The Curse of Van Gogh by Paul Hoppe

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The Curse of Van Gogh
by Paul Hoppe

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Just released: July 29, 2014
Publisher: SparkPress
Genre: Art, Thriller
Paperback: 344 pages
Rating: 3.5

Series:
The Curse of Van Gogh
Chasing Mona Lisa - tba

Tyler Sears, art thief, just released from a Federal prison, vows never again. He slides into a simple life bartending in NYC until one day an invitation arrives to the hottest art event of the season, where Tyler meets Komate Imasu, famed art collector.

Suddenly Tyler's vows of abstinence slip away as Imasu uses threats against Tyler's family. Tyler quickly learns that gambling against a ruthless billionaire is never a good idea.

Forgetting his own safety, Tyler plunges headfirst into a world of art forgers, hit men, Yakuza, a femme fatale named Chanel N°5, and the hideous curse of van Gogh, in order to pull off...the greatest art heist in history.

Zombie sighting:
"Please understand, the medication was used as a tool to pacify your brother. I know you think we turned him into a zombie, but he already was one when he walked through the doors. Our concern all along has been to keep him from harming himself, and as I said to eliminate the horrible nightmares."
-chapter 26, page 149

My two-bits:

While it was interesting to learn a bit about the art world and art forgery, this book took awhile for me to get into. I felt the story was slow paced until the last quarter of the book. Also although the main characters were likable, they were not very interesting to follow.

It would have been interesting to read more on the doings of Van Gogh's curse besides the one story presented.

However, the book ends with a doozy - in a good way.

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* review copy courtesy of Summer Reading Challenge 2014. It's not too late, join the reading challenge here. @booksparks #SRC2014!

Stacking the Shelves - 8.2.14

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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For Review:

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone
by Adele Griffin
-Mystery, YA
courtesy of publisher
Thanks Meredith!
Amazon | Goodreads
stay tuned: for an unusual blog tour for this docu-novel later this month

Gravel on the Side of the Road
by Kris Raddish
-humor, memoir
courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2014
Thanks Janay!
Amazon | Goodreads

The Curse of Van Gogh
by Paul Hoppe
-art, thriller
courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2014
Thanks Janay!
Amazon | Goodreads

Wild Within:
How Rescuing Owls Inspired a Family
by Melissa Hart
-memoir
courtesy of BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge 2014
Thanks Janay!
Amazon | Goodreads
Library:

Panic
by Lauren Oliver
-Dystopia, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes an extraordinary novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope that Kirkus Reviews says "will have readers up until the wee hours," School Library Journal raves is "fast-paced and captivating," and E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls "a thrill a minute."

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Picked up the audio version for the Dystopia Reading Challenge.

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* some of these may be offered as giveaways within the next two months

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

* per usual, check out the sidebar for my current giveaways offers