Private L.A. – 18 Cinema Lane

When I reviewed The Princess and the Pirate last year, that article became my 300^th movie review! Then, earlier this year, my review of Sea Change became my 325^th movie review! As March is National Reading Month and since I haven’t written a reading related tag in three years, I’m commemorating these milestones with a book tag! While searching for a tag on Booktube (the book/reading community on Youtube), I stumbled upon the Spring Cleaning Book Tag video from the channel, OwlCrate. I realized I had an answer to every question the hosts shared in the video. I also remembered how spring is on the horizon. If any of my readers are interested in participating in the Spring Cleaning Book Tag, they are welcome to write their own tag posts!

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1. The Struggle of Getting Started – A book or book series you struggle to begin because of its size

In the past, I’ve read the first book and the short story collection in The Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series. While I have enjoyed reading those books, I’ve struggled to continue past the first novel. This is because I haven’t found the time to read the rest of the series. At one point, I did start the second book, only to not finish it. I do want to read more of the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children books. I just need to make a stronger effort to continue.

2. Cleaning Out the Closet – A book or book series you want to unhaul

For last month’s Buzzwordathon, I reviewed The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore by Joan Lowery Nixon. Because of Joan’s creative decisions, I found the book disappointing. The protagonist, Christina, makes several contradictions that could make a reader frustrated. Joan prioritizing Christina’s “coming of age” story caused the novel’s suspense to be far and few between, as well as provide a lack of urgency. So, if I had the opportunity to unhaul a book, I’d select The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore.

3. Opening Windows and Letting Fresh Air In – A book that was refreshing

Since I’ve read some books in the Murder, She Wrote series, I’ll choose these stories for this prompt! What I like about the series is how the books aren’t novelizations of episodes the show’s fans have already seen. Instead, these stories are new, unique tales featuring characters and settings fans of Murder, She Wrote have come to know and adore. Creating a new story takes creativity and effort. So, the fact this series contains different stories from the show is, in my opinion, refreshing!

4. Washing Out the Sheets’ Stains – A book you wish you could re-write a certain scene in

As I mentioned in my tag post, The “Flaming Hot…5 Reasons Why” Tag, Kili is my favorite character from The Hobbit trilogy. With that said, I would re-write the conclusion of The Battle of the Five Armies, so Kili and the rest of The Company could receive a more victorious outcome. If this had happened, that victorious outcome might have been translated to The Hobbit trilogy.

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5. Throwing Out Unnecessary Knick-Knacks – A book in a series you didn’t feel was necessary

Off the top of my head, I couldn’t think of an unnecessary book in a series. But when I first heard the prompt, I thought of an unnecessary subplot in a book, so I’ll talk about that instead. In Private L.A., by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan, I was not a fan of Justine’s subplot, specifically the part where she develops romantic feelings for a man named Paul. Not only did I not sense chemistry between Paul and Justine, this part of the story wasn’t resolved. Personally, I wish James and Mark had solely focused on Justine coming to terms with her PTSD symptoms.

6. Polishing the Door Knobs – A book that had a clean finish

Not every book is meant to start a series or a literary universe. Sometimes, a story only needs to be told in one book. That leads me to bring up Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton! Without spoiling the book or its film adaptation, I will say the story had a definitive ending, with everything wrapping up as nicely as possible. While I wouldn’t oppose a sequel to Adam’s story, I don’t think it’s necessary.

7. Reaching to Dust the Fan – A book that tried too hard to relay a certain message

Definitely California Angel by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. It seems like Nancy tried to capitalize on programs like Touched by an Angel and Miracle on 34^th Street without presenting or attempting to present a complete understanding for what made those programs work. Also, it seems like Nancy used faith as an excuse to avoid explaining why certain events were taking place in the story.

8. The Tiring, Yet Satisfying Finish of Spring Cleaning – A book series that was tiring, yet satisfying, to get through

For this last prompt, I’ll be selecting All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr instead. Reading the novel for 2022’s Buzzwordathon, I completed this 500+ page story in less than six month’s time. Though it took me longer to read than I expected, I’m glad I finally read the book! Because I finished All the Light We Cannot See, I can now have an honest opinion about it.

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Have fun during National Reading Month!

Sally Silverscreen

Three days ago, I reminded readers and followers that my blogathon, the Travel Gone Wrong Blogathon, was on its way. For those who aren’t aware, this event highlights stories where a trip doesn’t go according to plan. Whether these trips go hilariously or horrifyingly wrong, they have one thing in common: attempting to reach a desired destination. This leads me to address my selection for March’s Buzzwordathon! The theme this time around is ‘Locations’. Since L.A. (Los Angeles) is a real-life location, I selected Private L.A. by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan!

The first book co-written by James Patterson I had read was Confessions: The Private School Murders. Unfortunately, this book was, for me, a disappointment, as a side mystery monopolized the overall story. Private L.A. avoids that issue by devoting a satisfying amount of time to the novel’s main mystery, which involves the disappearance of a powerful acting couple. This book also highlights a mystery featuring a group of criminals called ‘No Prisoners’. However, the text provides an equal amount of attention to both mysteries, going back and forth between first- and third-person narration. When I purchased my copy of Private L.A., I didn’t know it was the sixth book in a series. Despite this, the book does not heavily rely on events from the previous installments. If a character or situation is introduced in the text, Jack (the protagonist) informs the readers of their significance to him. It should also be noted how Private L.A.’s chapters are shorter in page length. This allows the story’s overall pace to be faster, which works for mysteries taking place in “real time”.

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There are some parts of Private L.A. I felt were unnecessary. Breaking the book up into sections was one of them. Throughout the story, there was a prologue, five separate parts, and an epilogue. I recognize this creative decision was made to group certain areas of the story together. But since the chapters were so short, these sections felt like they were included for the sake of being there. Along with the two aforementioned mysteries, Private L.A. contained two subplots. The first one focused on preparations for the murder trial of Jack’s brother, Tommy. Even though I haven’t read the Private series in its entirety, I’m guessing this is an overarching story for the series. However, I wish this subplot was one of the main plots in another book, in order to receive enough time to reach a resolution.

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The second subplot, revolving around Justine Smith, also didn’t receive a resolution. Justine is a close friend and co-worker of Jack’s. Her subplot is comprised of two narratives; dealing with PTSD and her growing feelings for a man named Paul. While it was interesting to read about Justine coming to terms with her PTSD symptoms, her interactions with Paul were lackluster. Justine’s story grew frustrating after she witnesses Paul interacting with a woman, causing her to assume his relationship status with little to no proof. Honestly, I wish Justine’s story had solely focused on how she dealt with PTSD. Some parts of Private L.A. needed descriptive imagery. When characters from the LAPD and ‘No Prisoners’ were incorporated into the story, I found it difficult to decipher who was who. This is because the characters seemed, more often than not, interchangeable.

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Prior to this year’s Buzzwordathon, I had never read any books from the Private series. Despite jumping into the middle of the story, I enjoyed Private L.A for what it was! It was interesting to read how each mystery unfolded, as well as seeing how each of the dots connected. But because of this book’s subject matter, the story might not be everyone’s “cup of tea”. I wouldn’t say Private L.A is a “good” book, but it was better than being just fine. It was an intriguing and well-written story that was also a nice introduction to the series. Therefore, I wouldn’t oppose reading more Private books!

Overall score: 3.8 – 3.9 out of 5 stars

Have fun during Buzzwordathon!

Sally Silverscreen

Disclaimer: As I mentioned in this review, the subject matter in Private L.A. prevents the book from being everyone’s “cup of tea”. This content is the following:

Swearing on several occasions
References to sex toys on a few occasions
In Justine’s subplot, it is mentioned she and Paul had sex. However, this interaction is not described in detail.
Several murders take place in this story. Some of them are described in detail.
References to children in danger
References to a dog in distress (the dog in question is never harmed)
The use of slurs on two occasions
One member of ‘No Prisoners’ disguises himself as a woman. He only does this in an attempt to carry out his mission.
Two chapters that feature sexual assault

18 Cinema Lane

Tag: Private L.A.

The Spring Cleaning Book Tag