Book Review 2015: Latest Book Reviews

I'm so behind on my book reviews, so I'm going to combine a few reviews into one post.

**All reviews published on Randomness With Rachel are done on a five-star rating system. The reviews are solely my opinion and no one else's. Randomness With Rachel does not receive any incentives or compensations for reviews.** 

10 Questions: Puppies: What To Know Before Inviting The Slobber Monster Into Your Home by Allen Shaw

This is a wonderful book for anyone thinking about getting a puppy. The author provides a lot of great suggestions that one must consider before they welcome the newest member into their family (but he doesn't overload the reader with too much information). He throws in some humor throughout the book, which makes it a quick and enjoyable read. His love of dogs (especially one dog in particular) is very noticeable, but that makes his suggestions even more genuine, in my opinion. Even if you already have a dog, you would still enjoy this book! 

You can get an e-book version of this book on Amazon, just click here!

Real Murders by Charlaine Harris

This was a quick read and a fun little mystery novel. The heroine, Aurora (Roe) Teagarden, is a librarian and a mystery book lover (I liked her immediately). She belongs to a Real Murders Club, where they analyze and discuss famous murder cases. One night a member is murdered before their meeting and her death is similar to the one the club was discussing that night- therefore, every club member is a suspect.

Roe makes it a point to help prove the innocence of club members by getting involved in the investigation (because isn't that what anyone else would do in that situation?) Does that even happen in real life? I'm not being funny, I'm actually asking. Lol.

Some of the story was predictable, but it was still enjoyable. I recommend this if you are looking for a book to read some lazy Saturday afternoon. I believe I finished this one in less than a day. Oh, The Hallmark Channel recently aired a few TV movies based on this series, starring Candace Cameron Bure as Roe Teagarden. 

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym for J.K. Rowling)

I really enjoyed this book. It's no secret that my favorite genre is mystery (thank you grandma for that), so I'll read pretty much any mystery novel there is. As readers of my blog know, I recently read the Harry Potter books for the first time. After reading those, I was curious if Ms. Rowling (I don't feel we are close enough yet for me to call her J.K.) could write well in another genre, so I had to check this one out.

I was impressed with this story. I think the novel is well written (she is definitely a good story teller, regardless if you are a fan of the genre she is writing in or not). It's nice to see her writing an adult novel (wait, not THAT kind of adult novel. Lol.) I like the character of Cormoran Strike. He is a war veteran and struggling private investigator. He's broke and has recently ended a long-term relationship with his girlfriend. Then he is hired by a client that could help get him back in business (literally). With the help of his newly hired secretary Robin, they do their best to solve the case. 

One thing about reviewing mystery novels is that you don't want to say too much, just so you don't give anything away. I will say that this is by NO MEANS a quick little read. It seems that Ms. Rowling can't write a short novel. Lol. This book is over 450 pages, so if you are quick reader, you could probably finish this in a day if you put your mind to it. There was some British "lingo" that I didn't always understand (shout out to my friend Harrie, who answered my questions on what certain British words and phrases meant). :) If you are a mystery fan, I definitely recommend this one. There is another book in the series, The Silkworm (which I just finished, I'll review it another day). I know the third book in the series is due out this fall. I'm looking forward to it!

Thanks for being patient with me while I get all my reviews published! :)

XOXO!