscience causes him to botch an assignment, he finds out that the Mossad's next assignment is himself. And when Delilah, the alluring Israeli agent he once fought and then loved, reappears in his life, is she there to help him - or to finish him off?

My Review:
This is the first book I have listed to by this author. I must say that it is quite a story. Narrator Michael McConnohie has a great voice. A great story is always key but with audio books the voice of the narrator is most important because if I don't like the voice that the end of listening to the audio version.

John Rain (wonder if he had John Wayne in mind) is an assassin for hire. He is hired to take out a guy named Manny. With not much to go on, John and his partner Dox has to watch Manny for the perfect opportunity to take him out. The right time presents itself but at the last minute circumstances change and John freezes. Now John is the hunted by those who hired him and the man Manny was working with.

The story is completely interesting. The characters are believable. Each having their own personality and quirks. It's fast paced but still contains detailed information. Though this is book 4, I had no problem reading it out of order which is definitely a plus. A great book for any reader who loves thrillers, suspense, and spy-mercenary novels.

Challenges:
2013 Book Bingo Reading Challenge
Let Me Count The Way
2013 Audio Book Challenge

Other:
Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon

2nd Chance by James Patterson and Andrew Gross

#throwbackthursday
hardcover (large print)
520 pgs
rating 3stars (3.4)

From Kobo:

A brutal madman sprays bullets into a crowd of children leaving a San Francisco church. Miraculously-or was it intentionally?-only one person dies. Then an elderly black woman is hung. Police homicide inspector Lindsay Boxer senses a connection and together with medical examiner Claire, assistant D. A. Jill, and Chronicle reporter Cindy, finds a link that sends a chill through the entire nation. This killer's motives are unspeakable.


My Review:

Lindsey Boxer has been promoted to lieutenant. Her first case back seems to be an apparent drive by on choir children. Soon it is discovered that the only murdered victim was not an accident. When things escalate and everyone is at a lost of whom the murderer could be the Women’s Murder Club come together once again.

Fast paced and interesting 2^nd Chance keeps you engaged from the very beginning. No moment for things to become dull in this novel. The murder is, of course, central stage but there are a couple of subplots that keep the story moving forward. The killer in the novel, who calls himself the Chimera, is quite disturbing. There is one particular scene in the book that involves pictures of several lynchings that illustrated just how sick the killer is. If you haven’t read this yet and you are a fan of detective, crime, murder mystery novels this should be added to you tbr.

 

Challenges:

13 in 13
2013 TBR Pile Challenge
2013 Book Bingo Reading Challenge

Jennifer Government by Max Berry

#throwbackthursday

Jennifer Government by Max Berry

Paperback: 321 pages
Publisher: Vintage (January 6, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400030927


From Kobobooks:
Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card--as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale--and everything must go.

A wickedly satirical and outrageous thriller about globalization and marketing hype, Jennifer Government is the best novel in the world ever.

My Review:
Let me tell you that I love this book. I have read it at least five times. I'm finally getting around to write a review for it. I must warn you now, this will be a long one. Let's go.

The characters in the book can be rather annoying. Most of them have a one track mind. This is actually a book that if you love it you love it for everything other than the characters. In the world of Jennifer Government. Capitalism rules. Everything has a price tag. Why I love this concept is because it as far fetched as one may think. In the book, everything is a sue able offense and let's face it, you can sue for just about any reason now and have a good chance at a payday.

With money being the most desirable item in Jennifer Government that mean having a job ranks as number 2. Everyone is born with a first name only. A person surname is the company they work for or the school they attend. If you do not have a surname then that means you are unemployed and thus looked down on. This part reminds me of slavery in America. Slaves last names were the name of their owner. If they were sold then the name changed to the new master. I don't know if this was intentional by Mr. Berry. I saw it as people being a slave to their jobs.

Hack Nike work as a Merchandising Officer. A position that is pretty low. He signs a contract (he was pressured into not reading it or keeping a copy) and learns that he is now obligated to kill 10 people. The killing is to hype up the new sneakers the company has coming out. Hack unable to do so outsource the job and things go downhill from there. Hack is not a likable character at all. He is a whip, a pushover. At the end of the book he becomes more assertive but really he's just turned into a guy with a chip on his shoulder.

John Nike is all about dollar signs. He doesn't see anything wrong with doing whatever is necessary to make money even if that means killing people. For most of the book, people admire him for this quality as it is having a positive effect on profits. However, John Nike soon learns that even he is only as good as the results he is able to obtain.

By the end of the book, a war between the two loyalty companies break out. And John Nike learns that he really isn't above the law. Jennifer Government is way too consumed with her job but the book doesn't make it seem as if she learned to value her time with her daughter any more than she did in the beginning of the book. In fact, there is no mention of whether or not the world of commerce changes in this book or not. So if you are looking for that they you'll than likely be unsatisfied.

This is perhaps the only book I have read so far where to concept of the story made me love the book because the characters did not. This definitely a book where you have to read it for yourself to see if you would like it or not. If you are the type of reader who want characters you can root for then bypass this.

Challenges:
2012 Support Your Local Library
Dystopia
Mixing It Up 2012

The Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich

Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Harper (August 31, 2004)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0060598891

ISBN-13: 978-0060598891

 Rating: 3 stars (2.8)

from Amazon:
Her tall, dark, and deliciously dangerous boss . . .

When the delightful, daffy Dog Lady of station WZZZ offered to take on the temporary job of traffic reporter, Steve Crow tried to think of reasons to turn Daisy Adams down. Perhaps he knew that sharing the close quarters of a car with her for hours would give the handsome program director no room to resist her quirky charms. He'd always favored low-slung sportscars and high-heeled women, but that was before he fell for a free spirit who caught crooks by accident, loved old people and pets, and had just too many jobs!

Loving Daisy turned Steve's life upside down, especially once he adopted Bob, a huge dog masquerading as a couch potato. But was Daisy finally ready to play for keeps?

My Review:
The Rocky Road to Romance is a precursor to the Plum series in way. Although Steve Crow, radio station boss and love interest is a character of his own, Daisy Adams definitely has some Stephanie Plum qualities. She is headstrong and hard-headed, walks unnecessarily into danger, stubborn, and has a hard time asking for help.

Daisy is also a workaholic. She volunteers as a crossing guard, deliver newspapers, a waitress, a cab driver, The Bowser Hour (she wrote a cookbook for dogs) spot on the radio, a doctorate student, an internship at a retirement home, and just landed a temporary job filling in as the radio station traffic reporter. And in typical Evanovich fashion, Daisy finds herself in the middle of some pretty incredible incidents.

Steve Crow is WZZZ radio station owner. He falls for Daisy, hard. She mentions a dog she tested recipes with so to have an excuse to get closer to her he tells he she can use his dog. Only one problem, he doesn't have a dog. Crow goes to a shelter to find a dog, Bob. Bob is to big for the sport car Crow drives so he buys a car. The condo building he lives in doesn't allow dogs so he buys a house. All for the love of Daisy. But the question is will she allow herself to admit the love he knows she has for him or better yet succumb to it?

I know you want the rundown right. Here goes: Daisy the workaholic, Steve the boss and love interest, Kevin the human food vacuum, Elise the elderly bodyguard, 2 drug dealers, a surprise parental visit, an incidental engagement, and a pregnancy.

A fast paced and entertaining story. The Rocky Road to Romance is kind of like Rocky Road ice cream there's alot going on but at the end of the bite it melts into a delicious delight. Bon Appetite

Plot: 3 Writing: 2  Characters: 3  Other: 3 Overall feel: 3

Reading Challenges 2012:
2012 Romance Reading Challenge
2012 Read Your Own Book Reading Challenge
The 50 States Reading Challenge 2012

Fun and Games 2012:
R.R.B.C. Summer 2012
Bunnita Reading Travel Buggie

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

hardcover pgs.166

rating 4stars

Plum Lucky is a between-the-numbers book.  These books could be considered part of the Plum series or a series on their own. It would be book 14 in the Plum series (if listed in order) and book 3 in the between-the-number series.

Stephanie is driving with Lula when they spot Grandma Mazur with a duffel bag fighting a little person who resembles a leprechaun. In the morning, hottie Diesel shows up at Stephanie’s looking for a place to crash while he looking for a skip. While Stephanie is contemplate what she is going to do with Diesel her mother calls to enlist her to find Grandma Mazur.

On a hunch, Stephanie figures grandma went to Atlantic City to spend a little of her Social Security check. She stops at the bonds office to inform them of where she is about to go so of course Lula and Connie come along.

Sure enough, Grandma Mazur is at Daffy Casino in Atlantic City. Only she is not spending money for her Social Security check but money from the duffel bag. That’s right. The duffel bag was filled with money and, since this is a Stephanie Plum book, trouble.’

With a cast of characters that include Stephanie, Lula, Connie, Grandma Mazur, Diesel, mobster Lou Delvina, Snuggy (the lucky unlucky leprechaun), and Doug the horse Plum Lucky doesn’t crap out.

*rating factors - fun, fast paced, and short pages. One to two day read

Challenges:
2012 50 State Reading Challenge (New Jersey)
Soundtrack Challenge: Dirty Dancing
2012 TBR Challenge
Stephanie Plum Series