Book: Deadwood

 Book: Deadwood

Author: Peter Dexter

Pages: 365

This is my 95th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Deadwood, Dakota Territories, 1876:  Legendary gunman Wild Bill Hickcock and his friend Charlie Utter have come to the Black Hills town of Deadwood fresh from Cheyenne, fleeing an ungrateful populace.  Bill, aging and sick but still able to best any man in a fiar gunfight, just wants to be left alone to drink and play cards.  But in this town of played-out miners, bounty hunters, upstairs girls, Chinese immigrants, and various other entrepeneurs, and miscreants, he finds himself pursued by a vicious sherriff, a perverse whore man bent on revenge, and a besotted Calamity Jane.  Fueled by liquor, sex, and violence, this is the real wild west, unlike anything portrayed in the dime novels that first told its story.

This was a pretty boring book.  I think part of the problem is that I listened to it and the guy who read it was pretty monotone.  I read this one for two reasons - 1) for a challenge - I needed a book that took place in the Dakotas and 2) Because years ago I watched the Deadwood series on HBO and really enjoyed it.  This was barely like it.  There doesn't seem to be a ton of plot - it seems more like a collection of stories with Wild Bill in the center.  There are a few characters from the TV show in the book, and when I read the reviews, I see that it is pretty unrelated to the story.  Ah well.  There isn't much development, and the writer is long winded on needless details (in my opinion).  

Stars: 2.5

Book: The Hope Chest

 Book: The Hope Chest

Author: Viola Shipman

Pages: 317

This is my 94th read for the year

What Amazon says:

The discovery of one woman's heirloom hope chest unveils precious memories and helps three people who have each lost a part of themselves find joy once again.  Ever since she was diagnosed with ALS, fiercely independent Mattie doesn't feel like herself.  She can't navigate her beloved home, she can't go for a boat ride, and she can barely even feed herself.  Her devoted husband, Don, doesn't want to imagine life without his wife of nearly fifty years, but Mattie isn't likely to make it past their anniversary.  But when Rose, Mattie's new caretaker, and her young daughter, Jeri, enter the couple's life, happiness and the possibility for new memories return.  Together they form a family, and Mattie is finally able to pass on her memories from the hope chest she received from her mother.  With each item - including a favorite doll, family dishes, an embroidered apron, and an antique Christmas ornament - the hope chest connects Mattie, Don and Rose to each other and helps them find hope again in the face of overwhelming life challenges.  A beautiful story about the unconditional love and support of family. 

This book was just okay.  I was originally excited to find it because I enjoyed her more recent book "The Receipe Box" very much.  But this one just wasn't as good.  It was overly frilly and sweet to the point of trite..  Instead of actual dialogue and story developement and character development, we got a lot of "I love yous" and weak chapters that felt disjointed.  Full of plot holes.  Sad because I really did enjoy her most recent book, so I would say she has improved.

Stars: 3

Book: Disappearance of a Scribe

 Book: Disappearance of a Scribe

Author: Dana Stabenow

Pages: 336

This is my 93rd read for the year

What Amazon says:

Alexandria, 47BC.  Cleopatra- seventh of her name, avatar of the goddess Isis, ruler of the Kingdom of Egypt - watches over her city.  The war is over, but Alexandria has suffered in its wake.  Caesar has returned to Rome, and the queen must restore her city and her kingdom to their former greatness.  But now a body has been found floating uprigth at the bottom of the sea, anchored by a weight around its feet.  It's the second corpse to be found this way, and with a city to rebuild and a kingdom to keep in line, Cleopatra cannot allow any more murders to interfere.  So she sets Tetisheri- her Eye and closest confidant - to make things right.  As she delves deeper into the mystery, Tetisheri will discover sercrets, consipracy, and danger far beyond her ken.

When I saw this book at the used books store, and read the inside cover, it sounded like something I would like.  But this book was terrible.  I finished it just because I hate not to finish books, but it was a struggle.  Not at any point would I have thought this book took place in ancient Egypt if it wasn't on the cover.  The writing was juvenile.  There was no character development.  It was written way too modern for what it was supposed to be.  The dialogue was silly and immature.  This one will be donated.

Stars: 1

Book: The Hawthorne Legacy

 Book: The Hawthorne Legacy

Author: Jennifer Barnes

Pages: 384

This is my 92nd read for the year

What Amazon says:

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions - including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a virtual stranger, rather than to his own daughters or grandsons.  Thanks to a DNA test, Avery knows she's not a Hawthorne by blood, but clues pile up hinting at a deeper connection to the family than she had ever imagined.  As the mystery grows and the plot thickens, Grayson and Jameson, two of the enigmatic and magnetic Hawthorne gradsons, continue to pull Avery in different directions.  And there are threats lurking around every corner, as adversaries emerge who will stop at nothing to see Avery out of the picture - by any means necessary.

This was a great book.  I enjoyed it almost as much as the first one.  There are a lot of surprises, great puzzles, a lot of mystery, and it makes you think.  Avery still remains a good main character, and I even like some of the side characters.  It did lose a star for me this go around for 2 reasons.  1) there seemed to be just a bit too much going on.  It felt like the author wanted to got a few different directions and I started to lose track of the story line.  2) The love story - while mild - was a lot more prevalent in this book.  Yes, I know it is YA and I appreciate that the author keeps it very PG, but it was more central this go around.  Otherwise - strong read and Barnes is a really good writer.

Stars: 4

Book: The Poppy War

 Book: The Poppy War

Author: R.F. Kuang

Pages: 545

This is my 91st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When Rin aced the Keju - the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies - it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn't believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin's guardians, who believe they'd finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who relized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence.  That she got into Sinegard - the most elite military school in Nikan - was even more surprising.  But surprses aren't always good.  Becasue being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard.  Targeted from the outside by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a leathal, unearthly power - an apitutde for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism.  Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seeingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive - and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.  For while the Nikara Empire is at peach, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea.  The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second.  And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away.  Rin's shamanic powers may be the only way to save her peoplle.  But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity - and that is may already be too late.

This was a pretty good book.  I almost didn't read it because I have not enjoyed the author's other books.  But the idea of the book drew me in ao I gave it a chance.  The story moved along at a pretty good clip.  The action scenes are well written and there is pretty good character development.  The book is gruesome though - espeically near the end.  Also - I should have read it instead of listening to it.  I do not like her chosen reader - she made Rin seem weaker than I think the author intended.  This is a first book in a series, but I don't think I will continue.

Stars: 4

Book: Everything is TB

 Book: Everything is TB

Author: John Green

Pages: 206

This is my 90th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia.  Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustics and inequity we blazed for it.  In 2019, author John Green met Henry Reider, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone.  John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile.  In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequitites that allow this curable, preventable infectious disease to also be the deadlist, killing over a million people a year.  John tells Henry's story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world - and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.

This was a good book.  I learned a lot about the history of TB and how it is still such a prevalent threat in many parts of the world.  I liked how Green continued the story of one kid - Henry - throughout the facts about TB.  It is an easy read and I got through it in an evening.  I was a little surprised he didn't mention Gates and his work with TB, but otherwise a solid read.  I also enjoyed that he included Henry's social media handles so I could look him up.

Stars: 4

Book: In Our Likeness

 Book: In Our Likeness

Author: Bryan VanDyke

Pages: 224

This is my 89th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Graham Gooding is a leader at a tech start-up when his brilliant coworker - and work crush - Nessie Locke asks for help testing a new algorithm.  Graham jumps at the chance to impress her, and to improve his floundering personal life.  He soon discovers that the algo is more powerful than Nessie - or anyone - realizes.  It was built to detect lies on the internet, but when Graham makes a small edit to Nessie's online profile, hoping to see if the program will catch the lie, Nessie changes in real life.  The algo can alter the real world.  Now, so can Graham.  No one knows what Graham has done, except his boss, enigmatic tech guru David Warwick.  Graham is racked with guilt, but Warwick thrills to the possibilites of what they can do next.  This promises to be the innovation that will make Warwick a household name.  Drawn by the power of the algo but terrified by its potential for chaos, Graham must decide what to do and whome to trust in a world where one true reality no longer exists.  As love, trust, memories, and what it means to be human begin to slip away, Graham and Nessie work together to resotre the past - before it's lost to the anarchy of a world without truth.

This book was okay.  I got it free from Amazon first reads and it fit a reading challenge category.  I liked the beginning.  I liked where the story was going when an algorithm was changing things in real life.  But then it got very convoluted and hard to follow and I started to lose interest.  It wrapped up fine.

Stars: 3

Book: A Killing Cold

 Book: A Killing Cold

Author: Kate Alice Marshall

Pages: 304

This is my 88th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

A wirlwind romance.  When Theodora Scott met Connor - wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family - she fell in love in an instant.  Six monhs later, he's brought her to Idlewood, his family's isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.  Theo has tried to ignore the threatening messages on her phone, but she can't ignore the footprints in the snow outside the cabin window or the strange sense of familiarity she has about this place.  Then, in a dusused cabin, Theo finds something impossible: a phot of herself as a child.  A photo taken at Idlewood.  Theo has almost no recollection of her earliest years, but now she begins to piece together the fragments o her memories.  Someone here has a shocking secret that they will do anything to keep hidden, and Theo is in terrible danger.  Because the Daltons do not lose, and discoering what happened at Idlewood may cost Theo everything.

This was a pretty good book.  I have read two other Marshall books and have liked them both.  This story flows well and there is good character development.  The mystery keeps you wanting to continue to read to see where it is going.  I was a little surprised by who the killer was.  The ending wrapped up the story nicely.  I did find the family a bit too hard on Theo - sometimes I think authors take the hate too far.  But that is a personal opinion.

Stars: 4

Book: The Book of Tahl

 Book: The Book of Tahl

Author: Tahl Leibovitz

Pages: 160

This is our 87th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

He stands 5'3" on badly deformed feet.  Bone tumors prevent him from straightening his arms or flexing his wrists.  His hands and feet sweat excessively, forcing him to change socks several times a day.  And from the age of 14 to 21, he was homeless, sleeping in subway cars and on roof tops, stealing food, clothes and money, and defending himself from the violent attacks of those who prey on the homeless.  49 year old Tahl Leibovitz is one of the most highly decorated and celebrated American table tennis players of all-time, a Paralympic Gold Medalist and USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame inductee who will represent the US at the 2024 Paris Olympics/Paralympics in late August.  He is also a high school dropout who went on to earn four college degrees, including a master's in social work from NYU's Silver School of Social Work.  Today, he is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a thriving psychotherapy practice in NYC.

So - this is a hard book to review, so I won't do much.  What Tahl went through was extraordinary and he should be commended for what he went through to get there.  It isn't well written - very disjointed.  But overall - to see him come out of a terrible situation to be a successful man was worth the read.

Book: When The Moon Hits Your Eye

 Book: When The Moon Hits Your Eye

Author: John Scalzi

Pages: 336

This is my 86th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Now humanity has to deal with it.  For some it's an opportunity.  For others it's a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything.  Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty.  And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now - something absolutely impossible.  Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives - over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their momentin the moonlight.  To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve.  All in a kaleidoscopic novel that goes all the places you'd expect, and then to so many places you wouldn't.  

This book is great.  I am a Scalzi fan and the more books I read by him, the happier I am that I found him.  He is a terrific writer.  He is clever, and funny, and his sci fi and just all around entertaining.  They aren't hard reads and I like his character development and story telling.  He can jam pack a story into 300-400 pages and keep you wanting to read without stopping.  He takes a lot of unrelated stories in the various stories which all revolve around the moon turning to cheese and what they were going to do about it.  Read it in two days and look forward to his next book.

Stars: 5

Book: Between the Lines

 Book: Between The Lines

Author: Jodi Piccoult

Pages: 368

This is my 85th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

What happen when happily ever after - isn't?  Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book - one book in particular.  Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real.  Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving.  He really speaks to Delilah.  And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her.  Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince.  He's a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermines.  He's sure there's more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

This book was just fine.  I didn't really love the characters.  I liked the idea of the story, and I read it for a reading challenge (the character becomes part of the story), but otherwise I probably would have skipped this one.  I do like Piccoults books. This was definitely YA, and the main characters was very immature.  The ending was weird and a let down.  I was left with too many questions about characters that I really never connected with.

Stars: 3

Book: More or Less Maddy

 Book: More or Less Maddy

Author: Lisa Genova

Pages: 368

This is my 84th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU.  Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a reent breakup, it's normal to be feeling overwhelmed.  It doesn't help that she's always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family.  But Maddy's latest low is devastatingly low, and she goes on an antidepressant.  She begins to feel good, dazzling in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.  As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dreams, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.

This was an interesting book.  I usually like Genova's books - she is a Harvard trained Neuroscience that has made quite the career of being a fictional writer about very real neurological disorders.  But this one missed the mark just a bit for me.  This is a tough subject and I think I learned a lot.  I just didn't like the Maddy character.  It gets a bit repetitive and the comedy bits are cringy.  Didn't connect with any of the characters and just was hoping for more.  I wanted to root for Maddy, but this particular character - it was too hard to do.

Stars: 3

Book: Valley

 Book: Valley

Author: Stacey McEwan

Pages: 400

This is my 83rd read for the year

What Amazon says:

At the bottom of the Chasm, Dawsyn and her followers traipse through the darkness to find their long-awaited home.  But there are whispers all around them and safety is never guaranteed.  With her powers much depleted, and food supplies running low, will they even survive the journey?  Above, the Queen and the new King of Glaca still bay for Dawsyn's blood, and they will not stop in their quest to destory her.  And with the help of someone Dawsyn thought her friend, they creep ever closer.  Long buried secrets will be revealed, hearts will be broken and a new day will dawn.  Who will reign in this climactic conclusion to the epic Glacian Trilogy?

This was a good wrap up to this trilogy.  The last book was awhile ago, but I didn't have trouble jumping back into the the world.  McEwan is a great writer.  The story flowed well, and there is good character development.  Dawsyn continues to be a powerful character.  The love story with she and Ryon did not distract from the overall mission she and the folks from the Ledge were trying to accomplish.  We get to learn Ryon's backstory.  There are some twists and turns and it has a satisfying ending.  She wrapped up the story well.

Stars: 4

Book: Anastasia

 Book: Anastasia

Author: Sophie Lark

Pages: 686

This is my 82nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Anastasia is the princess no one needs: the fourth daughter born to an emperor without a son, and the only royal lacking a magical gift.  Until she collides with a young Cossack rebel, changing both their lives forever.  Damien is taken from everything he knows and raised as a ward of the Romanovs.  Anastasia develops a strange king of magic shared only by the Black Monk Rasputin.  While her power grows in secret, boosted by forbidden contact with Damien, Anastasia makes a mistake with terrible consequences.  Fate grants her a single chance to set it right - but saving what she lost may cost everything she loves.

This was a very interesting book.  It is a different take on the Romanov family story mixed with magic and it kept me interested for the entire book.  There is good character development and a large battle I did not see coming.  The story flowed well for the first 3/4 of the book and I was anxious to see where it was going.  Then for a part of the book - the romance took over to the point that I found myself wanting to skip ahead to see if we got back to the original story.  And it did.  I am not a big romance fan, so in my opinion it took over more than necessary.  However, the underlying story mixed with Fantasy made up for it.

Stars: 4

Book: The Horse Dancer

 Book: The Horse Dancer

Author: Jojo Moyes

Pages: 464

This is my 81st book of the year

What Amazon says:

When Sarah's grandfather gives her a beautiful horse named Boo - hoping that one day she'll follow in his footsteps to join an elite French riding school, away from their gritty London neighborhood - she quietly trains in city's parts and alleys.  But then her grandfather falls ill, and Sarah must juggle horsemanship with school and hospital visits.  Natasha, a young lawyer, is reeling after her failed marriage: her professional judgment is being questined, her new boyfriend is a let-down, and she's forced to share her house with her charismatic ex-husband.  Yet when the willful fourteen-year-old Sarah lands in her path, Natasha decides to take the girl under her wing.  But Sarah is keeping a secret - a secret that will change the lives of everyone involved forever.

This was a decent book.  Not one of my favorite Moyes books.  Felt it was a bit unbelievable since one of the main characters was a 14 year old girl.  She was incredibly self centered and selfish and that kind of character drives me crazy in books.  It didn't capture my attention like her past books have.  

Stars: 3

Book: The Party Crasher

 Book: The Party Crasher

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Pages: 368

This is my 80th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

It's been almost 2 years since Effie's beloved parents got divorced, destroying the image of the happy, loving childhood she thought she had.  Since then, she's become estranged from her father and embarked on a feud with his hot (and much younger) girlfriend, Krista.  And now, more earth-shattering news: They've sold Greenoaks, the rambling Victorian country house Effie has always called home.  When Krista decides to throw a grand "house-cooling" party.  Effie is originally left off the guest list - and then receives a last-minute "anti-invitation" (maybe it's because she called Krista a gold-digger, but Krista TOTALLY deserved it, and it was mostly a joke anyway).  Effie declines, but then remembers a beloved childhood treasure is still hidden in the house.  Her only chance to retrieve it is to break into Greenoaks while everyone is busy celebrating.  As Effie sneaks around the house, hiding under tables and peeping into Greenoaks while trapdoors, she realizes the secrets Greenoaks holds aren't just in the dusy passageways and hidden attics she grew up exploring.  Watching how her sister, brother, and dad behave when they think no one is looking, Effie overhears coversations, makes discoveries, and begins to see her family in a new light.  Then she runs into Joe - the love of her life, who long ago broke her heart, and who's still as handsome and funny as ever - and even more truths emerge.  But will Effie act on these revelations?  Will she stay hidden or step out into the party and take her place with her family?  And truthfully, what did she really come back to Greenoaks for?  Over the course of one blowout party, Effie realizes that she must be honest with herself and confront her past before she'll ever be able to face her future.

This was an okay book.  It was cute and had some good funny lines.  Joe is a great character.  And Effie's sister is so sweet.  But I didn't care for Effie.  She was so immature.  Those kind of characters that are adults make me crazy in books.  I don't find it endearing or cute.  She is so stubborn and silly.  There are a few fun moments between she and Joe but otherwise, just an okay story.  It made a good audiobook.

Stars: 3

Book: Peach Blossom Spring

Book: Peach Blossom Spring

Author: Melissa Fu

Pages: 400

This is my 79th read for the year

What Amazon says:

China, 1938, Meilin and her 4 year old son, Renshu, flee their burning city as Japanese forces advance.  On the perilous journey that follows, across a China transformed by war, they find comfort and wisdom in their most treasured possession, a beautifully illustrated hand scroll filled with ancient fables.  Years later, Renshu has settled in America has Henry Dao.  Though his daughter, Lily, is desperate to understand her heritage, he refuses to talk about his childhood in China.  How can he tell his story when he's left so much behind? Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring is a bold and moving story about the haunting power of our past, the sacrifices we make to protet our children, and one family's search for a place to call home.

This was a great book.  I enjoyed the generational story and the move from China to the US for Henry, and the other half of the story with Meilin who stays behind in China.  We learn a lot of history of China and the war with Japan.  Interwoven in the history and Meilin's hope to get Renshu/Henry out of the China while she can is the stories she tells him from a special family scroll.  Overall the book is well written and the story well told.  Henry's character gets a little harsh mid/late book, but it evens out as the story progresses.

Stars: 4

Book: Insomnia

 Book: Insomnia

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 912

This is my 78th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Since his wife died, Ralph Roberts has been having trouble sleeping.  Each night he wakes up a bit earlier, until he's barely sleeping at all.  During his late night walks, he observes some strange things going on in Derry, Maine.  He sees colored ribbons streaming from people's heads, two strange little mn wandering around town after dark, and more, H begins to suspect that these visions are something more than hallucinations brought on by lack of sleep.  There's a definite mean streak running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface awesome and terrifying forces are at work.  The dying has been gnig on in Derry for a long, long time.  Now Ralph is part of it - and lack of sleep is the least of his worries.  Returning to the same Maine town where IT took place, a town that has haunted Stephen King for decades, Insomnia blends King's trademark bone-chilling realism with supernatural terror to create yet another masterpiece of suspense.

This was an interesting book.  It is very long.  I saved it to listen to on a very long car trip and got it finished in a few days.  It is an interesting concept and has some interesting characters.  There is supernatural (shocking) elements throughout.  I liked the beginning where we are eased into the main character's life.  It just was way too long, and I started to wish he would wrap it up.  Overall a solid read, but could have been about 200 pages shorter.

Stars: 4

Book: The Inheritance Games

 Book: The Inheritence Games

Author: Jennifer Lynne Barnes

Pages: 400

This is my 77th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Avery Grambs has a plan for  better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out.  But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his enitre fortune.  The catch?  Avery has no idea why - or even who Tobias Hawthorne is.  To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch - and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.  Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed.  This includes the one day, they would inherit billions.  Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down.  His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved.  Caughter in a world of wealth and privilege with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

This book was terrific.  I found it fun, well written, and I loved the mystery.  The house and the puzzles were fantastic.  Even the Hawthorne family grew on me. There is a good twist at the ending I actually didn't see coming that leads into the next book.  There is good character development and it was well plotted.  I really surprsied myself that I liked this book since it is definitely YA.  This was a win.

Stars: 5  

Book: Before I Go to Sleep

 Book: Before I Go To Sleep

Author: SJ Watson

Pages: 371

This is my 76th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Memories define us.  So what is you lost yours every time you went to sleep?  Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight.  And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story.  Welcome to Christine's life.  Every morning, she awakens beside a stranger in an unfamiliar bed.  She sees a middle-aged face in the bathroom mirror that she does not reognize.  And every morning, the man patiently explains that he is Ben, her husabnd, that she is 47 years old, and that an accident long ago damaged her ability to remember.  In place of memories Chistine has a handful of pictures, a whiteboard in the kitchen, and a journal, hidden in a closet.  She knows about the journal becasue Dr. Ed Nash, a neurologist who claims to be treating her without Ben's knowledge, reminds her about it every day.  Inside its pages, the damaged woman has begun meticulously recording her daily events - sessions with Dr. Nash, snippets of information that Ben shares, flashes of her former self that briefly, miraculously appear.  But as the pages accumulate, inconsistencies begin to emerge, raising disturbing questions that Christine is determined to find answers to.  And the more she pieces together the shards of her broken life, the closer she gets to the truth - and the more terrifying and deadly it is.

This was a decent book.  It was a good one to listen to.  It flowed okay.  There were some plot holes, and I knew pretty much from the beginning who the bad guy was.  I would say that SJ Watson is a bit wordy.  A lot of "filler" among the dialogue.  Over discriptions of the mundane just to increase pages.  I found my self telling him to get on with it more than a few times.  I liked the idea of the story - a woman with no memory waking up every single day and not knowing who or where she is - very frightening.  

Stars: 3

Book: The Ministry of Time

 Book: The Ministry of Time

Author: Kaliane Bradley

Pages: 352

This is my 75th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she'll be working on.  A recently established government ministry is gathering "expats" from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible - for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.  She is tasked with working as a "bridge": living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as "1847" or Commander Graham Gore.  As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore ided on Sir John Franklin's doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic so he's a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as "washing machines", "Spotify" and "the collapse of the British Empire".  But with an appetite for discovery, a 7 a day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast o fellow expats, he soon adjusts.  Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roomate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper.  By the time the true shape of the Ministry's project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined.  Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how - and whether she believes - what she does next can change the future.  

This was a really good book.  I liked the characters and the story flowed well.  You get drawn into the story of the expats and how they are trying to fit into timelines 100s of years after they lived and what that would be like for them.  Required to spend a year basically sequestered with their "bridge" helped them adjust, but keeps you wondering if they ever really would and wouldn't ultimately just like to go back to their timeline.  Most of the story revolves around two main characters, but we get to learn the dynamics of others who work at the Ministry as well as other Expats.  It is an interesting take on time travel.  I wish the ending would have been stronger and was groaning a bit when it didn't work out how I had hoped.  Overall a solid read.

Stars: 4.5