Another chapter in my thriller kick.

I did say that I was going to go on a thriller kick, right?  It being term start up, this type of book is just about right for where my head is at.  Or not at.  The last month has truly gone by in a blur.  I can't believe a month ago it was August, I was camping with the boys, and here it is, fall has arrived, the coolness is in the air, and the leaves are starting to fall.  The weather is getting unpredictable, and the boys have been trying on hoodies and snow pants to see what fits and what doesn't.  It is amazing that what fits in May is NOT what fits in September.  I smile when I see the pants turn in to floods... except when I realize what size pants B is already going in to. 

I do not have little kids by any stretch of the imagination.

So, back to the book at  hand.  I have never read a Coben, and a few have landed on my shelf recently.  Being on a "late summer" reading kick of thrillers, I thought, why not!  It is always interesting learning a new writer, seeing how they fit, and whether or not you like their style and the characters they craft.  I would say I liked this book, I am not over the moon, but it was interesting how everything came together in the end, I started to warm up to the story and the characters more.  I would say it was a fair to middling type book.  I won't rave about it, and it was worth a read.  I will have a go at another book in a few weeks and we shall see where we are at. 

This weekend, I finally got to see the movie, Reacher.  I think the last 15 minutes felt like classic Reacher (with how everything came together), but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.  Cruise did a fine job - he is good at what he does.  However, it isn't really fair to cast him in a role where the lead character has a fan following, and although details may be sketchy, Reacher does get the girl on occasion, and he 6'5.  He is supposed to be huge.  Cruise is not huge.   He has charisma, he pulls off the role, just not always the character.  The plot at time tried to do too much, and I wished it moved a bit more, but then it started to come together and I can't say it was terrible, but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for either.  So rarely do we get the chance to watch a full movie (still), that I just want more from a flick when we get the chance to watch a movie that isn't geared for the under 10 set.

Not quick up to first novel I read by them...

Without a doubt, French is a good writer.  I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first book I read by her, but I didn't.

That being said, I loved certain parts of this book - I like reading about Dublin - I even recognized some of the places I have been.  I liked the accents, the dynamics, parts of the story.  There was also parts that stalled out for me, and some disconnects that made it harder to flow with the story as it unfolded.

It just wasn't quite as catchy as "In the Woods", which had really surprised me.   I would read more of her books, but I won't be rushing out to buy another one anytime soon.  I also can't say that I wanted to know a lot more about our lead character, or about the other characters.  I remember a lot of angst - I guess part of it I couldn't fully grasp was how disconnected Frank was from his family... it just didn't ring fully true for me.

There are a few more thrillers I am going to read before moving back to a different genre (lets see what ideas we come up with for book club).  I am enjoying them (they engage in a different way than 'literature' books do, they are escapist in a different way).  I think I started out with a few thrillers that were really well crafted that this book just didn't cut if for me, and I will happily trade it in at a used book store for my next read.

First week of school flu

Our household has had it's butt kicked in the last week by an early season flu.

I walked in to daycare one day last week to pick up my oldest, and I checked out one of his buddies, stretched out on the couch, flushed, glassy-eyed, obviously feverish, and I thought to myself "we are screwed".  Being away for just over three weeks, new germs, kids almost ready to go to school... I just had a feeling.  Especially when the next day, another one of his buddies had the same look, and ended up with strep.  Fast forward to the weekend, and our wee man goes down with a fever.  Sticks around a day or two, passes quickly.  He doesn't complain much, but isn't exactly behaving like his usual self either.  I must admit, I was pretty grateful it was a long weekend since we would not have been able to drop the kids off at daycare with a fever.  Today, he fell asleep on the couch before 6pm and I am hoping he sleeps through until tomorrow morning.

Then my hubby goes down.  Obviously feeling like crap, he misses work Tuesday.  

I whine my way through Tuesday - I have a headache and everything aches.  I felt like an old woman and just chalked it up, well to just being tired, not even thinking that I could also be getting sick.  At the end of the day, I get the call that Brandon has a fever, and a headache as well.  

Wednesday was a write off.  We totally had the flu.  I was hot, I was cold.  My head hurt, my body hurt, even my teeth hurt.  I think I started feeling better in time to make dinner.  No wait, I think I skipped this part yesterday.  B's fever was coming and going ... I think we drained the hot water tank a few times with alternating showers to help us feel better... and then this morning, 6am, no more fever.  I thought, yay, I will be able to make work tomorrow!  We did a cheap gas and dairy run, we had a tree taken down in our yard, and his fever returned.  After a 2 day fever, it was time to head in to a clinic.  

Confirmed, flu.  A real flu is kind of nasty.  At it's worst, it makes you feel pretty pathetic.  Everything hurts, your temperature fluctuates, you just don't feel good.  Then the advil kicks in and you feel better until it wears off, and the fever kicks back in again.  So, we are home tomorrow.  First week of September I have had off in 15 years excluding my mat leaves.  Strange feeling.

So, B is on the mend.  Fingers crossed, the fever is gone by tomorrow.  First week of grade 2 and he spent 1 hour there.  He gets to go to the office on Monday to find out who his teacher is.  How surreal. 

I am thinking we will be getting flu shots again this year if this is how the school year is starting.

Harry's back (Bosch that is)

I did make the comment that reading Gone Girl really was just cracking the door open to read a bunch of cop thrillers again right?

It was nice to visit an old literary friend again.  I think the Harry Bosch series and the Inspector Banks series are my favourite serial crime novels.  The characters, the pacing, the overall I have returned to again and again and never been disappointed by what I have read.

Harry is now chasing open unsolved cases and this book took him back to his own past to a case that he touched during the LA riots in 1992.  Very interesting book, very interesting how it all came together.  The end came together quickly, and left a few questions overall in the rush.  Reading this, and seeing how Connelly is developing the character of Bosch's daughter makes me wonder if the torch is going to shift in the coming years.