You're invited!

What's new, pussycat? How about a pre-launch Goodreads Giveaway (for all my cherished Booklikes friends) of my newest novel, a murder mystery called WHO KILLED 'TOM JONES'? My giveaway runs through Jan. 20. Win one of three copies for yourself if you like rollicking contemporary mysteries laced with romance (or for someone you like a whole bunch--I wouldn't give this book away to just anyone, only someone really special who will lend it back to you when they're done). Cheers and prosperity in the New Year! Yours in puffy shirts and skintight trousers!

+ 1/2* for yummy food descriptions.
+ 1/2* for keeping me just interested enough to continue reading.
+ 1* for writing a book that made me think about it after, and what I would do in this situation.

For me, it's really important to connect to a character. I don't necessarily have to even like them. But I have to connect to them in some sort of way, to be invested in what happens. I have to have someone to either root for or against.

The characters in this novel were all pretty detestable. I think this is one of the few books that suffers from too much character development. You're almost half way through the book before any of the plot happens, and by that time you already sufficiently dislike everyone involved. And, we find out too late in the book that Paul has some sort of diagnosable mental illness that explains so much of his thought and behavior patterns. Maybe if this would have come up sooner, there would have been a little bit of room for me to feel anything other than dislike.

These characters are terrible people in a terrible situation. When not trudging through their personal backgrounds, we have to trudge through the details of their dinner. I kept reading, waiting for the action to pick up, but when it finally did, it was too little too late for me.

What a great read! This was my first book by Neil Gaiman, and I really enjoyed every moment of it. I don't know much about the other books that he's written, aside from the fact that he does some books for children (although they're pretty dark) and graphic novels. He captures the thoughts and emotions of a child very well - the story is told through the eyes of a 7 year old.

Although he was the main character, the most intriguing characters for me were the Hempstock ladies. Eerie, powerful, they really reeled me in!

The book was kind of creepy, without being scary. Just the way Gaiman notes a character's smile is enough to make me feel a chill. This will definitely not be the last book of his I read!

When some big thing happens in a book that I totally didn't see coming...

Wow! What a twisty, twisted book! I didn't think I would like it during the first 50 pages or so, just because hearing rich people whine is really not my thing. But something lurks beneath the surface and I'm so glad I stuck with it! The book had twists until the very end and I devoured this book in just a couple of days. A thriller, and a great page turner!