I have finally read my first James Patterson book. Every once and a while, I like to mix it up and try something new. Sometimes, I discover a new author and sometimes I don't. In this instance, I have discovered an okay author.
I read "Sail" by James Patterson and Howard Roughan. It is a suspense novel about a family taking a vacation two years after the death of the father. They are trying to patch up the family after this tragedy and the mother's remarriage. Within the first chapter, we know that something terrible has happened to them. The rest of the novel describes what happened and how they survived and who wanted to hurt them.
It is a very quick read. The chapters are wonderfully short. The pace is maintained and it flows properly. There are a lot of characters, but little description about them. There is no in-depth analysis of their motives, their desires or their feelings. It was clearly not written by a female author. I thought that a little romance between the Coast Guard and FBI agent would have been a nice addition to the story. But, then again, I love a good romance :)
All in all, I would read James Patterson again if the book is given to me or really cheap, but I would not necessarily buy one of his books. Don't get me wrong, it is a great vacation read, but I could not read a steady diet of him.
Until next time!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Resto Review: Madisons
One of our go to places is Madisons NY grill and bar. We have never had a disappointing meal there. We prefer to sit in the bar area, because children are not allowed there and surprisingly, it is much quieter even with the TV's.
We went a few days ago for supper as neither one of us wanted to cook :) I decided to do something I have never done at Madisons before. I ordered completely from the appetizer menu. I usually order the Madisons burger or the prime rib (I love beef!), but this time I was craving fried calamari. I love fried calamari and not every place does it properly. They do. It has a crunchy exterior and the calamari is chewy but tender. It is a little greasy, but I like it that way. They serve it with a tomato dipping sauce, lemon wedges and spicy pickled peppers. Yum!
We also ordered the chicken tenders and ceasar salads from the appetizer menu. We also got a side order of onion rings as hubby was hungry. The tenders are crispy and served with their creamy dijonnaise dip. The ceasar salads have lots of dressing and the bacon bits are real! The onion rings are crispy and flavorful and also come with the dijonnaise dip.
A word to the wise, the chicken tenders come with fries. It is not on the menu, but it should be, otherwise we would not have ordered the onion rings. Oh, and the appetizer size salad is pretty big. One is ample to share between two people. We had enough french fries & onion rings leftover to get a doggy bag.
I will definitely order exclusively from the appetizer menu again and share it with hubby. I tried something new and I enjoyed it, which is what the new year is all about!
Here is the website if you want to check it out: http://www.madisonsnyc.com/
We went a few days ago for supper as neither one of us wanted to cook :) I decided to do something I have never done at Madisons before. I ordered completely from the appetizer menu. I usually order the Madisons burger or the prime rib (I love beef!), but this time I was craving fried calamari. I love fried calamari and not every place does it properly. They do. It has a crunchy exterior and the calamari is chewy but tender. It is a little greasy, but I like it that way. They serve it with a tomato dipping sauce, lemon wedges and spicy pickled peppers. Yum!
We also ordered the chicken tenders and ceasar salads from the appetizer menu. We also got a side order of onion rings as hubby was hungry. The tenders are crispy and served with their creamy dijonnaise dip. The ceasar salads have lots of dressing and the bacon bits are real! The onion rings are crispy and flavorful and also come with the dijonnaise dip.
A word to the wise, the chicken tenders come with fries. It is not on the menu, but it should be, otherwise we would not have ordered the onion rings. Oh, and the appetizer size salad is pretty big. One is ample to share between two people. We had enough french fries & onion rings leftover to get a doggy bag.
I will definitely order exclusively from the appetizer menu again and share it with hubby. I tried something new and I enjoyed it, which is what the new year is all about!
Here is the website if you want to check it out: http://www.madisonsnyc.com/
Book Review: Rees
I downloaded a novel from Ellora's Cave and I finally found some time to read it. It is called "Rees" by Allyson James. It is the first book in her "Tales of the Shareem" series.
The Shareem are men that were created in a lab for the pleasure of women, as the men from the planet were almost eradicated in a war. This story is about a celibate young woman who is about to commit her life to intellectual pursuits, when she sees a Shareem make enter a hologram suite and she follows him into the room. She is curious about the Shareem on an intellectual level and after meeting, she is stimulated on a physical level. She convinces her guardian to get him for her, and so begins her sexual adventure with a special Shareem.
It is a quick tale and it moves at an nice, steady pace. It rarely lags and the dialog is not too flowery. It sets up the world effectively as it is the first book in the series. Hopefully, the next books won't have as much description in them, which can detract from the characters. I enjoyed it. Will I get the other books in the series? Only if they go on sale. I liked the story but was not riveted by it.
Here is the link to her website, if you want to check her out: http://www.allysonjames.com/index.html
The Shareem are men that were created in a lab for the pleasure of women, as the men from the planet were almost eradicated in a war. This story is about a celibate young woman who is about to commit her life to intellectual pursuits, when she sees a Shareem make enter a hologram suite and she follows him into the room. She is curious about the Shareem on an intellectual level and after meeting, she is stimulated on a physical level. She convinces her guardian to get him for her, and so begins her sexual adventure with a special Shareem.
It is a quick tale and it moves at an nice, steady pace. It rarely lags and the dialog is not too flowery. It sets up the world effectively as it is the first book in the series. Hopefully, the next books won't have as much description in them, which can detract from the characters. I enjoyed it. Will I get the other books in the series? Only if they go on sale. I liked the story but was not riveted by it.
Here is the link to her website, if you want to check her out: http://www.allysonjames.com/index.html
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