This is the first day of my very last semester tomorrow. I can't wait to be done with school and actually make some money. It will be so nice not to be so broke all the time. But, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't have a crystal ball and have no idea what the future holds. I just hope -- a lot. :)
But, I am getting added to the staff page of a book review website (e-zine) that I volunteer at. I get paid in the form of a byline and free review books, which I am extremely excited about. I think that my husband probably feigns excitement for me. That's okay, I love him for it anyway. I know that he's happy for me though because I am. That's just the kind of guy that he is. I just wish (and probably him too) that I got paid for them. But, in order to get paid, I have to write a lot more than two and do it for years. I can do that, but I need to get a real job too. That's okay, I'll do both.
Well, like I said, school tomorrow and its way past my bed time, so good night until tomorrow.
C-Ya
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Another Review..
This is my second review and it is by Harlan Coben. It's called No Second Chance. I really didn't like this one as much as the first book I read by him, but the review explains that.
In "No Second Chance", Doctor Marc Seidman wakes up in the hospital that he works at with almost no recollection of what happened. He knew that he had been shot and he remembered what his last thought was. His daughter. His first thought was his daughter and how much he loved her. His daughter, Tara is six months old and a police detective tells him that she has been kidnapped and his wife is dead. Dr. Seidman is distraught with grief and in a state of shock. The shock becomes even greater when he finds out that he has been in the hospital for twelve days.
Twelve days his daughter has been missing. Twelve days his wife, Monica, has been dead and buried. The funeral was small and quiet. Her father had wanted it that way and could not wait for Marc to be released from the hospital. Her father, Edgar, was a very prominent man with lots of money. However, he was not a very nice man. We find out that he had "abused" his daughter. At the end of her life, she was seeing a pyschriarist for emotional problems. She thought that her husband did not love her anymore and might've been having an affair with his old girlfriend Rachel in college. She was right about one thing. Marc didn't really love his wife ever. He married her only because she was pregnant and he was trying to do the right thing. When she had the baby, he almost resented Tara for making him make the sacrifices that you must make as a parent. He even questioned himself about being a good husband and father. But, a baby was a baby and the more he got to know her and fell into their "routine", he came to love his daughter.
Marc, having recovered from his injuries, gets out of the hospital and goes to see Edgar. But first, he stops and sees his wife's grave. He makes a promise that he will find Tara. When he finally gets to the house, Edgar tells him that he has gotten a ransom demand from the kidnappers. No police, two million dollar payoff and then he gets his daughter back. The good doctor informs the police, who incidently suspects him as being the killer of his wife and mastermind behind the whole plot. The police go with him and as a result he gives up the money, and the chance at finding his daughter.
The kidnapper's tell him that there is no second chance. But, after eighteen months of wondering and waiting, they get another ransom demand. This time, like the last, the demand comes to Edgar. They give him a hair sample to convince them that the girl is still alive and waiting to come home. The police get involved with investigating him deeper as he finds his old lover, Rachel at the grocery store. It was an awkward moment, but he eventually enlists her help to recover his daughter. As the police then turn their attention to her, we find out that Rachel Mills is a retired FBI agent and has a mysterious past of her own.
I was truly expecting "No Second Chance" to be just as satisfying and heart wrenching as his book "Tell No One." I really cared about the characters in "Tell No One" and I wanted everything to turn out well. I still wanted everything to turn out well, but the characters in "No Second Chance" were just not that interesting and really, I didn't care about them. The characters felt very rushed. The characters could have been given more depth and sincerity. The main character's concern throughout the book over his daughter was not very believable. It seemed like Mr. Coben's main character was more interested in his ex-girlfriend Rachel, when he found her again, then in finding out what happened to his daughter. He and Rachel's relationship almost seemed to be the main story and finding Tara seemed to be pushed into the subplot. He also seemed to give up on his daughter too quickly. As he said "he and Rachel could just drive off in the other direction"; Essentially leave his daughter and the trouble that they were in far behind and start a whole new life together. Dr. Seidman did not seem to be a very strong character to be the main one.
The story builds up to a climatic conclusion which will satisfy his readers. The chase scenes and the mystery of who killed his wife, shot him, and took his daughter was very entertaining and keeps the reader questioning the character's motives. Also, the confrontations with the police are also very interesting and keeps readers at the edge of their seats.
Although not his best work, it was a very entertaining book, and fans of Mr. Coben will definitely appreciate this fast paced mystery.
In "No Second Chance", Doctor Marc Seidman wakes up in the hospital that he works at with almost no recollection of what happened. He knew that he had been shot and he remembered what his last thought was. His daughter. His first thought was his daughter and how much he loved her. His daughter, Tara is six months old and a police detective tells him that she has been kidnapped and his wife is dead. Dr. Seidman is distraught with grief and in a state of shock. The shock becomes even greater when he finds out that he has been in the hospital for twelve days.
Twelve days his daughter has been missing. Twelve days his wife, Monica, has been dead and buried. The funeral was small and quiet. Her father had wanted it that way and could not wait for Marc to be released from the hospital. Her father, Edgar, was a very prominent man with lots of money. However, he was not a very nice man. We find out that he had "abused" his daughter. At the end of her life, she was seeing a pyschriarist for emotional problems. She thought that her husband did not love her anymore and might've been having an affair with his old girlfriend Rachel in college. She was right about one thing. Marc didn't really love his wife ever. He married her only because she was pregnant and he was trying to do the right thing. When she had the baby, he almost resented Tara for making him make the sacrifices that you must make as a parent. He even questioned himself about being a good husband and father. But, a baby was a baby and the more he got to know her and fell into their "routine", he came to love his daughter.
Marc, having recovered from his injuries, gets out of the hospital and goes to see Edgar. But first, he stops and sees his wife's grave. He makes a promise that he will find Tara. When he finally gets to the house, Edgar tells him that he has gotten a ransom demand from the kidnappers. No police, two million dollar payoff and then he gets his daughter back. The good doctor informs the police, who incidently suspects him as being the killer of his wife and mastermind behind the whole plot. The police go with him and as a result he gives up the money, and the chance at finding his daughter.
The kidnapper's tell him that there is no second chance. But, after eighteen months of wondering and waiting, they get another ransom demand. This time, like the last, the demand comes to Edgar. They give him a hair sample to convince them that the girl is still alive and waiting to come home. The police get involved with investigating him deeper as he finds his old lover, Rachel at the grocery store. It was an awkward moment, but he eventually enlists her help to recover his daughter. As the police then turn their attention to her, we find out that Rachel Mills is a retired FBI agent and has a mysterious past of her own.
I was truly expecting "No Second Chance" to be just as satisfying and heart wrenching as his book "Tell No One." I really cared about the characters in "Tell No One" and I wanted everything to turn out well. I still wanted everything to turn out well, but the characters in "No Second Chance" were just not that interesting and really, I didn't care about them. The characters felt very rushed. The characters could have been given more depth and sincerity. The main character's concern throughout the book over his daughter was not very believable. It seemed like Mr. Coben's main character was more interested in his ex-girlfriend Rachel, when he found her again, then in finding out what happened to his daughter. He and Rachel's relationship almost seemed to be the main story and finding Tara seemed to be pushed into the subplot. He also seemed to give up on his daughter too quickly. As he said "he and Rachel could just drive off in the other direction"; Essentially leave his daughter and the trouble that they were in far behind and start a whole new life together. Dr. Seidman did not seem to be a very strong character to be the main one.
The story builds up to a climatic conclusion which will satisfy his readers. The chase scenes and the mystery of who killed his wife, shot him, and took his daughter was very entertaining and keeps the reader questioning the character's motives. Also, the confrontations with the police are also very interesting and keeps readers at the edge of their seats.
Although not his best work, it was a very entertaining book, and fans of Mr. Coben will definitely appreciate this fast paced mystery.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Baby Thoughts...
Just a musing that I had a while ago...
Baby Thoughts
By: Doreen Luff 12/1/2007
Babies are funny things. They are cute and cuddly. They are beautiful and wonderous. They can make almost anyone want them. But, then again they can make almost anyone not want them. Figuring that I would get married and have a baby, the question if I would have one or not never came up. The answer was already chosen for me. The answer was chosen for me by my family. I would have one. Not a doubt in their or my mind. So, how did the doubts come about? I got married. Plain and simple. I got married and the doubts crept in. My husband, whom I love more than anything, more than my life, asked me if I wanted to have a baby. I said “Yes, of course.”. Then he asked me the now dreaded question that I had never thought about. He asked me “Why?”. It was a one word question, but it was the most important and complicated question anyone had ever asked me. Why? I was stumped. Didn't have a clue how to answer that seemingly simple question. But, I tried to answer it. I wanted a baby, just because. Because they are cute, which didn't seem like the answer that was appropriate. I wanted a profound answer. I wanted the right answer. But, at that time I couldn't come up with one. I don't think that I still can. Yeah, they are cute, beautiful, and absolutely adorable. But, is that really an answer and a reason to have a baby. My husband and I would be terrific parents. Better than most in my humble opinion. But, is that a good enough reason to have a baby? Babies do not stay babies. They grow up. They walk, talk, and play. They learn, explore, and experiment. They talk back, yell, make their parents worry. As I recently almost found out they make you start worrying about them as soon as you find out that you are pregnant. The pregnancy test that I took was negative. But, for a time I thought that I was. I was worried, scared, and nervous. I drove to the nearest Rite-Aid fifteen minutes before they closed. Rushed in to bored cashiers and managers already closing the store for the night. I looked frantically for the tests, before finding them, duh, at the pharmacy. I purchased it and took it home. I took one that night. It only made me wait for ten minutes, but the one pink line appeared telling me that it was negative. I had a mix of relief, joy, and sadness. Did the relief and joy tell me that I didn't want a baby? Did the sadness suggest that I should? I didn't know. So, I've been thinking about it ever since. It's been a almost two weeks now and I still don't have a definitive answer. I hate that. I hate not having answer. My life has always been and probably will always be definitive. Every decision that I've made has always been yes or no. This is the only thing in my life that I have to ponder about. I truly truly hate that. I want a decision and I keep comping up with more questions. I can go either way on this issue. I can have a baby and I would be happy or I can keep my family at five. My husband, myself, and my cats, Diana, Luna, and Romeo. I would be happy with that decision as well. Does that mean that I should or shouldn't have a baby? Does that mean that I do or don't want a baby? Good questions both of them. I don't have answers to these questions. My husband doesn't make things easier. He keeps telling me that we should talk about it after I graduate and get a job. But, he is pretty sure that he doesn't want children. He's been saying that since I met him all those five years ago. I think that if he were truly serious about not having children, then we wouldn't be waiting. He or I would be going to get fixed. I said that I would, even brought home a brochure. But, he wants me to wait a year. Which puts doubts in my head as to if he's serious or not.
Happy New Year..
Is it? I guess it's in all what you make of it. It's happy for me although nothing in my life has really changed that much. I'm six months married, I am in my very last semester of school and hopefully my last year at Kohls. I've grown to hate that store. It'll be three years working there in June and it feels like a lifetime.
Anyway, back to school. I am very glad that this is my very last semester. But, of course, that means in just four short months, I will be able to bring up the question that I wasn't able to talk about. What to do about children? Will we have them or won't we? Should I be looking into schools now or later?
I don't know. I do know that I haven't even thought of it recently. I've blocked it completely out of my memory. Now that it's resurfaced sort of, I still don't know the answers to the questions.
What I do want personally? I would like to have them. At least one, if not two. A boy and a girl. and I know the harder it will be the longer that I wait. But, it's really not a big deal whether I have them or not. I can go either way. I guess then it's not really important to me at this point in time. Will it be eventually? Don't know. Right now though, I really don't care.
Anyway, back to school. I am very glad that this is my very last semester. But, of course, that means in just four short months, I will be able to bring up the question that I wasn't able to talk about. What to do about children? Will we have them or won't we? Should I be looking into schools now or later?
I don't know. I do know that I haven't even thought of it recently. I've blocked it completely out of my memory. Now that it's resurfaced sort of, I still don't know the answers to the questions.
What I do want personally? I would like to have them. At least one, if not two. A boy and a girl. and I know the harder it will be the longer that I wait. But, it's really not a big deal whether I have them or not. I can go either way. I guess then it's not really important to me at this point in time. Will it be eventually? Don't know. Right now though, I really don't care.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Book Review
I just finished a very intriguing book. The title is "T is for Trespass." The book is by Sue Grafton and it's her latest in the alphabet mysteries. It came out on December 4, 2007. This review is also on Amazon.com.
Book Review:
In Sue Grafton's lastest alphabetical thriller, Kinsey Millhone finds herself enboiled in a mystery ripped right from the newspaper headlines. Her friend, Gus Vronsky, who lives by himself, falls and is in need of a nurse to help him around the house. Gus' niece, Melanie asks Kinsey to just do a quick background check to make sure that the nurse that she wants to hire is reputable.
Kinsey does the background check and clears the nurse for the task at hand. At first, everything seems fine, but as things progress, Kinsey finds that she put her friend, Gus, in mortal danger. Not only that, she finds herself in mortal danger as she investigates Nurse Rojas further.
In this fast paced novel, Kinsey has to prove that Nurse Rojas is not who she claims, has to save her friend from death at the hands of his nurse, and has to prove that she is not making any of this up.
Sue Grafton has done it again with this quick paced, truly frightening novel. Anyone who is a fan of mysteries, will appreciate this gripping work of fiction.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
It's Funny...
when the front, back, and basement doors are open; how insecure and vulnerable to the world you truly are. That's how I've always felt anyway. I like it better when I can shut out the world and it's just me and the ones that I love safely tucked away in our house. Now, don't get me wrong, I like to visit places and people. There's just something about coming home at the end of a hectic, sometimes bad day and closing the door. You just know that nothing can get in and you are shutting your bad day out with the rest of the world. But, the tech from dish network is here so everything is open.
Right now, he's giving us satellite. I'm told in a few short hours I can experience the wonderment of satellite in HD. Right now though, the house is silent except for the drilling through concrete. The tech is giving us new cables, I think. I wish that my husband was here. He was supposed to have the day off today, but unfortunately duty called and he went to work. He knows a lot more about this stuff then I do, and I already called him with too many questions today. Anyway, I'm sitting in my living room with my Eight O'Clock coffee enjoying the day and my Christmas tree.
Fully decorated, I might add. I did it early this year, because I wanted to. So there. No excuses. I did it, because.
My princess cat, called Kitten, is sitting on the top of our navy blue couch trying her best to catnap. She is a little salty because we put plastic on the windows. Which means, that she can't sit on the window sill anymore until spring. But, I was told that doing that will save us 30% on our gas bill this winter. We'll see. I know that it will save us some. I think we'll be very lucky if it saves us that much.
Well, the tech needs me so more later! :)
Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to Olivia and Jenny!
Right now, he's giving us satellite. I'm told in a few short hours I can experience the wonderment of satellite in HD. Right now though, the house is silent except for the drilling through concrete. The tech is giving us new cables, I think. I wish that my husband was here. He was supposed to have the day off today, but unfortunately duty called and he went to work. He knows a lot more about this stuff then I do, and I already called him with too many questions today. Anyway, I'm sitting in my living room with my Eight O'Clock coffee enjoying the day and my Christmas tree.
Fully decorated, I might add. I did it early this year, because I wanted to. So there. No excuses. I did it, because.
My princess cat, called Kitten, is sitting on the top of our navy blue couch trying her best to catnap. She is a little salty because we put plastic on the windows. Which means, that she can't sit on the window sill anymore until spring. But, I was told that doing that will save us 30% on our gas bill this winter. We'll see. I know that it will save us some. I think we'll be very lucky if it saves us that much.
Well, the tech needs me so more later! :)
Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to Olivia and Jenny!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Hello, My Name is....
Doreen. This is my first blog post ever. That's probably a strange statement nowadays. It seems as though everyone has at least one if not more. Oh well. Anyway, in the picture on the left are my tabbies. The orange/white one is Romeo and the brown tiger is Diana (Kitten). I have one more. She is a black and white long hair. Her name is Luna. She is not happy about Romeo being around. She's not the one that I thought that I would have to worry about being happy or not though. She always liked people and other animals around. Kitten was the one that I thought I would have a problem with. She was my antisocial cat. But, she has taken to him much much better. Luna wouldn't be caught dead with him on a couch or anywhere else for that matter. My husband was surprised at that too though.
But, now I have to get ready to make some money..more later.
C-Ya
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