Janet Evanovich's Visions of Sugar Plums is a fun holiday listen. The hubby and I listened to this book on our morning commutes and it was a short one at only 3 discs. Visions of Sugar Plums is a "Between the numbers novel."I haven't read any of the number novels yet, but I do have them--thanks to my mom. We started with this audio book and found it amusing. It's not as funny as A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, but it is mildly funny.
The main character, Stephanie Plum, is a bounty hunter working through the holidays to catch a defendant, Sandy Claws, who jumped bond. She hasn't had time to get a tree or presents for her New Jersey-based family. One morning she wakes up to a strange, yet hunky man, in her kitchen. He introduces himself as Diesel, but she wonders if he's a killer, burglar, or alien. Turns out he's in town bothering her for a whole other reason--the spirit of Christmas. Will she get the presents she needs for her family, will Diesel help her find the spirit of Christmas, and will she apprehend Mr. Claws?
My favorite parts of this novel involve the "elves" and Plum's Grandma Mazur. They make this novel fun and festive. One of my favorite scenes is when Mazur is searching for her dentures, which are missing, before her "stud muffin" arrives for their date. They eventually find the dentures in a stuffed dinosaur and they are painted with pretty rainbows thanks to a little girl named Mary Alice, Plum niece. I couldn't stop laughing as I imagined my grandmother's dentures in her mouth with rainbows and other brightly colored images on them. Talk about a winning smile.
My husband loves the part where Plum and Diesel enter the toy factory looking for Sandy Claws and find a bunch of "midgets" dressed as elves. Let's just say you shouldn't call elves midgets. . .they get feisty and start a riot. Imagine elves screaming, "Get her!" And jumping up onto a female bounty hunter to regain their respect.
For a light holiday read, this book will fit the bill. I wouldn't have paid full price for the audio book, but it's worth a check out at the library.
***Don't forget about the Gods Behaving Badly Contest, which runs through January 5 at Midnight EST.***
11 comments:
I enjoy the "number" novels, but the between the number books haven't done much for me so far. It might be different listening to it, though. Grandma Mazur is definitely one of the highlights of all of the books.
I think that the between the numbers are great on audio book, though I think its the narrator choice. I figured the plot would be thin with just 3 discs, so I wasn't worried about it. I really like light novels or suspenseful ones for the car rides. Something has to keep our attention that early in the morning.
Drat! Sorry I missed this one during the Holidays! I saw it somewhere and didn't pick up on it. I've read two of the "numbers" books and having lived in Jersey for several years, really enjoyed them because I think, "place" (location) has a lot to do with the stories and rather able-to-handle-it Ms. Plum.
Thanks for this review!
I second BermudaOnion's claim that Gma Mazur is a hoot throughout all the books.
Grandma Mazur is definitely my favorite character in the series. I am glad you enjoyed this one!
I started the "number novels" a few years back and got to about 9 and stopped as I just thought they were too predictable and similar. Although they are a fun read and have some good characters, I didn't think they were worth my time to keep on reading what seemed like the same basic book over and over again. I would have been fine if she had just stuck with about 6 books and tied some stuff up (pick Morelli or Ranger already) and just stopped. I think she is a bit of a one-note writer who didn't develop too much ... but perhaps something more happened after book 9!
Anyway, that is my two cents. I'm sure this was a fun read though!
Oh: I haven't read the "numbers" books yet. I liked the idea that the book was set in New Jersey rather than New York or DC.
Care and Literary Feline: Grandma Mazur is hilarious and the narrator probably made her more so.
Jenners: Ah that never ending soap opera tension and love triangle. LOL I'm not into the numbers novels yet, but I think this is a great light read for the holidays. It's very humorous.
Sounds like fun. I read the first two of the number novels and enjoyed those.
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Great review Serena. I love the between the numbers novels. Grandma Mazur is my favorite-she just cracks me up. All of the Stephanie Plum series are great to listen to.
LOL--I've been collecting these books without reading them (yet) as well. Glad to hear you liked this one--maybe I'll pick up the numbers I don't have in audio instead.
I haven't read anything by this author, though this one sounds funny. Great review.
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
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