October 18, 2008

Lisa Scottoline’s Daddy’s Girl

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If you need to get to bed but would like to catch up on some light reading just before you turn in, then don’t read this book.

I’m saying don’t because that’s exactly what I did. On Thursday night (more like Friday wee hours of the morning) last week, I came home, was online for hours and then headed up to to bed at daybreak. I noticed Scottoline’s Daddy’s Girl on the shelves right outside the bathroom. I figured my Mom was done reading it, and since it mine and it’s been on my TBR pile for months, I decided to read the first chapter before I went to get my much needed sleep.

I lay down, propped the book open, and didn’t stop reading until I finished all of it. So much for the much needed sleep.

I don’t regret it though. Imagine: I was already sleepy but she kept me awake. It was definitely a good read. I think I went through this one in about three hours or less.

As you can see here, I have read other Scottoline books and I could really tell that this was one of her latest books. Her style is the same but you could sense that she has also improved (not that she wasn’t already great). Plus, the scenes and some details in the novel are also current.

Nat Greco, the main character, is a law professor who lives a quiet life. She has a boyfriend who seems to be so much a part of her family – he actually seems to belong with them more than she does. Her lifestyle and character is so different from her parents and siblings – not to mention her physique.

Her almost predictable life changes forever when she finds herself inside a prison during a riot. Nothing exciting ever happens to her – then all of a sudden something does. And having her life threatened at that riot wasn’t even the worst (or best, depends on how you look at it) of it.

I must admit, I was developing a crush on that Angus character – pony-tailed, passionate for his work, does pro-bono stuff to seek justice. He really was much more appealing than Hank…

Honestly, I was a bit puzzled by the choice for the title. While reading, I couldn’t help but think that she didn’t seem like a Daddy’s Girl. I’m still not a hundred percent sure that I got that part of it. But I do think that more than finding herself (Nat), the most important realization that she got from the events that have happened, is finding herself in relation to her family.

There are many people out there who feel that they were born to the wrong family. Some resent what their family members do, or even resent just the way they are. But what Nat found was that this family actually did know her, and accepted her and loved her. And they would be there for her in every way that she needed them – if she only let them.

September 6, 2008

Mistaken Identity – Lisa Scottoline

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How would you feel if you met someone who was your complete opposite (in personality and social stature) but who looked exactly like you? Then that person tells you she’s your twin?I would probably freak out and then run to my mom and dad!

That’s what top notch lawyer Bennie Rosato did when it happened to her. She also took on the reponsibility of being the alleged twin’s defense counsel in a capital murder case.

Mistaken Identity - Lisa Scottoline

The last Scottoline book I read was Legal Tender where Bennie was accused of murder herself. In Mistaken Identity, Bennie has already established the all-girl law firm of Rosato and Associates and is living with her boyfriend Grady (who I thought was the murderer back in Legal Tender, hehe). Mary and Judy were in this book too and the former was shown as having second thoughts about her chosen career. Doubts that were later dispelled.

This case represented a turbulent time in Bennie’s life: she learns that she has a twin, finds her dad, loses her mom, and she is almost killed. It is as if she loses her family – but in the end also learns what family really is all about – just not what she has always thought a family is or should be.

Mistaken Identity somewhat challenges our perceptions of family – is it merely blood and genes or something less tangible? I grew up with a loving family and I have good relationships with cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents too. Without a doubt, they are family to me. But I know that my heart also considers family, people who have no blood relation to me. I have lots of kuya’s (elder brother), manangs (an older female), uncles and aunties because I grew up in a very close knit community. When Alfred and I started talking about wedding plans I had to explain to him that for my side, close family and friends is still a lot people.

Because I had read four of even five other Scottoline novels before this, I felt like I already knew Bennie, Mary (and her parents), Judy, Marshall, Grady and even Lou. I was even waiting for Anne until I realized that her story comes much later. This is what’s great about her books, you can feel the familiarity as if you were part of the firm, of Mary’s family, yet you wouldn’t be lost if it was the first book you read.

While preparing for this post, I stumbled upon the author’s website and found that she has a Tote bag promo. She sends you a tote bag if you send her proof that you bought two copies of her latest novel, one to give away to a friend. I have been thinking of giving away/reselling-for much less- books that we have here. Maybe I’ll launch that project by purchasing two copies of Lady Killer. The thing is, I don’t think it’s already available locally. I would love to get that tote though. Hehe.

Oh, more book news… I am getting the Twilight Saga. I finally decided that I do want to read the whole series. I found a book store that still had paperback editions of the first three books and my friend will be picking them up for me this weekend. Breaking Dawn will have to wait – I’m not as hard core a fan to get the hard bound edition. 🙂

I gotta scoot, I promised a friend I’ll look into Scottsdale Real Estate information for her. She has recently migrated to the US and her family’s looking to setup permanent residence in Arizona.

April 27, 2010

Lady Killer

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Normally, when I write-up a post about a familiar theme, I run a search on my blog so I can make references to earlier posts on the subject. I was surprised that a search on my blog with the keyword Scottoline only brought up four posts. I mean, isn’t Lisa Scottoline one of my recent favorite authors? Have I really only read four of her novels? But I feel like I know the girls of Rosato & Associates so much. Haha.

I searched via Google too, and my post on my Bravejournal for Courting Trouble showed up, I mentioned Devil's Corner there too.

Anyway… I recently read another of Lisa’s novels, and Mary DiNunzio once again takes center stage.

For me, it was the usual Scottoline experience. There’s the familiarity with the characters, and the very comfortable and homey feel when Mary goes to her parents’ house. Judy wasn’t in the picture so much this time around though, it was really about Mary going her own way and dealing with the skeletons in her closet. There was a lot of mention of her husband Mike who had passed away, but I couldn’t remember Mike at all! 🙁

It was not surprising how the book touched on the what ifs of life. Mary was wondering how life could have turned out if things were different in high school. Sometimes I think of crossroads I’ve gone through, and wonder how things could be had I chosen a different path. The good thing is, I have no reason to really regret any of the choices I made. Mary shouldn’t regret any of hers either.

If there was something I didn’t like about Lady Killer, it’s that none of the Mean Girls turned out to be okay in their adulthood. No, scratch that. They apparently were happy with their lives and they probably even consider themselves successful. But it’s so obvious that Mary was being held on a higher ground because she’s now a lawyer and all that. The Mean Girls all worked in a beauty salon. They still had each other though, and they were still for the most part, Mean. Why couldn’t Mean Girls have turned out to become lawyers too? Why couldn’t they have made something else of themselves? Not ALL geeks turn out okay, and not all meanies turn out to be losers when they grow up. Haha.

Hays. I thought that if I tried focusing on something like a book I read, I would write and it would make sense. Apparently, it doesn’t make a difference. I’m still stuck in a rut. Pfft.

I hope my awful writing doesn’t turn you off on Lady Killer.

September 18, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #14 – Books!

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For this edition of my Thursday Thirteen, I list the books on my current to-read pile.

to-read pile!

There are plenty of other books in the house that I haven’t read and would love to read too. It just so happens that I bought the ones on this pile myself – mostly second-hand.

New Moon – Book 2 of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. I just finished reading Twilight for the second time and I’ll probably start this one in a day or two. I gotta post about the recent two books I finished reading before I start another though.
Eclipse – Book 3 of the Twilight Saga. Okay, it’s obvious that I already own all four books in the series. I figured I’d buy them at once while Fully Booked at Gateway still had paperback stocks. I actually had to reserve these via email. The first three books were picked up for me by my friend Vanette, while Breaking Dawn in paperback was restocked only last weekend. The CS peeps over at Fully Booked were kind enough to inform me that it was already available so I picked it up on Monday.
Breaking Dawn – Book 4. Alfred is interested in reading the saga and I am encouraging him because it is rare that he shows interests in books. I’m not sure how he’d react to the cheesy stuff though.
My Friend Leonard – James Frey. I had read A Million Little Pieces and was moved, sometimes disturbed, by the story. I don’t care if he embellished and if it wasn’t 100% truthful, he had very powerful words and he painted pictures that people should see. I am looking forward to this one, and I am assuming it will revolve around the same Leonard that was part of the first book. While I was at the bookstore, I found out about a third novel that Frey wrote. If I still like this one, I’d most probably be getting that too.
Lirael – by Garth Nix. Book 2 of the Abhorsen series. It’s been years since I read the first of the trilogy: Sabriel. It’s a Young Adult Fantasy and I love it! The main character in the first book is a young girl. Lirael will continue on with what had happened after the events in the first book took place. I’m hoping I can dig out the first book so I could jog my memory a bit before I start on Lirael.
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo. I’ve seen the concert, loved the songs and even sang them, but I’ve never read the book. I must admit it’s thickness is quite intimidating, but I think I can handle it 🙂
Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey. You gotta take one when you take the other right? Haha. I wonder if I’ll understand much of what is written in these two books?
Anna Karenin by Leo Tolstoy.
PS I Love You by Cecilia Ahern – Loved the movie, I’m sure I will love the book even more.
The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin, Nicola Kraus. Here’s another title whose movie adaptation I enjoyed watching.
The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg – I had read two or three of her novels before and I truly enjoyed them. So full of heart. I’ve already forgotten what this one is about, but I’m sure I will like it.
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella – I have missed her writing and woulld love to just sitback and enjoy some light reading again 🙂
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger – Can you believe that I didn’t see the movie? I’ll read this, and then watch.

There are at least two more titles upstairs that should be on this pile, including Scottoline’s Daddy’s Girl. I’d love to skip work and just spend entire days reading and then blogging about them (and maybe even giving them away if I could figure out the logistics for that). Then I’d have visits to the bookshops to look forward to again. I really love walking into bookshops and letting titles draw me in. I have not tried book shopping online because I know I’d be addicted. Maybe it’s a blessing that Amazon books don’t deliver to the Philippines. 😉

Checkout my previous TT’s here and here. Also don’t forget to sign Mr Linky, and leave a comment so I can go visit you too.

February 21, 2008

Running from the Law

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Those who have known me for awhile, specially those who have visited us at home (here at 19th street, back at Fairview, and especially back at our old house in the Seminary) would know how widely read my family and I are. Between all four of us, we own or have purchased hundreds of books through the years. In the last 5 years or so, second-hand or previously owned books have also graced our doors.

There is a small second-hand bookshop at The Loop, located at the ground floor of our office building and I’ve spent a lot of time there since it opened late last year. I passed by the bookshop twice last week, and ended up purchasing several books on each visit. There was one by Clive Cussler – a Dirk Pitt novel that managed to slip by my dad; a Scottoline that I knew my mom (and I) would enjoy; a Steve Berry novel that would also interest us all; a chic lit novel by Weiner that I’ve also been wanting to purchase but didn’t want to get at full price. And there were more.

From all the books I’ve bought recently, I’ve finished Lisa Scottoline’s Running from the Law. It probably isn’t her best work, certainly not the most memorable one that I’ve read by her, but it was a good read. It’s a lawyer/crime novel but it doesn’t get you feeling like you want to become one, unlike others in the same genre. It did nor reawaken my dreams of becoming a lawyer myself, certainly not. I guess what sets Running apart is that it focused more on the conflicts that the heroine was going through during that very important case of her career.

I guess what didn’t make it memorable was the author’s seeming conservatism in terms of letting us into the girl’s psyche. Readers will know there was something wrong, but never really why it had gone wrong. It left a lot to one’s imagination, which isn’t necessarily bad. There wasn’t much mystery in the court case, but there were lots in the protagonist’s personal life. There were questions left hanging, but maybe it was only so because I wasn’t totally into the book while I was reading it?

What’s all the mystery behind the Rita Morrone’s mother? How did LeVonne end up in Vito’s employ? What was the source of Rita’s commitment issues, was it simply because Paul wasn’t really the one for her? Okay, so that’s not a lot of questions, but that’s where I was left hanging.

Overall, it was well worth reading. At a stressful time in my life, it was the perfect novel – not too complicated, easy to digest.