The Uncanny by Andrew Klavan

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
Richard Storm is passionate, hot-blooded, and running out of time. Sophia Endering is cool, beautiful, and haunted by a centuries-old mystery. Now the Hollywood filmmaker and the troubled young woman have come together in a race against the unbelievable, the unthinkable, and. . . The Uncanny.

Richard Storm reached the top of his profession producing horror films based on classic English ghost stories. Now, with his life beginning to unravel, Richard is searching for something to believe in. Fleeing Hollywood for London, he embarks on a desperate quest: to find evidence that the great old stories bear some truth, that the human spirit lives on after death.

What he finds is Sophia, a woman caught in a nightmare more chilling than any of his film horrors. Propelled by a furious love, haunted by a terror he can barely confess to himself, Storm pursues Sophia through the labyrinth of her family's madness and their involvement in Nazi art thefts, down a trail formed by the classic ghost stories themselves--into the very heart of the uncanny. . . . -taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
The Uncanny is a unique and original mystery/suspense novel.

I was pretty much in awe of the characters throughout the whole book. Andrew Klavan gave them such depth and complexity. Every one of them had a distinct personality full of little idiosyncrasies.

The story itself is exciting, full of twists and turns. The plot has so many different elements, but they are interwoven together so nicely that it never feels excessive.

I can't say enough about the writing in The Uncanny. When I was reading, it almost seemed like I was watching a movie of what I was reading. Klavan really knows how to draw the reader into the story. With it's lush atmosphere, foggy gloom and seeming constant drizzle this modern day tale seemed itself out of an old English ghost story. The mood is set perfectly.

The ending wasn't really what I was hoping for but I can handle that. I'll still say this is a fantastic book that I highly recommend!

Iceberg by Clive Cussler

Rating: 4.0

What it's about:
Frozen inside a million-ton mass of ice--the charred remains of a long-missing luxury yacht, vanished en route to a secret White House rendezvous. The only clue to the ship's priceless--and missing--cargo: nine ornately carved rings and the horribly burned bodies of its crew.
-taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
Another fun Dirk Pitt novel. Clive Cussler writes action packed adventures that never fail to entertain. This one takes place mostly in Iceland but with a finale that takes place in Disneyland. Kind of a strange twist of events but you'll have to read the book to find out why.

The Serpent and the Rainbow by Wade Davis

Rating: 3.5

What it's about:

In April 1982, ethnobotanist Wade Davis arrived in Haiti to investigate two documented cases of zombis — people who had reappeared in Haitian society years after they had been officially declared dead and had been buried. Drawn into a netherworld of rituals and celebrations, Davis penetrated the vodoun mystique deeply enough to place zombification in its proper context within vodoun culture. In the course of his investigation, Davis came to realize that the story of vodoun is the history of Haiti — from the African origins of its people to the successful Haitian independence movement, down to the present day, where vodoun culture is, in effect, the government of Haiti's countryside.

The Serpent and the Rainbow combines anthropological investigation with a remarkable personal adventure to illuminate and finally explain a phenomenon that has long fascinated Americans. -taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
The Serpent and the Rainbow is a somewhat slow first-hand account of the search for the truth behind zombis. Wade Davis weaves together mysticism, ethnobotony, anthropology and history. Overall, it was a pretty interesting tale Wade wove. I especially enjoyed learning some of the history of Haiti and her African roots. There were parts though that bored me. The movie is much more exciting, but if you're interested in the real story written by the man himself you should read the book.

Snow by Orhan Pamuk

Rating: 1.0

What it's about:
Dread, yearning, identity, intrigue, the lethal chemistry between secular doubt and Islamic fanaticism–these are the elements that Orhan Pamuk anneals in this masterful, disquieting novel. An exiled poet named Ka returns to Turkey and travels to the forlorn city of Kars. His ostensible purpose is to report on a wave of suicides among religious girls forbidden to wear their head-scarves. But Ka is also drawn by his memories of the radiant Ipek, now recently divorced.
Amid blanketing snowfall and universal suspicion, Ka finds himself pursued by figures ranging from Ipek’s ex-husband to a charismatic terrorist. A lost gift returns with ecstatic suddenness. A theatrical evening climaxes in a massacre. And finding god may be the prelude to losing everything else. Touching, slyly comic, and humming with cerebral suspense, Snow is of immense relevance to our present moment. -taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
Drab. Boring. Flat. Snow was one of the most uninteresting books I've ever read. I couldn't relate to any of the characters or situations. The plot, though it sounds interesting, was very dull and frankly it just couldn't keep my attention. Blah!

The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler

Rating: 4.0

What it's about:
Dirk Pitt rides a tidal wave of intrigue in this classic Cussler.

On an isolated Greek island, a World War I fighter plane attacks a modern U.S. Air Force base--a mysterious saboteur preys on an American scientific expedition--and Dirk Pitt plays a deadly game of hunter and hunted with the elusive head of an international smuggling ring.
-taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
Another fun Dirk Pitt adventure. This is a quick thrill ride with a lot of surprises. I absolutely love the characters of Dirk Pitt and his sidekick Al Giordino.

Night Chills by Dean Koontz

Rating: 4.0

What it's about:

THE FEVER IS SPREADING

Seizing the men and women of Black River. Plaguing them with night chills. Driving them to violent acts of Rape and murder.

THE FEVER IS SPREADING

Designed by top scientists and unleashed in a monstrous conspiracy - its deadly spell can unlock the most frightening potential of the human mind.

THE FEVER IS SPREADING

The nightmare is real. And death is the only cure...
-taken from book

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this creepy story. It definitely shows how too much power can corrupt people. The story takes place in a small town where a few scientists use subliminal messaging and mind control to manipulate the population. And the really creepy part is that this small town conspiracy is just a field test. These power hungry men have bigger plans. But they didn't plan for everything and soon things start to fall apart. This is a typical Koontz book and a fast paced read.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
Widely regarded as the father of modern science fiction, Jules Verne wrote more than seventy books and created hundreds of memorable characters. His most popular novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, is not only a brilliant piece ofscientific prophecy, but also a thrilling story with superb, subtle characterizations.

The year is 1866 and the Pacific Ocean is being terrorized by a deadly sea monster. The U.S. government dispatches marine-life specialist Pierre Aronnax to investigate aboard the warship Abraham Lincoln. When the ship is sunk by the mysterious creature, he and two other survivors discover that the monster is in fact a marvelous submarine—the Nautilus—commanded by the brilliant but bitter Captain Nemo. Nemo refuses to let his guests return to land, but instead taking them on a series of fantastic adventures in which they encounter underwater forests, giant clams, monster storms, huge squid, treacherous polar ice and—most spectacular of all—the magnificent lost city of Atlantis! -taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a wonderful adventure story with great characters. Captain Nemo takes his crew and three passengers on quite an exciting ride! Some of the descriptions of the underwater life they encounter go on and on but I didn't mind. The only complaint I have is that the mystery surrounding Captain Nemo was never revealed. This was my first venture into reading Jules Verne. Now I can't wait to dig into another of his exciting novels.

Pacific Vortex by Clive Cussler

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
Dirk Pitt's first, most terrific adventure! Dirk Pitt, death-defying adventurer and deep-sea expert, is out to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex—a fog-shrouded sea zone where dozens of ships have vanished without a trace. The latest victim is the awesome supersub Starbuck, America's deep-diving nuclear arsenal. Its loss poses an unthinkable threat to national defense. Pitt's job is to find it, salvage it, before the sea explodes. In a furious race against time, Pitt's mission swirls him into a battle with underwater assassins-and traps him in the arms of Summer Moran, the most stunningly exotic and dangerous woman ever to enter Pitt's life. As the countdown heads toward disaster, Clive Cussler plummets his hero onto an ancient sunken island-the astonishing setting for the explosive climax of Pacific Vortex! -taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
This is the first in the Dirk Pitt adventure series and my first Clive Cussler book. It was so exciting! Pacific Vortex is full of adventure, action and mystery. It's just what I was in the mood for! Cussler did a wonderful job at creating some great characters that I totally fell in love with. I can't wait to see what adventures Dirk Pitt has in store for him next.