52 weeks, 52 books discussion

This week's #1. I've never read any James Patterson before, so new territory for me: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007...

How about you guys?

And he is offering the first batch of chapters for free! I've never read him either but have been meaning to check him out at some point. No time like the present! (Meanwhile I'm only a couple pages into "Perks of being a wallflower" and I'm not reading "The Painted Girls" until it comes to the library.)

Jan wrote: "And he is offering the first batch of chapters for free! I've never read him either but have been meaning to check him out at some point. No time like the present! (Meanwhile I'm only a couple page..."

That's a good deal, Jan. Thanks for letting us know.

James Patterson offers like 26 chapters free a lot of times on new books. You will find his chapters are very, very short, 1-3 pages.
Check out his website. Lists all series and individual books out under his name. Also note he does not really write all his books, other authors do with him or for him.

Chris wrote: "James Patterson offers like 26 chapters free a lot of times on new books. You will find his chapters are very, very short, 1-3 pages.
Check out his website. Lists all series and individual books ..."

I've always wondered how that works - do you know, Chris?

I've read most of what Patterson has to offer and he is one of my favorites author. I expect the book will be as good as the others I've read. I downloaded the first chapters on my Kindle from Amazon. Looking forward to reading it when time allows.

...one of my favorite authors !

I had never read a Patterson book until this summer. While on vacation this summer, my husband and mom were reading Patterson books and they seemed to enjoy them. I decided to give it a try. I started with First To Die, which I did enjoy. It was entertaining, so I continued with the more in the series. To me, it's like watching a thrilling movie or TV show. Patterson tells a good story, but don't expect any character development. It seems he doesn't waste any time with the frills.

That said, I'll have to pick up this new one and see if it follows suit!

I'm definitely enjoying this one! I got behind and did not read the last few books. I have read several books by Patterson and his co-authors and I always enjoy his writings. I traveled to Berlin many years ago as an exchange student and I am also enjoying references to the Berlin landscape and monuments!

Hi everyone,
I am so happy to see that Private Berlin was chosen. I hope all of you will enjoy the book. James Patterson is my favorite. His short chapters, constant dialogue, and detailed descriptions makes his novels truly epic. He is the reason why I decided to write mystery and thriller novels.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Private Berlin so far. Wishing you all the best. Happy reading!

Antonello Fiore
Author of, Killer Rumors

I'm having trouble getting into this one - anyone else?

Catherine wrote: "I'm having trouble getting into this one - anyone else?"

It's so far so good for me, but I'm not too deep into it because I've got other reading material on deck. I'm interested in reading one of Patterson's books because it's new for me--but I must say, I'm a bit surprised to learn about this "Patterson machine"--I'd never heard of such a thing. I almost feel guilty giving my money to this when there are so many lesser-known and deserving (?) and struggling writers out there. Right or wrong, I don't know, but this formulaic/co-writer thing is a factor for me, I guess.

Catherine wrote: "I'm having trouble getting into this one - anyone else?"

I've read a lot of James Patterson's books over the years. Among others, I've enjoyed the Alex Cross series (and, in fact, have the 17th installment on my iPod right now for listening to when I'm at the gym). I also loved Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. But there is at least one that I truly despised.

I haven't read any of this series - and quite honestly I'm not feeling a compelling need to do so. Does someone want to convince that this one should make it to the top of my lengthy to-read list?

I'm having a tough time as well. I think I will skip this one.

Lots of the best sellers come from "author machines" and it is sad sometimes. But--if a bestseller is an author's priority then learn from the best. Authors become "brand names" like Lawrence Sanders, James Patterson, Robert Parker, etc.

yeah I am having a hard time with this book too, and I tend to like James Patterson. My favorite series of his is definitely the Women's Murder Club (1st to Die etc). I will keep trudging through though.

I used to be a big James Patterson fan (read 70+ books), but with the addition of all the co authors it seems to be more about making money than supplying great novels. I also struggled with this book and maybe sub consciously felt it was completely written by the co author. I could definitely sense that the story was written in a different style apart from the short chapters. Ideally I would like Patterson to revert back to writing on his own and serving up more great stories. But that's not going to happen and I am sure he will continue to publish a dozen+ books a year covering every genre.

So far so good for me with this book. I like the way the "bad guy" voice is alternating w/chapters. I read a lot of this genre so that could be why I'm enjoying it--familiar. I am finding a lot of typos, editing errors in a HB edition which is a little disappointing. Still I'm enjoying it.

Cherylanne wrote: "So far so good for me with this book. I like the way the "bad guy" voice is alternating w/chapters. I read a lot of this genre so that could be why I'm enjoying it--familiar. I am finding a lot o..."
I like it so far, too. I like thrillers and a strong female protagonist is always good. I just hope it doesn't get too gory; that's really not my thing.
(Also, I didn't see any typos in my ebook, so maybe a proofreader caught them.)

Finished! The ending was a little murky--kept thinking we knew more than we did. Decent reading--kept my interest. Over the summer our SPCA has a Booksale and I pick up most bestsellers, etc at that time. I was able to go thru most of JDeavers and JSanford from the sale. This summer I will pick up JPatterson. thanx for the fun! xxoocf

Ok, so, I couldn't read it. Here's why: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catheri...

Just finished! A little twisted in parts but I loved it. My first read by James Patterson, but certainly not my last!

Hi everyone,

I'm real surprised to hear that a number of you are having a hard time getting into the book. Is there a particular reason why? I haven't yet read Private Berlin, but I have read every other James Patterson book. His short chapters, constant dialogue, and detailed scenes truly makes a good story.
Hope to hear from you soon. Wishing you all the best! Happy reading!

I ended up liking it, but not my favorite James Patterson book. I totally get it Catherine, that was me and "The Painted Girls." Still trying to push through it but I can't get into it for some reason. And I like historical fiction!

I liked this book, but then I have read all in the Private series. I will share this one was harder to follow and the subject matter was darker than the other Private books. It is a fast read, but it is raining in the entire book, and the subject is dreary and scary to think about.
If this was your first Patterson book, go back and read others, or read Private, Private #1 Suspect, Private Games - I am sure you will enjoy them more.

That's good toknow. I bought--mebbe--Private London? at Target last week. I read Daniel Silva, the John Rain series so dark intern'l intrigue is OK w/ me. xxoocf

Finished it (finally) tonight. Enjoyable. No, there wasn't much character development, but I do enjoy a dialogue-driven narrative. It was a quick read, which means if I'm behind in my book reading goals I can probably read another James Patterson.

What a repulsive book. Wish I could have given it negative stars. If having a creepy guy going around killing and getting off on it and having it described in loving detail is your thing, then go for this book. I skim read it and now want to scrub my mind of some of the images it's left behind. Made me remember why I quit reading James Patterson and his ilk years ago. YUCK!!!!