book challenge Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

2009 Book Challenge

January 17, 2009 by Rhonda Gales

To help with my 2009 goal to read more, I decided to enter a book challenge. There are 2 options for the challenge. I’m going for option 2:

1) The first option is to simply buy one book and read it. The book you buy and read should be a book you have chosen for yourself for pleasure. It should not be work related and books read to your children do not count.

2) The second option is to buy one book a month and read it. I am asking that those of you who will probably already have one book read by January 2 choose this option. Books can be on your other challenge lists, it is only necessary that you buy them and read them! The challenge will end December 31, 2009. Head over to the 2009 Book Challenge and sign up.

Here’s my book list for the challenge:

She Wanted It All – Kathryn Casey

Lust Killer – Ann Rule

Too Late To Say Goodbye – Ann Rule

Gone Forever – Dianne Fanning

Murder So Cold – Patricia Springer

A Descent Into Hell – Ann Rule

Pure Murder – Corey Mitchell

Because You Loved Me – William Phelps

The Darkest Night – Ron Franscell

Such Good Boys – Tina Dirmann

Never Leave Me Again – John Glatt

Die, My Love

January 11, 2009 by Rhonda Gales

I finished my first book for 2009, Die, My Love. For those who missed my initial post, one of my goals for 2009 was to read more. This was the first book that I’ve read by Kathryn Casey. I found her book well written and engaging. Usually if a book doesn’t get my attention by Chapter 2, it becomes difficult for me to continue reading. I had no problem finishing this one. I polished it off at the doctor’s office yesterday.

If you are a true crime reader, you won’t want to miss this baby. It’s about a renowned Richmond, VA college professor who marries a pretty, but dysfunctional Texas attorney who can’t pass the bar or hold a job. After 3 children and a lot of drama, the marriage eventually unravels. They go through a bitter divorce. The professor’s ex-wife and sister in law work to make his life a living hell. They send emails and make phone calls to his neighbors and colleagues to tarnish his reputation. They take it to another level and accuse him of emotional abuse and work to have him jailed. Calling these women wicked would be an understatement.

The professor fights back and wins custody of his three children after convincing the court that his wife is unstable, lazy, manipulative, untruthful, and wastes money. His bitter ex-wife moves back to Houston, TX with her sister and a court order to pay the professor child support for the three children. The professor moves on with his life. He starts dating after finding someone on match.com and works to get his life back on track.

Things appeared to be going well, but unfortunately his nightmare was not over. On the day before Halloween in 2004 he is gunned down in his driveway while retrieving his morning paper, and left to die in a pool of blood. Who would murder a man in his driveway while his children sleep in the house? His ex-wife or his ex-wife’s sister. He was hated equally by both.

There are no eye witnesses to his murder, and his ex-wife and her sister live a thousand miles away in Houston. They both claim to have been in Houston the time of the murder. To complicate matters, the sisters look alike and would do anything for each other. They use each others cell phones, cars, cloths, homes, money, and the list goes on. They weave a tangled web. So who’s the murder? Now that I won’t reveal, but I would recommend that you read the book to find the answer to that question.

I don’t remember this murder in 2004, but I googled it after I completed the book and was surprised to find that the murder was covered nationally and on Court TV. It was interesting to see the characters in the book up close.

I would be willing to exchange books with other true crime readers. If interested please leave a comment. Also, we want everyone to let us know what you’re reading, we would love to hear about the books that interest you too.