Panic by Jeff Abbott

Never judge a book by its cover.

The cover of Panic shouts about its thriller status, “Jeff Abbott’s best novel yet”, “high suspense”, “fresh and gripping plot”. If you’ve been watching thriller movies with their multiple twists over the past 10 years you’re unlikely to be impressed by this book. It wasn’t terrible but the plot didn’t seem original at all.

Evan Casher, 24, has his life turned upside down when his mother is murdered and he finds out his family, and his girlfriend are not who he thought they were. Then just when you think you’ve figured out the story, some more information is revealed about the characters, o my!
The plot twists are predictable and slow, and this is coming from the girl who didn’t know Bruce Willis was dead. The story speeds up marginally in the last 100 pages, almost everyone dies, and then I tell you not to bother with this book. It’s no surprise it took me the full 4 week library loan to get through it.

Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith

On a very different note, I can say I am absolutely in love with Wreck This Journal! I received it today (ordered via GoodBooksNZ where delivery is free anywhere in the world, prices are in New Zealand’s weak ass dollar and all profits go to Oxfam!) and have already embraced the defacing.

The premise is that you get this journal, with instructions on how to wreck it on the pages; you follow the instructions, make some up, improvise, have fun and begin to see creative destruction everywhere. Live recklessly.

The best bit: No need to worry about it getting munted in the post or your bag.