Book: The Man Made of Smoke

 Book: The Man Made of Smoke

Author: Alex North

Pages: 307

This is my 138th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Dan Garvie's life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child - narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer.  He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims.  So when his father passes away under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits his small island community, determined to uncover the truth about his death.  Is it possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmareshas returned after all these years?  

That book was okay.  I like Alex North's books, and was excited for this one, but I had trouble getting into it.  Might have been a timing issue.  I found it a slow burn, which was probably on purpose, but way too descriptive with the mundane - just to fill pages.  The ending did not land for me like I was hoping.  The pace and the twists did not work for me.  I did enjoy large parts of the book - trying to figure out where it was going, but overall, it just was a bit slow.

Stars: 3.5

Book: Dr. Sleep

 Book: Dr. Sleep

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 531

This is my 137th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Years ago, the haunting of the Overlook Hotel nearly broke young Dan Torrance's sanity, as his paranormal gift known as "the shining" opened a door straight into hell.  And even though Dan is all grown up, the ghosts of the Overlook - and his father's legacy of alcoholism and violence - kept him drifting aimlessly for most of his life.  Now, Dan has finally found some order in the chaos by working in a local hospice, earning the nickname "Doctor Sleep" by secretly using his special abilities to comfort the dying and prepare them for the afterlife.  But when he unexpectedly meets 12 year old Abra Stone - who possesses an even more powerful manifestation of the shining - the two find their lives in sudden jeopardy at the hands of the ageless and murderous nomadic tribe known as the True Knot, reigniting Dan's own demons and summoning him to battle for his youn girl's sound and survival....

This was a great book.  I have actually seen the movie and really liked it, and the movie follows the book pretty closely.  It is well written and I like the character development.  A little rambly in true King fashion, but not terribly so.  It is a sequel to the Shining so we get to relive some parts of Dan's young life in this story and how he became the man he is.  It is an interesting twist on the vampire idea.  Wraps up nicely.

Stars: 5

Book: The Secret Wife

 Book: The Secret Wife

Author: Gill Paul

Pages: 418

This is my 136th read for the year

What Amazon says:

1914: Russia is on the brink of collapse, and the Romanov family faces a terrifyingly uncertain future.  Gran Duchess Tatiana has fallen in love with cavalry officer Dmitri, but events take a catastrophic turn, placing their romance - and their lives - in danger.

2016: Kitty Fisher escapes to her great-grandfather's remote cabin in America, after a devastating revelation makes her flee London.  There, on the shores of Lake Akanabee, she discovers the spectacular jewelled pendant that will lead her to a long-buried family secret.

I really liked the start of this book.  I thought it was going to be a 5 star read for me for the longest time.  But then near the end it fell apart in my opinion.  I do not like the direction it took.  Until the last 1/4 of the book it is well written with great characters and good story movement.  It flowed well between the 1914 and 2016 parts of the book - I liked them equally.  I liked the writing style.  I liked the plot for most of the book.  I just wish she would have taken the ending another way - and if you read this book you might agree with me.

Stars: 4

Book: Danse Macabre

 Book: Danse Macabre

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 512

this is my 135th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

This i a vivi, intelligent, and nostalgic journey through 3 decades of horrow as experienced through the eyes of the most popular writer in the genre.  In 1981, years before he sat down to tackleOn Writing, Stephen King decided to address theb topic of what makes horror horrifying and what makes terror terrifying.  Here, in 10 brilliantly written chapters, King delivers one colorful observation after another about the great stories, books, and films that comprise the horror genre.

This was a pretty good book.  It is from 1981, so I would have loved to read a more updated version from King now as the horror genre has evolved in the last 44 years.  A lot of his references are still favorites that we still enjoy in the tv/movie/film horror genre, but 44 years futher on, I wonder if his list would change.  But this book is well written and delves deep into the details on how he feels about different aspects of horror from the 50s-80s.

Stars: 4

Book: The Final Gambit

 Book: The Final Gambit

Author: Jennifer Lynne Barnes

Pages: 386

This is my 134th read for the year

What Amazon says:

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House.  The paparazzi are dogging her every step.  Financial pressures are building.  Danger is a fact of life.  And the only thing getting Avery through it all is the Hawthorne brothers.  Her life is intertwined with theirs.  She knows their secrets and they know her.  But as the clock tickets down to the moment when Avery will become the richest teenager on the planet, trouble arrives in the form of a visitor who needs her help - and whose presence in Hawthorne House could change everything.  It soons becomes clear that there is one last puzzle to solve, and Avery and the Hawthorn brothers are drawn into a dangerous game against an unknown and powerful player.  Secrets upon secrets.  Riddles upon riddles.  In this game, there are hearts and lives as stake - and there is nothing more Hawthorn than winning.

This is the 3rd book in the Inheritence Game series.  While I am still enjoying it, I found this book the weekest one so far  I think Barnes was having a hard time advancing this story along.  This one I found harder to follow - a lot of characters and a lot of knew family members made it is a bit convoluted.  The puzzles and mystery were just as good as the past, but all the other stuff got a bit tiresome.  And the love story is a bit bigger in this one.  There are three more books in the series, but I think they are more off shoots than continuation, so I might take a break and come back to them later.

STars: 3.5

Book: Buried In The Sky

 Book: Buried in the Sky

Author: Peter Zuckerman

Pages: 320

This is my 133rd read for the year

What Amazon says:

When 11 climbers died on K2 in 2008, 2 Sherpas survived.  Their astonishing tale became the stuff of mountaineering legend.  This white-knuckle adventure follows the Sherpas from their remote villages in Nepal to the peak of the world's most dangerous mountain, recounting one of the most dramatic disasters in apline history from a fascinating new perspective.

This was an interesting book.  I found it when researching something else and did not know there was a tragedy on K2 like there was on Everest (which I read in John Krakauer's book Into Thin Air).  This is a book about the Sherpas and others who help the hikers up and down these mountains as much as it is about the tragedy.  We learn the backstory of many of the Sherpas and climbers that lead to the fatal hike.  Glad I found this one.

Stars: 4

Book: The Spymaters: How The CIA shaped History and the Future

 Book: The Spymasters

Author: Chris Whipple

Pages: 400

This is my 132nd read for the year

What Amazon says:

Only 11 men and 1 woman are alive today who have made the life and death decisions that come with running the world's most powerful and influential intelligence service.  With unprecedented, deep access to nearly all these individuals plus several of their predecessors, Chris Whipple tells the story of an agency that answers to the US president alone, but whose activities - spying, espionage, and covert action - take place on every continent.  At pivotal moments, the CIA acts as a break on rogue presidents, starting in the mid 70s with DCI Richard Helm's refusal to conceal Richard Nixon's criminality and continuing to the present as the actions of a CIA whistleblower have ignited impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.  Since its inception in 1947, the CIA has been a powerful player on the world stage, operating largely in the shadows to protect American interests.  For The Spymasters, Whipple conducted extensive, exclusive interviews with nearly every living CIA director, pulling back the curtain on the world's elite spy agencies and showing how the CIA partners - or clashes - with counterparts in Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.  

This was a pretty interesting book.  It is well written and quite thorough coverage of the CIA over the years.  Each president form Nixon to Trump are covered in this book and how the CIA worked with them.  (I can give you a pretty good idea how that last one is going).  I learned a lot about the CIA in general and new information related to different difficulties each President faced.  Good book.

Stars: 4 

Book: Home is Where The Bodies Are

 Book: Home is where the bodies are

Author: Jeneva Rose

Pages: 288

This is my 131st read for the year

What Amazon says:

After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate.  Beth, the oldest, never left home.  She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end.  Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm's length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction.  Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn't been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them 7 years before.  While going through their parents' belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories.  However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of.  On screen, their father appears covered in blood.  What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.  Beth, Nicole, and Michale must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.

This book is fine.  It moves along just fine, but there is a lot of "hate/love" back and forth that always drives me crazy in books.  Especially short ones.  I didn't care much for any of the characters, but I was curious to see what the end result was going to be.  And the ending did surprise me, so kudos to that.  

Stars: 3.5

Book: A Slow Fire Burning

 Book: A Slow Fire Burning

Author: Paula Hawkins

Pages: 400

This is my 130th read for the year

What Amazon says:

When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about 3 women who knew him.  Laura is the troubled 1 night stand last seen in the victim's home.  Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member.  And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police.  3 women with separate connections to the victim.  3 women who are - for different reasons - simmering with resentment.  Who are, whether they know it or not, burning to right the wrongs done to them. When it comes to revenge, even good people might be capable of terrible deeds.  How far might any one of them go to find peace?  How long can secrets smolder before they explode into flame?

I found this one an easy read and highly entertaining.  It moves along pretty well and I am left wondering who the killer was for a long time.  It was easy to pick up on who it wasn't, but not so much on who it was.  It was a mild plot twist as is, I was a bit surprised, but not overly so.  I would say my negative for this book is the names of the characters - which I know is silly.  So may characters that end with the letter "a" it started to get a bit hard to follow (I listened to this one).  Overall, a solid read.

Stars: 4

Book: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

 Book: The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

Author: Dan Gemeinhart

Pages: 352

This is my 129th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Five years.  That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation.  It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.  Coyote hasn't been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished - the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory boy - she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3600 miles back to Washington state in 4 days - without him realizing it.  Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers.  Lester has a lady love to meet.  Salvador and his mom are looking to start over.  Val needs a safe place to be herself.  And then there's Gladys.... Over the course of 1000s of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all - but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her "once upon a time" into a happily ever after".  

This was a pretty good book.  It has a sweet understory - a family picking up people who needed a place to be for a short while all while Coyote and her dad figure out how do deal with the worst kind of grief.  It has some silly parts, and some odd parts, but over all it is well written and flows nicely.  Good ending and a good lesson.

Stars: 4

Book: Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil

 Book: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

Author: V.E. Schwab

Pages: 544

This was my 127th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

This is a story about hunger.  1532.  Santo Domingo de la Calzada.  A young girl grows up wild and wily - her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape.  But Maria knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men.  When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, Maria makes a desperate choice.  She vows to have no regrets.  This is a story about love.  1827.  London.  A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family's estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London.  Charlotte's tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow -but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.  This is a story about rage.  2019 Boston.  College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new.  That's why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind.  But after an out-of-character one night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers....and revenge.  This is a story about life - how it ends, and how it starts.

This was a pretty good book.  The writing was spectaular.  There is no doubt in my opinion that VE Schwab is a talented writer.  A was a little disappointed with the subject matter (I won't give it away because it felt like it was supposed to be a surprise) - so overdone.  Didn't love a lot of the characters - but not sure you are meant to.  They are pretty self absorbed, but true to most stories about this particular subject....it tracks.  I liked the back and forth of the story lines.  Didn't have a favorite of the three. The beginning and the end were solid and the middle was okay.

Stars: 4

Book: Ordinary Grace

 Book: Ordinary Grace

Author: William Kent Kreuger

Pages: 336

This is my 126th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961.  The Twins were playing their debut season, ice-cold root beers were selling out at the soda counter of Halderson's Drugstore, and Hot Stuff comic books were a mainstay on every barbershop magazine rack.  It was a time of innocence and hope for a country with a new, young president.  But for 13 year old Frank Drum it was a grim summer in which death visited frequently and assumed many forms.  Accident.  Nature.  Sucide.  Murder.  Frank begins the season preoccupied with the concerns of any teenage boy, but when tragedy unexpectedly strikes his family - which includes his Methodist minister fathr' his passionate, artistic mother; Julliard-bound older sister; and wise-beyond his years kid brother - he finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal, suddenly called upon to demonstrate a maturity and gumption beyond his years.  Told from Frank's perspective 40 years after that fateful summer.

This was a great book.  He is a great writer.  There is great character development and the story flowed well.  There is a mix of everyday life in a small town and heartbreak that works well together.  The mystery was a little hard to figure out, but as we got nearer to the end, it started to pull together the "who done it".  Loved the epilogue.  I listened to it and it was a good book to listen to - easy to keep engaged.

Stars: 4.5

Book: Never Flinch

 Book: Never Flinch

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 448

This is my 125th book for the year

What Amazon Says:

When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to "kill thirteen innocents and one guilty in "an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man", Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think.  Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhunged act f retribution?  As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realizes that the letter writer is deadly serious, unhinged acto of retribution?  As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realizes that the letter writer is deadly serious, and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.  Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women's rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-staet lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors.  Someone who vehemently opposes Kate's message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her events.  At first, no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate's bodyguard - a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and his belief in his own righteousness.  

This was a pretty good book.  It took quite a bit of concentration because there are a lot of story lines in this one.  I was happy to see another Holly Gibney novel - she is such a fun character.  The story had me hooked for the longest time, but near the end it started to get really confusing with all the characters who were getting their turn in the sun.  The worst characters were the Chris/Chrissy story line - that could have been left out.  I would have liked Holly to have been more central.  It isn't scary as much as a long build up to the final blow.  

Stars: 4

Book: The Stolen Marriage

 Book: The Stolen Marriage

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Pages: 416

This is my 124th book for the year

What Amazon Says:

It is 1944.  Pregnant, alone, and riddled with guilt, 23 year old Tess DeMello abruptly gives up her budding career as a nurse and ends her engagement to the love of her life, unable to live a lie.  Instead, she turns to the baby's father for help and agrees to marry him, moving to the small, rural town of Hickory, North Carolina.  Tess's new husband, Henry Kraft, is a secretive man who often stays out all night, hides money from his new wife, and shows her no affection.  Tess quickly realizes she's trapped in a strange and loveless marriage with no way out.  The people of Hickory love and respect Henry but see Tess as an outsider, treating her with suspicion and disdain.  When one of the town's golden girls dies in a terrible accident, everyone holds Tess responsible.  But Henry keeps his secrets even closer now, though it seems that everyone knows something about him that Tess does not.  When a sudden polio epidemic strikes Hickory, the townspeople band together to build a polio hospital.  Tess knows she is needed and defies Henry's wishes to begin working at there.  Through this work, she begins to find purpose and meaning.  Yet at home, Henry's actions grow more alarming by the day.  As Tess works to save the lives of her patients, can she untangle the truth behind her husban'ds mysterious behavior and find the love - and the life - she was meant to have?

This was a pretty good book.  I do like Chamberlain's books.  She is a great writer.  This one fell a little short for me based on her other novels.  Still an interesting story.  I really didn't love the main character.  She was fine, but not great.  I knew what the outcome was going to be - it was a pretty neatly wrapped up story to come out positive for Tess.  Happy ending which I do like, but it wasn't surprising.  Tess worked as a nurse for a bit and I found all of her skills a bit unbelivable as a new nurse.  However - overall, good story, good writing, just wished for stronger characters.

Stars: 4

Book: People of the Book

 Book: People of the Book

Author: Geraldine Brooks

Pages: 372

This is my 123rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Inspired by a true story, this is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author.  Called "a tour de force", this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the fames Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in 15th century Spain.  When it falls to Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, to conserve this priceless work, the series of tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding - an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair - only begin to unlock its deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultranationalist fanatics.

This was an interesting book.  It jumps around in time -from the 1990s where our main character is working on the story of the book, to back in time to the 1400s-1600s.  I did enjoy the 1990s sections a lot more than the flashbacks - they felt a little unfinished.  Even though those were the longest chapters in the book, we never learned more about the people - (except one) - so it felt like we were missing an ending to a story.  It does jump into the future of the early 2000s with the main character to resolve the mystery of the book, and I liked that.  Overall it is very well written - I just wish I felt like the past and present fit together a bit more.

Stars: 4

Book: Warcross

 Book: Warcross

Author: Marie Lu

Pages: 416

This is my 122nd book of the year

What Amazon Says:

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life.  The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit.  Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally.  But the bounty-hunting world is competitive and survival has not been easy.  To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships - only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.  Convinced she's going to be arrested, Emika is shoked when instead she gets a call from the game's creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer.  He needs a spy on the inside of this year's tournament in order to uncover a security problem - and he wants Emika for the job.  With no time to lose, Emika's whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she's only dreamed of.  But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

This book was okay.  I liked the idea of the book, and most of the writing.  I had mixed feelings about the main character, and didn't care one way or another for the side characters.  Pretty good action scenes with a lot of details.  The romance was subpar. The twist ending wasn't that shocking.  And of course it ends on a cliff hanger because there is a second book.  I won't be continuing.

Stars: 3

Book: The Witcher

 Book: The Witcher

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski

Pages: 352

This is my 121st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless hunter.  Yet he is no ordinary killer.  His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.  But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good - and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

This was a pretty good book.  I didn't watch the show on TV, but found this book for a reading challenge I was participating in.  Interesting story, and I liked the main character.  It is a book of short stories, which isn't my favorite style, but I stuck with it.  The stories are tied together, sothat helped.  There are a lot of books in The Witcher series, but I do not think for now I will continue.

Stars: 4

Book: The Last Emperox

 Book: The Last Emperox

Author: John Scalzi

Pages: 308

This is my 120th read for the year

What Amazon says:

The collapse of The Flow, the interstellar pathway between the planets of the Interdependency, has accelerated.  Entire star systems - and billions of people - are becoming cut off from the rest of human civilization.  This collapse was foretold through scientific prediction - and yet, even as the evidence is obvious and insurmountable, many still try to rationalize, delay and profti from, these final days of one of the greatest empires humanity has even known.  Emperox Grayland II has finally wrested control of her empire from those who oppose her and who deny the reality of this collapse.  But "control" is a slippery thing, and even as Grayland strives to save as many of her people from impoverished isolation, the forces opposing her rule will make a final, desperate push to topple her from herthrone and power, by any means necessary.  Grayland and her thinning list of allies must use every tool at their disposal to save themselves, and all of humanity.  And yet it may not be enough.  Will Grayland become the savior of her civilization - or the last emperox to wear the crown?

This was a good ending to the trilogy.  There were some suprises, and of course a little bit of humor mixed into the tension.  I like most of the characters, and was sad when one of the main characters is killed.  It ended pretty well, but I would have liked a bit more.  However, overall a very good trlogy that I am glad I read.

Stars: 4

Book: The Third Gilmore Girl

 Book: The Third Gilmore Girl

Author: Kelly Bishop

Pages: 256

This is my 119th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Kelly Birshop's long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey's mother in Dirty Dancing.  But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.  Now, Birshop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl.  She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she's learned on her journey.  From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced - among them marching for women's rights and losing her second husband to cancer - Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.

This was a great book.  I have watched and enjoyed all the shows that Bishop has been a part of, and think she is a fantastic actress.  I enjoyed learning more about her career and what she is up to now.  She was humble and caring about those who she worked with.  She shared her own tragic loss of her husband and how she has moved on without him.  Overall a strong, quick read.

Stars: 4.5

Book: The Staircase in The Woods

 Book: The Staircase in the Woods

Author: Chuck Wendig

Pages: 400

This is my 118th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.  Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: a mysterious staircase to nowhere.  One friend walks up- and never comes back down.  Then the staircase disappears.  20 years later, the stiarcase has reappeared.  Now the group returns to find the lost boy - and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods.

I really wanted to like this book.  I have read a few Wendig books in the past and liked them, so when a new one came out, I jumped on it.  It started ou okay, but the book just dragged.  There were some very creepy parts, which kept me reading, but overall, it was a bit mundane.  The characters were doing the same thing over and over again.  Had a hard time connecting to any of the characters.  Ending was just fine.

Stars: 3

Book: Quiet in her Bones

 Book: Quiet In Her Bones

Author: Nalini Singh

Pages: 496

This is my 117th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

My mother vanished 10 years ago.  So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash.  Thief.  Criminal.  Now she's back.  Her bones clothes in scarlet silk.  When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband.  But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that's housed in the same influential families for decades.  The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier.  And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night 10 years ago.  Her son Aarav heard a chiling scream that night, and he's determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance - but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.  Even the dead aren't allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.

This book was fine.  I didn't really care for the main character.  And I did find the book a big slow paced.  Too many suspected.  Felt like main theme got bogged down with unnecessary dialogue.  I finished it, but not sure I will read another of her books.

Stars: 3

Book: Kaiju Preservation Society

 Book: The Kaiju Preservation Society

Author: John Scalzi

Pages: 268

This is my 116th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When COVID-19 sweeps through NYC, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps.  That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization."  Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit.  Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on.  What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth.  Not our Earth, at least.  In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm, human-free world.  They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble.  It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society who have found their way to the alternate world.  Others have, too.  And their carelssness could cause millions back on our Earth to die.  

This was a pretty interesting book.  I do enjoy a good Scalzi novel.  His writing is fun and entertaining with good plot movement.  I liked most of the characters.  It is a fast and easy read.  Loved the idea of another world with giant animals that remind you of Godzilla.  Solid read.

Stars: 4

Book: Unsheltered

 Book: Unsheltered

Author: Barbara Kingsolver

Pages: 508

This is my 115th read for the year

What Amazon says:

How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute?  Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsibleparents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart.  The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed.  Te dubious shleter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter.  When the family's one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.  In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks,How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it?  A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under siege: his employer forbigs him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin.  His young bride and social=climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound.  In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town's powerful men.

This was an okay book.  Not one of my favorite Kingsolver novels.  I found it very slow moving.  I liked the Willa part of the book, but the Thatcher part of the book dragged for me.  The story went basically no where. Just felt underdeveloped.

Stars: 3

Book: The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

 Book: The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

Author: Fannie Flagg

Pages: 304

This is my 114th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Bud Threadgoode grew up in the bustling little railroad town of Whistle Stop with his mother, Ruth, church-going and proper, and his Aunt Idgie, the fun-loving hell riaser.  Together they ran the town's popular Whistle Stop Cafe, known far and wide for its fun and famous friend green tomatoes.  And as Bud often said of his childhood to his daughter Ruthie, "How lucky can you get?"  But sadly, as the railroad yards shut down and Whistle Stop became a ghost town, nothing was left but boarded-up buildings and memories of a happier time.  Then one day, Bud decides to take one last trip, just to see what has become of his beloved Whistle Stop.  In so doing, he discovers new friends, as well as surprises about Idgie's life, about Ninny Threadgoode and other beloved Fannie Flagg characters, and about the town itself.  He also sets off a series of events, both touching and inspiring, which change his life and the lives of his daughter and many others.  Could these events all be just coincidences?  Or something else?  And can you really go home again?

This was not a good book.  I was disappointed because I loved Fried Green Tomatoes (the book and the movie) and this is the follow up story.  I have no idea how this got so many good reviews because the writing is very juvenile.  There is not good flow - it is all over the place as far as timeline.  It is convoluted and just felt tossed together to write another story about beloved characters.  Fell flat.

Stars: 2

Book: Full Throttle

 Book: Full Throttle

Author: Joe Hill

Pages: 496

This is my 113th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

A little door that opens to a world of fairy-tale wonders becomes the blood-drenched stomping ground for a gang of hunters in "Faun" A grief-stricken librarian climbs behind the wheel of an antique Bookmobile to deliver fresh reads to the dead in "Late Returns".  In "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain" - now an episode on Shudder Tv's Creepshow - two young frinds sumble on the corpse of a plesiosaur at the water's edge, a discovery that forces them to confrton the inescapable truth of their own mortality.  And tension shimmers in the sweltering heat of the Nevada desert as a faceless trucker finds himself caught in a sinister dance with a tribe of motocycle outlaws in "Throttle" cowritten with Stephen King. 

This was a pretty good book.  I liked about half the stories.  The first two were really good.  The next few were just okay, and then the last one was a story - In the Tall Grass - has been made into a Netflix show.  Joe Hill is a great writer - I have enjoyed many of his books in the past.  I am just not a huge fan of short stories.  They always are hit or miss for me.

Stars: 4

Book: All Better Now

 Book: All Better Now

Author: Neal Shusterman

Pages: 528

This is my 112th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

A deadly and unprecendentd virus is spreading.  But those who survive it experience long-term effects no one has ever seen before: utter contentment.  Soon after infection, people find the stress, depression, greed, and other negative feelings that used to weight them down are gone.  More and more people begin to revel in the mass unburdening.  But not everyone.  People in power-who depend on malcontents and prey on the insecure to sell their products, and convince others they need more, new, faster, better everything - know this new state of being is bad for business.  Surely, without anger or jealousy as motivators, productivity will grind to a halt and the world will be thrown into chaos.  Campaigns start up to convince people that being eternally happy is dangerous.  The race to find a vaccine begins.  Meanwhile, a growing movement of Recoverees plans ways to spread the virus as fast as they can, in the name of saving the world.  It's nearly impossible to determine the truth when everyone with a platform is pushing their agenda.  Three teens from very different backgrounds who've had their lives upended in very different ways find themselves at the center of a power play that could change humanity forever.

This was a great book.  I really like Shusterman's books.  He is a write of my favorite genre (dystopian), and he is an excellent writer.  This is his newest book and it didn't disappoint.  I liked the characters.  The story flowed well.  I can see this happening in real life - people on two opposite ends on how they think a virus should play out.  (we did see that actually).  It was fun to see Svalsbard and their seed vault mentioned - we saw that in person 2 summers ago - as well as Basel.  Great book.

Stars: 4.5

Book: The Memory Police

 Book: The Memory Police

Author: Yoko Ogawa

Pages: 288

This is my 111th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses....most of the inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few able to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten.  When a young writer discovers that her editor is in danger, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards, and together they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.  

This was an interesting book.  I liked the idea - seemed kind of familiar in a way with today's political climate.  Government telling people what no longer exists.  In this case it starts with inanimate objects and works up to even body parts.  Behind the memories being whiped and things becoming obsolete is a story of a community trying to hold it together with what it is left.  Interesting book.

Stars: 4

Book: The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.

 Book: The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.

Author: Neal Stephenson

Pages: 768

This is my 110th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When Melisande Stokes, an expert in linguistics and languages, accidently meets military intelligence operator Tristan Lyons in a hallway at Harvard University, it is the beginning of a chain of events that will alter their lives and human history itself.  The young man from a shadowy government entity approaches Mel, a low-level faculty member, with an incredible offer.  The only condition: she must swear herself to secrecy in return for the rather large sum of money.  Tristan needs Mel to translate some very old documents, which, if authentic, are earth-shattering.  They prove that magic actually existed and was practiced for centuries.  But the arrival of the scientific revolution and the age of Enlightenment weakend its power and endangered its practitioners.  Magic stopped working altogether in 1851, at the time of the Great Exhibition at London's Crystal Palace - the world's fair celebrating the rise of industrial technology and commerce.  Something about the modern world "jams" the "frequencies" used by magic, and it's up to Tristan to find out why.  And so the Department of Diachronic Operations - DODO - gets cracking on its real mission: to develop a device that can bring magic back, and send Diachronic Operatives back in time to keep it alive - and meddle with a little history at the same time.  But while Tristan and his expanding operation master the science and build the technology, they overlook the mercurial - and treacherous - nature of the human heart.  

This was a pretty good book.  It is LONG - and I will say that is why I knocked it a star.  At times it just felt a little too drawn out for now reason.  However, the story overall was a good one.  Well written and intriguing.  I liked most of the characters.  It was a neat idea.  I listened to this one and it really passed the time.  Stephenson can get into the weeds with overexplanation of science sometimes, but this one wasn't too bad.  Good read if you are looking for a tome.

Stars: 4

Book: My Friends

 Book: My Friends

Author: Fredrik Backman

Pages: 448

This is my 109th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Most people don't even notice them - three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world.  Most people think it's just a depiction of the sea.  But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.  25 years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion.  These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.  Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into 18 year old Louisa's care.  She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it.  The closer she gets to the painting's birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she'll find.  Louisa is proof that happy endings don't always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timelss power of friendship and art.

I want to start off by saying that I am a Backman fan.  Most of the books he writes are wonderful and I always get excited when he releases a new book.  This one just missed the mark for me.  There were a couple of things.  1) it is overly flowery.  I am not a big fan of these kinds of books.  It felt overdone.  Do I love a sweet story?  Of course.  But this was just so much fluff that I could not get into the underlying story.  And it wasn't really sweet - it was overly depressing.  2) I hated the main character.  Louisa acts more like a 12-13 year old instead of the 19 year old that she is.  I have two 19 year olds.  Are they immature?  Sure.  But not to this level.  Was Backman writing her as if she wasn't wordly because of her background and maybe he felt this is how someone of that age would act without guidance?   Maybe, but it was a big turnoff.

Stars: 3

Book: Four Past Midnight

 Book: Four Past Midnight

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 960

This is my 108th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

One Past Midnight: The Langoliers takes a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Bostoninto a most unfriendly sky.  Only eleven passengers survive, but landing in an eerily empty world makes them wish they hadn't.

Two Past Midnight: Secret Window, Secret Garden enters the suddenly strange life of writer Mort Rainey, recently divorced, depressed, and alone on the shore of Tashmore Lake - until the mysterious John Shooter arrives, pointing an accusing finger.

Three Past Midnight: The Library Policeman has his terrifying sights set on businessman Sam Peebles, who thinks he may be losing his mind.  But another enemy lurks as well - the truth - and if Sam can find it in time, he might stand a chance.

Four Past Midnight: The Sun Dog comes in the form of a looming supernatural menace, appearing in every picture that young Kevin Delevan takes with his new camera.  Pop Merrill, Castle Rock's sharpest trader, aims to exploti it for profit - but this creature is a very dangerous investment.

This was a pretty good book.  I listened to it because I have had hours and hours of driving and yard work over the last few days - it made the time fly by.  The first two stories were my favorite.  The Langoliers is a mini series I enjoyed years ago and it was nice to finally hear the story.  It followed the mini series very closely.  The last two were a little slower, but only at the end of each story.  Got a bit rambly.  But overall a really good one.

Stars: 4.5

Book: Big Dumb Eyes

 Book: Big Dumb Eyes

Author: Nate Bargatze

Pages: 240

This is my 107th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Nate Bargatze used to be a genius.  That is, until the summer after 7th grade when he slipped, fell off a cliff, hit his head on a rock, and "my skull got, like, dented or something".  Before this accident, he dreamed of being "an electric engineer, or a doctor that does brain stuff, or a math teacher who teaches the hardest math on earth".  Afterwards, all he could do was stand-up comedy.  But the brain stuff industry's loss is everyone else's gain because Nate went on to become on of today's top grossing comedians.  Nate talks about life as a non-genius.  From stories about his car and his travels as a Southerner to tales of his first apartment where he was almost devoured by rats and his many debates with his wife over his chores, his diet, and even his definition of "shopping".  He also reflects on such heady topics as his irrational passion for Vandy football and the mysterious origins of sushi.

This was a great book.  I love Nate.  I have watched all of his standup from when he first started and love to see how popular he has become.  His book was 100% what I expected it to be - down to earth, and written in his cadence.  My favorite chapter was the one about his dad - made me cry!  He is a clean comedian and that comes through in his book as well as hilarious stories and anecdotes.  Check this one out and if you haven't seen Nate perform -I hightly suggest it.

Stars: 5

Book: What You Are Looking For is In The Library

 Book: What You Are Looking For Is In The Library

Author:Mickiko Aoyama

Pages: 304

This is my 106th read for the year

What Amazon says:

What are you looking for?  So asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian.  For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for an provide just the book recommendation to help them find it.  A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother triest to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose.  This book is about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection.

This was a good book.  The story is interesting and I like how the characters made life changes based on just being asked a simple question "What are you looking for?".  The story moves along nicely - with several characters becoming intertwined.  I will say it unraveled a bit at the end - got a bit rambly - but overall a cut and sweet novel.

Stars: 4

Book: Flight Behavior

 Book: Flight Behavior

Author: Barbara Kingsolver

Pages: 448

This is my 105th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Set in present day Appalachia, this parable of catastrophe and denial explores how the complexities we inevitably encounter in life lead us to believe in our particular chosen truths.  Kingsolver's riveting story concerns a young wife and mother on a failing farm in rural Tennessee who experiences something she cannot explain, and how her discovery energizes various competing factions - religious leaders, climate scientists, environmentalists, politicians - trapping her in the center of the conflict and ultimately opening up her world.

This was a great book.  After reading a book with my daughter about the monarch butterflies (non-fiction - "Bicycling With Butterflies) I was pleased that this book captured the story in partially fictional form.  I liked the characters and how the story develops bringing this town together because of the Monarchs and the scientist trying to figure out why they ended up there.  The story flows well and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Stars: 4.5