Book: The Women of Arlington Hall

 Book: The Women of Arlington Hall

Author: Jane Healey

Pages: 335

This is my 48th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

1947: Adventurous Radcliffe graduate Catherine Kileen cancels her wedding and upends a future that no longer suits her.  At the behest of her professor and hungry for a challenge, Cat arrives in Virginia to work on a confidential military project.  A student in cryptoanalysis, Cat is already ahead of the game - to assist in rooting out Soviet spices who have infiltrated the US.  Joining the government girls of Arlington Hall, Cat gains the respect of her superiors and the friendship of her peers.  Then, on a night out in DC, Cat runs into Jonathan Dardis, her arrogant and privileged Harvard rival and newly minted agent for the FBI.  What Cat and Jonathan share is a competitive drive and an attraction that's becoming just as spirited.  They're also united in the same critical goal for America.  Together, they're diving deep into the shads of espionage.  The stakes of the codebreaking operation grow ever higher, and Cat's relationship with Jonathn opens her heart.  Amid dangerous intigue and grave secrecy, Cat is ready for every risk - no matter how personal the stakes get 

This book was fine.  I wanted to like it more than I did.  I really liked the parts of the book where the Arlington Hall goverment girls worked closely on an espionage case.  Reading the author's note she based a lot of her characters on real people and some on actual people and their actual work.  Where the book lost me was two places.  One - I didn't find it overly well written.  And 2 - this became much more of a relationship/love story book than a work of the Government Girls.  More time was spent on this book with their activities outside of work than in, so it wasn't what I was hoping for.

Stars: 3

Book: Waiting for Godot

 Book: Waiting for Godot

Author: Samuel Beckett

Pages: 128

This is the 47th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The story revolves around 2 seemingly homeless men waiting for someone - or something - named Godot.   Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree, inhabiting a drama spun of theirown consciousness.  The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as mankind's inexhausitble search for meaning.  Beckett's language pioneered an expressionistic minimalism that captured the existential post-World War II Europe.  His play remians one of the most magical and beautiful allegories of our time.

This was better than I expected.  I read it for the Rory Gilmore challenge, and really didn't know much about it except that Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves recently performed it on Broadway.  I listened to it, and it was a good way to absorb this little book.  Quick listen with less than 2 hours of ime and a fun yet tragic story.  Glad I read it.

Stars: 4

Book: The Ferryman and his Wife

 Book: The Ferryman and His Wife

Author: Frode Grytten

Pages: 176

This is my 46th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nils Vik wakes up on November the 18th and knows it will be the day he dies.  He follows his morning routine as voices from his past echo in his mind, and looks around the empty house one last time, before stepping onto his beloved boat.  His dog, dead these many years, leaps aboard with him, and then the other dead begin to emerge - from the woods along the fjord, from eah of the ferry stops along the route, from his logbook full of memories and quotations and jotted-down notes about the weather conditions.  The people from the past accompany him now, prodding him, showing him what he might have missed before, as he waits for his Marta, his late, remarkable wife, to finally join him on the boat again.  This is a novel about what we take with us - those moments that might seem insignificant as they happen but prove to be the most meaningful, in the end.

This was a really good little book.  I had seen it recommended for a reading challenge and decided to give it a try and I am glad I did.  Very well written with a great message about who and what we will remember when our life is near its end.  It is a quick read, and this version was well translated.  Check it out.

Stars: 4.5

Book: Snow In Love

 Book: Snow In Love

Author: Aimee Friedman

Pages: 222

This is my 45th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

What's better than one delicioiusly cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story?  4 of them, from some of today's bestselling authors.  From Kasie West, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and cruses are reveals.  From Amiee Friedman, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.  From Melissa De La Cruz, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.  From Nic Stone, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.

For people who read my reviews, you will find that I read some off the wall stuff to fill challenge categories on book challenges I am working on for the year with various people.  Sometimes I find some really good books that I would have not read otherwise.  Othertimes....I find these kind of books.  I needed a book with a fireplace that also took place in winter.  So - here we are.  The first story was actually pretty good.  Then they went downhill and the last one was remarkably bad.  Ah well.

Stars: 2.5

Book: An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good

 Book: An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good

Author: Helene Tursten

Pages: 184

This is my 44th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Maud is an irascible 88 year old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and no qualsm about a little murder.  Ever since her dralig father's untimely death when she was only eighteen, Maud has lived in the family's spacious apartment in downtown Gothenburg rent-free, thanks to a minor clause in a hastily negotiated contract.  That has how maud learned that good things can come from tragedy.  Now in her late 80s, Maud contents herself with traveling the worlds and surfing the net from the comfort of her father's ancient armchair.  It's a solitary existence, and she likes it that way.  Over the course of her adventures - or misadventures - this little bold lady will handle a crisis with a local celebrity who has her eyes on Maud's apartment, foil the engagement of her long-ago lover, and dispose of some pesky neighbors.  But when the local authorities are called to investigate a dead body found in Maud's apartment, will Maud finally becoem a suspect?

This was an interesting book.  I found it when looking for a book for a reading challenge.  This one was very short - and I finished it within a few hours.  It is a wild story.  Fun read with an 88 year old woman who has the whole town fooled with her "poor little old me" story.  Meanwhile, she is quite the killer.  Glad I found this one.

Stars: 4 

Book: Black Panther Vol: 1 A Nation Under Our Feet

 Book: Black Panther Vol 1: A Nation Under Our Feet

Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Pages: 132

This is my 43rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

A new era begins for the Black Panther.  This graphic novel confronts T'Challa with a dramatic upheaval in Wakanda that will make leading the African nation toughter than ever before.  When a superhuman terroist group calling itself The People sparks a violent uprising, the land famed for its incredible technology and proud warrior traditions will be thrown into turmoil.  As suicide bombers terrorize the population, T'Challa struggles to unite his citizens, and a familiar villain steps out of the shadows.  If Wakanda is to survive, it must adapt- but can its monarch, one in a long line of Black Panthers, survive the necessary change?  Heavy lies the head that wears the cowl.

I read this to fullfill a reading challenge category, but I enjoyed it.  Big Marvel fan - have seen all the Black Panther movies.  I know this is a newer series for Black Panther, but it was well written and a quick read.

Stars: 4

Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 2

 Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl - Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Author: Matt Dinniman

Pages: 384

This is my 42nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The aliens have come, and they've transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game - like dungeon.  It's the newest season of the galaxy's most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World.  Now on the 3rd floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever.  They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team.  Their ratings are off the charts.  Viewers can't get enough.  But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there's a whole new problem to deal with: Quests.  They call it the Over City.  A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity.  But these streets are far from abandoned.  An undead circus trawls the ruins.  Murdered women rain from the sky.  An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.  Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time?  And can Carl finally find some pants?

This was another great installment of the Dungeon Crawler series.  As always - to those who want to get into this series and like audiobooks - this is a fantastic listen.  The voices and characters are brought alive with the readers, and it has made it all that must more enjoyable to delve into this world.  However - my husband is reading them and they are quickly becoming a favorite series.  This book is well written, and the story line and characters are really wonderful.  There is good world building, and the story moves along and a good clip.  If you have not tried this series yet, and like sci-fi/fantasy - don't miss this.

Stars: 5

Book: The Invisible Library

 Book: The Invisible Library

Author: Genevieve Cogman

Pages: 352

This is my 41st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

One thing any Librarian will tell you: the truth is much stranger than fiction.  Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, a shadowy organization that collects important works of fiction from all of the different realities.  Most recently, she and her enigmatic assistant Kai have been sent to an alternative London.  Their mission: Retrieve a particularly dangerous book.  The problem: By the time they arrive, it's already been stolen.  London's underground factions are prepared to fight to the death to find the tome before Irene and Kai do, a problem compounded by the fact that this world is chaos-infected-the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic to run rampant.  To make matters worse, Kai is hiding something - secrets that could be just as volatile as the chaos-filled world itself.  Now Irene is caughtin a puzzling web of deadly danger, conflicting clues, and sinister secret societies.  And failure is not an option - becasue it isn't just Iren'es reputation at stake, it's the nature of reality itself.

Stars: 3

Book: You weren't meant to be Human

 Book: You weren't meant to be Human

Author: Andrew Joseph White

Pages: 336

This is my 40th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Festering masses of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners across Appalachia.  In exchange for unwavering loyalty and fresh corpses, these hives offer a few struggling humans salvation.  A fresh start.  It's an offer that none refuse.  Crane is grateful.  Among his hive's followers, Crane has found a chance to transition, to never speak again, to live a life that won't destroy him.  He even met Levi: a handsome ex-Marine and brutal killer who treats him like a real man, mostly.  But when Levi gets Crane pregnant - and the hive demands the child's birth, no matter the cost - Crane's desperation to make it stop will drive the community that saved him into a devastating spiral that can only end in blood.

Stars: 2

Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

 Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

Author: CL Miller

Pages: 304

This is my 39th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

What antique would you kill for?  Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances.  She has spent the last 20 years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate - sent just days before his death - Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.  Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast's weekend.  But not all is as it seems.  It's clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions, and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing.  What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved?  More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

This books wasn't great.  I had picked it up (and its sequel) at a used book store after reading the inside cover.  Sounded interesting, but it really was a bit dull and convoluded.  Not well written.  Story was choppy and with no flow.  I am not sure I will pick up the sequel, but I do have a problem not finishing things I bought, so we shall see.

Stars: 2.5

Book: The Little Lost Library

 Book: The Little Lost Library

Author: Ellery Adams

Pages: 323

This is my 38th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When an elderly Miracle Springs resident, Lucille Wynter, arranges for Nora to deliver an order of books to her creepy, crumbling Southern Gothic mansion on the outskirts of town, Nora doesn't expect to be invited in.  An agoraphobe, Lucille doesn't leave Wynter House.  But when Lucille doesn't come to the door to collect her books, Nora begins to worry.  Forcing her way into Lucille's dilapidated home, Nora is shocked to find rooms bursting with books and a lifeless Lucille at the foot of her stairs.  After reading a note left behind by Lucille, Nora wonders if her death was an accident.  Did she fall or was she pushed by someone seeking a valuable item hidden within Whynter House?  Lucille's children are clearly confident the house contains something of value, because they hire Nora to sift through the piles of books.  Nora's obsession with Lucille's colleciton becomes cause for concern among her friends in the Secret, Book and Scone Society - she's even neglecting her bookshop!  But Nora does find something valuable deep inside Wynter House - a revelation about Lucille's terrible past - and a secret worth a small fortune.  But there's someone who'd do anything to keep the truth buried amid the moldering tomes, and it's up to Nora and her friends to track down a murderer before Wynter House's lost library claims another victim.

This book was fine.  I think I am just tired of them.  I have now read this whole series (a bit out of order), and the last few I have just not enjoyed.  The main character is easily offended and I have grown a bit tired of it.  Her snark -in my opinion - does not fit with what I invision for a bookshop owner in a small town.  

Stars: 3

Book: His and Hers

 Book: His and Hers

Author: Alice Feeney

Pages: 320

This is my 37th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessential small town, reporter Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case.  Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.  Someone isn't telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

This was a pretty good book.  I did watch the TV show first, and then found out it was a book, but it followed it okay.  The gist of the TV show was in here - same characters, same ending, but there were some details they changed.  The book is decently written, and I liked how the chapters went back and forth between Jack and Anna.  It is a fast read, and I think most people might be surprised by the ending (if they have not seen the show).

Stars: 4

Book: Challenger

 Book: Challenger

Author: Adam Higginbotham

Pages: 576

This is my 36th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

On January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 7 people on board.  Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.  Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20th century history - one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future.  Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told.  Based on extensive archival research and meticulous, orginial reporting, Challenger follows a handful of central protagonsits - including each of the seven members of the doomed crew - through the years leading up to the accident, and offers a detailed account of the tragedy itself and the investigation afterward.  It's a compelling tale of ambition and ingenuity undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; or hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light.  Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and later hidden from the public.  Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program and the lives of men and women whosestories have been overshadowed by the disaster, as well as the disigners, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space.

This was a good book.  It is dense, but learning more about the personal lives of the Challenger fleet was worth the read.  Reading up to the point of the disaster, and what it was like for their famlies, and then the search for survivors was hard to read.  There are large stretches of this book that is technical and about trying to figure out who to blame, but overall - a good read.

Stars: 4

Book: Heartstopper Book 2

 Book: Heartstopper Book 2

Author: Alice Oseman

Pages: 320

This is my 35th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nick and Charlie are best friends, but one spontaneous kiss has changed everything.  In the aftermath, Charlie thinks that he's made a horrible mistake and ruined his friendship with Nick, but Nick is more confused than ever.  Love works in surprising ways, and Nick comes to see the world from a new perspective.  He discovers all sorts of things about his friends, his family, and himself.

Stars: 3

Book: March

 Book: March

Author: John Lewis

Pages: 128

This is my 34th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Congressman John Lewis is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement.  His commitment to justics and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper's farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the 1st African-American president.  Now, to share his remarkable story with new generations, Lewis presents March, a graphic novel.  March is a vivid first hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation.  Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.  This book spans John Lewis' youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with MLK Jr the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to teat down segregation through nonvilent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning clamax on the steps of City Hall.  Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activits drew inspiration from the 1958 comic book "MLK and the Montgomery Story"  Now his own comics bring those day to life for a new audience.

This was a good book.  I read it for a reading challenge, and it has been on one of my daughter's bookshelf for awhile.  (she read it).  It is a quick read, but covers a lot of ground and is well done.  I think it would be a good book for middle grade to learn about John Lewis and how he became the activist he is.  There are 2 more books in the series that continue with his work as an adult.  Check this one out.

Stars: 4.

Book: Madly, Deeply the diary of Alan Rickman

 Book: Madly, Deeply the Diary of Alan Rickman

Author: Alan Rickman

Pages: 480

This is my 33rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

From his breakout role in Die Hard to his outstanding, multifaceted permormances in the Harry Potter films, Galaxy Quest, Robin Hood and more, Alan Rickman cemented his legacy as a world-class actor.  His air of dignity, his sonorous voice, and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate audiences today.  But Rickman's ability to breathe life into projects wasn't confined to just his performances.  As you'll find, Rickman's diaries detail the extraordinary and the ordinary, flitting between wordly and witty and gossipy, while remaining utterly candid throughout.  He takes us inside his home, on trips with friends across the globe, and on the sets of films nd plays ranging from Sense and Sensibility, to Private lives, to the final film he directed, A Little Chaos.  Running from 1993 to his death in 2016, the diaries provide singular insight into Rickman's public and private life.  Reading them is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close companion.  Meet Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveler, the fan, the director, the enthusiast; in short, the man beyond the icon.

This was a good book.  It was a little tedious - and it is LONG.  He was an avid journalist with small bits of quips and info from his day to day, but not sure it needed to be made into a book.  I would have loved it more if it was.....more.  It would have been better in biography format.  Most of it was not that interesting.  I did find that he didn't have a lot of love for Harry Potter or the final director of those films - Daivd Yates.  Did I learn a lot about Alan Rickman from this book?  No.  Would I suggest you read it?  Probably not.

STars: 3.

Book: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

 Book: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Author: Mark Twain

Pages: 123

This is my 32nd read for the year

Read this one for the Rory Gilmore reading challenge

Stars: 3.5

Book: The Children's Blizzard

 Book: The Children's Blizzard

Author: David Laskin

Pages: 307

This s my 31st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The gripping true story of an epic prairie snowstorm that killed hundreds of newly arrived settlers and case a shadow on the promise of the American frontier.  January 12, 1888 began as an useasonably warm morning across Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Minnesota, the weather so mild that children walked to school without coats and gloves.  But that afternoon, without warning, the atmosphere suddenly, violently changed.  One moment the air was calm; the next the sky exploded in a raging chaos of horizontal snow and hurricane-force winds.  Temperatures plunged as an unprecedented cold front ripped through the center of the continent.  By the morning, some 500 people lay dead on the drifted prairie, many of them children who had perished on their way home from country schools.  In a few terrifying hours, the hopes of the pioneers had been blasted by the bitter realitites of their harsh environment.  Recent immigrants from Germany, Norway, Denmark, and the Ukraine learned that their free homestead was not a paradise but a hard unforgiving place governed by natural forces they neither understood nor controlled.

This was a good book. Hard to read the reality of what the people went through.  I had read the Historical Fiction version of this story a few years ago, and was interested to read more about it.  The parts of this book that are personal accounts of the families was heartbreaking and the best parts of this book.  The other parts about weather and thoughts on how this storm came about were a bit dry.  But overall a good book.

Stars: 4 

Book: Letters To A Young Poet

 Book: Letters To A Young Poet

Author: Rainer Maria Rilke

Pages: 81

This is my 30th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

At the start of the 20th century, Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a series of letters to a young officer cadet, advising him on writing, love, sex, suffering, and the nature of advice itself.  These profound and lyrical letters have since become hugely influential for generations of writers and artists of all kinds, including Lady Gage, Patti Smith.  With honesty, elegeance, and a deep understanding of the loneliness that often comes with being an artist, Rilke's letters are an endless source of inspiration and comfort.  

Read for a reading challenge

Stars: 4

Book: The Fall Risk

 Book: The Fall Risk

Author: Abby Jimenez

Pages: 81

This is my 29th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

It's Valentine's Day weekend, and Charlotte and Set are not looking for romance.  Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men.  Having a stalker can do that to a person's nerves.  Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist.  As in today recently.  Heights, he's fine with.  Trust?  Not so uch.  But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity.  Soon their defenses are breaking away.  Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and SEth could be in danger of falling - in love.  

This book was fine.  It is a free short read from Amazon that I had, and fit a book challenge, so I read it.  I like Abby's books well enough.  This one didn't really go far since it was a short story.  Things move way too fast between these two basically strangers for her to give him all the details she did.  I won't go further - this isn't my favorite genre, so I am not a good judge of these books.

Stars: 3

Book: Eleven Numbers

 Book: Eleven Numbers

Author: Lee Child

Pages: 50

This is the 28th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nathan Tyler is an unassuming professor at a middling American university with a rather obscure specialty in mathematics - in short, a nobody from nowhere.  So why is the White House calling?  Summoned to Washington, DC, for a top-secret briefing, Nathan discovers that he's the key to a massive foreign intelligence breakthrough.  Reading between the lines of a cryptic series of equations, he could open a door straight into the heart of the Kremlin and change the global balance of power forever.  All he has to do is get to a meeting with the renowned Russian mathematician who created it.  But when Nathan crashes headlong into a dangerous new game, the oddes against him suddently look a lot steeper.

This book was fine.  Believe it or not, I have not read any Lee Child books - my husband has read all of them.  This came up as a free short read on Amazon, so I thought I would give it a go.  The characters were fine and the story moved along just fine.  Have I said the word fine enough in this review yet?  There was a lot of math.  Not particularly exciting.  Not sure this would make me want to try his Reacher stories (which this was not).

Stars: 3 

Book: Bad Date A Short Story

 Book: Bad Date: A Short story

Author: Ellery Lloyd

Pages: 58

This is my 27th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Fay Roper is a divorced single mom and a globally famous actress.  She's also unlucky in love.  Maybe becasue the last thing Fay wants in a man is yet another superfan.  But somehow, every time she ahs a boyfriend who isn't a stalker, he abruptly disappears from her life.  With the help of her best friend and right-hand woman, Poppy, Fay decides to change the game and join an exclusive net dating app uder a false identity.  A subscriber named Oliver takes the bait.  But Oliver likes to play games too.  And only one of them can win.

This book was just okay.  It was a free read from Amazon and is a short story, and I don't think I could get into it well enough in these 58 pages.  The characters were just so so, as was the story.  

Stars: 3 

Book: 84 Charing Cross Road

 Book: 84 Charring Cross Road

Author: Helen Hanff

Pages: 112

This is my 26th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

This funny, poignant, classic love story unfolds through a series of letters between Helene Hanff, a freelance writer living in NYC, and a used-book dealer in London at 84, Charing Cross Road.  Through the years, though never meeting and separated both geographically and culturally, they share a sharming, sentimental friendship based on their common love for books.  Discover the relationship that has touched the hearts of thousands of readers around the world, and was the basis for a film.

This was a great little book.  A read it in a few hours because it is just letters, but what fun.  She was quick witted and generous and the bookshop sweet and caring.  The things she sent them over the years - especially as London struggled after the war (this was written in the late 40s) was remarkable.  All because this became her favorite books shop - 1000s of miles away - and in some way her favorite people.  Good little read.

Stars: 4.5

Book: Under Her Care

 Book: Under Her Care

Author: Lucinda Berry

Pages: 275

This is my 25th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

On a humid summer day in Alabama, a mayor's wife turns up brutally murdered under a railroad bridge.  Standing next to her body is 14 year old Mason Hill, the autistic son of former Miss USA Genevive Hill.  The locals are quick to level their verdict on young Mason: he did it.  The town detective calls in local autism expert Casey Walker to consult on the case.  At first, CAsey tries to keep an open mind.  But the more time she spends with genevieve, the more her unease grows, and she suspects that Genevieve is doing more than just protecting her son.  Casey's misgivings surrounding Genevieve's story only intensify when she meets Savannah, Genevieve's 19 year old daughter.  Savannah, as it turns out, has some disturbing secrets of her own.  But as Casey dives ever deeper into the Hill family dynamic, her search for the truth leads to another shocking murder - one that shatters her understanding of the human condition in ways she never imagined.

This wasn't a good book.  It was one of my monthly free reads from Amazon, and it fit a reading challenge category, so I read it.  I was hoping it would be a good mystery, but it wasn't well written and I didn't like any of the characters.  It started to redeem itself a bit in the middle, but then fell completely apart at the end.  The ending was really terrible - just.....ended.  No resolution.  Skip

Stars: 2 

Book: Dark Tower Book 1 - The Gunslinger

 Book: Gunslinger Book 1

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 288

This is my 24th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Roland of Gilead: The Last Gunslinger.  He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil.  In his desolate world, which mirrors our own in frightening ways, Roland tracks The Man in Black, encounters an enticing woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with a boy from NY named Jake.

This was a weird book.  I am determined to read all of Stephen King's book, and I am down to just a few and the Dark Tower series.  It is pretty big, and this book did not give me hope that I am going to be able to finish this series or want to.  I migth try one more book, but this book is dense for 288 pages.  I had a hard time getting into it and was glad when it was over. It wasn't necessarily bad, it was just a hard read and not really my style.  So we shall see.

Stars: 3

Book: Dream School

Book: Dream School

Author: Jeffery Selingo

Pages: 352

This is my 23rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Attending college has long been a rite of passage for millions of teens and a bedock of the American dream.  But that well-worn path has lately taken a wrong turn, denying admission even to super-achievers and putting intolerable stress on family finances.  Now, in Dream School Jeffrey Selingo shifts the spotlight from how colleges pick students to how students can better pick colleges.  With est-optional policies and grade inflation leveling the playing field for applicants, getting into prestigious schools has become a kind of lottery.  "Plan A" may work out, but increasingly it isn't- so Selingo urges families to ditch the "Top 25 or bust" mindset and look beyond the usual suspects.  Hidden-gem schools with increidble value and rich opportunities are wiating to be discovered.  Backed by unparalleled research - and an eye-opening survey of more than 3000 parents - Dream School revelas what really matters in a college: strong job prospects after graduation, hands-on learning experiences, and a sense of belonging.  To help students find their perfect match, Selingo highlights 75 accessible and affordable colleges that will satisfy those priorities.  Organized into 3 easy-to-digest sections, Dream School explains why elite college degrees turn out to matter less than you think, why many parents and students are choosing value over prestige, and how to make sure the degree really pays off.  In these pages, Selingo's engaging style and expert insights turn what is often an unnavigable maze into a clear roadmap.

This was a great book.  I have followed Jeff for the last few years as my last two children navigated the college landscape.  My kids graduated last year - the height of a "baby boom" of kids going off to college.  They had so much competition, and being good students, it was wild to navigate the waters with them.  Jeff is grounding.  His first book - "Who gets in and why" brought me down to reality and helped me help the kids make smart decisions about where they wanted to go to school based on more than a name.  And they have ended up at terrific places that fit them well thanks in part of guidance of Jeff and his videos and sessions over the last year.  I knew I needed to read his new book and if you are in the middle of looking for colleges for your kids - this book is for you.  He helps you make sense of the landscape and realy helps you focus on helping your kids find the next step that makes sense for them.  My favorite line in the book was "HOW you go to college matters much more than WHERE you go to college"  No truer words.

Stars: 4.5 

Book: As Long as The Lemon Tree Grows

 Book: As Long As The Lemon Tree Grows

Author: Zoulfa Katouh

Pages: 432

This is my 22nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries for freedom broke out in Syria.  She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home.  She had a normal teenager's life.  Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors daily.  Secretly, though, she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth.  So desperate, that she has manifested a physical embodiment of her fear in the form of her imagined companion, Khawf, who haunts her every move in an effort to keep her safe.  But even with Khawf pressing her to leave, Salama is torn between her loyalty to her country and her conviction to survive.  Salama must contend with bullets and bombs, military assaults, and her shifting sense of morality before she might finally breathe free.  And when she crosses paths with the boy she was supposed to meet one faeful day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all.  Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her for what they truly are - not a war, but a revolution and decide how she too will cry for Syria's freedom.

Stars: 4

Book: Legends and Lattes

 Book: Legends and Lattes

Author: Travis Baldress

Pages: 304

This is my 21st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her swod for the last time.  The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune.  But old and new rivals stand in the way of success - not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.  if Viv wants o put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.  But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way.  And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she could ever have dreamed.

This was a good book.  I liked the cozy story mixed with a bit of fantasy.  It is an easy read - finished it in a day and a half.  A lot of likable characters to continually root for.  Nice world building as well.  I will be reading the next one in the series.

Stars: 4

Book: The Lost House

 Book: The Lost House

Author: Melissa Larsen

Pages: 352

This is my 20th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

40 years ago, a young woman and her infant daughte were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow, lying together as peacefully as though sleeping.  Except he mother's throat has been slashed and the infant drowned.  The case was never solved.  There were no arrets, no conviction.  Just a suspicion turned into a certainty: the husband did it.  When he took his son and fled halway across the world to California, it was proff enough of his guilt.  Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, is ready to clear her grandfather's name once and for all.  Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than an excuse to escape the shambles of her once-stable life - which is why she so readily accepts true crime expert Nora Carver's invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast.  Agnes packs a bag and hops on a last-minute flight to the remote town of Bitfrost, Iceland, where Nora is staying, where Agne's father grew up, and where, supposedly, her grandfather slaughtered his wife and infant daughter.  Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives?  Suddenly, Agnes and Nora's investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect.  Seeking to unearth old and new truths alike, Agnes finds herself drawn into a web of secrets that threaten the redemption she is hell-bent on dlivering, and even her life - discovering how far a person will go to protect their family, their safety, and their secrets.

This was a decent book.  This was one of my Amazon free reads I am working my way through this year.  However - I decided to listen to this one.  It also was fulfilling a reading challenge.  It was a decent story, with an interesting Icelandic background.  Pretty predictable mystery overall and Agnes was a bit of an exhausting character.  But it was a good book to listen to - to hear all the Icelandic names pronounced.  Glad I read this one.

Stars: 3 

Book: Hazelthorn

 Book: Hazelthorn

Author: CG Drews

Pages: 368

This is my 19th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child.  For his safety, Evander hasbeen given 3 ironclad rules to follow:  He can never leave the estate.  He can never go into the gardens.  And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron's charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.  That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander 7 years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.  When Byron suddently dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn's immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family's vast wealth.  But Evander's sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next.  Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is regusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day.  As the family's dark secrets unravel alonside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he's really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.

This book was fine.  This is really not my genre, and as I have stated many times, I am really getting away from enjoying YA.  It is written well enough, but the characters are a bit infuriating - especially Evander.  It gets a little convoluded at the end, but I finished it and no unhappy I read it.  Bit predictable horror story and an unsatisfying ending.

Stars: 3

Book: When I Fell From The Sky

 Book: When I Fell From The Sky

Author: Juliane Koepcke

Pages: 256

This is my 18th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The true story of one woman's miraculous survival.  On December 24, 1971, the teenage Juliane boarded the packed flight in Peru to meet her father for Christmas.  She and her mother fought to get some of the last seats available and felt thankful to have made the flight.  The LANSA airplane flew into a heavy thunderstorm and went down in dense Amazon jungle hundred of miles from civilization.  She fell 2 miles from the sky, still strapped to her plane seat, into the jungle.  She was the sole survivor among the 92 passengers, which included her mother, and Julian's unexplainable survival has been called a modern-day miracle.  With incrdible courage, instince and ingenuity, she crawled and walked alone for 11 days in the green hell of the Amazon.  She survived using the skills she'd learned in assisting her parents on their research trips into the jungle before coming across a loggers hut, and with it, safety.  

This was an interesting book.  The story of her crash and survival for 11 days in the jungle were the most captivating part of the book.  It isn't especially well written, but she lived quite the life, so it is easily overlooked.  It was a terrible tragedy that affected the rest of her life.  In 1998 they made a short documentary about her ordeal when she returned to Peru with a film crew to re-walk her path of survival.  She is quite the woman.

Stars: 3.5

Book: Committed

 Book: Committed

Author: Adam Stern

Pages: 320

This is my 17th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Adam Stern was a student at a state medical school before being selected to train as a psychiatry resident at one of the most prestigious programs in the country.  His new and initially intimidating classmates were high achievers from the Ivy League and other elite universities around the nation.  Faculty raved about that group as though the residency program had won the lottery, nicknaming them "The Golden Class" but would Stern ever prove that he belonged?  In his memoir, Stern pulls back the curtain on the intense and emotionally challenging lessons he and his fellow doctors learned while studying the human condition, and ultimately, the value of connection.  The narrative focuses on these residents, their growth as doctors, and the life choices they make as they try to survive their grueling 4 year residency.  Rich with drama, insight, and emotion, Stern shares engrossing stories of life on the psychiatric wards, as well as the group's experiences as they grapple with impostor syndrome and learn about love and loss.  Most importantly, as they study how to help distressed patients in search of a better life, they discover the meaning of failure and the preciousness of success.  Stern's growth as a doctor, and as a man, have readers rooting for him and his patients, and ultimately find their own hearts fuller for having taken this journey with him.

This book was okay.  I liked the idea of it, and found a lot of the cases he was involved in interesting.  He is a psychiatrist here in Boston, so that drew me in.  The book was telling two stories though - his personal life and his cases, where after awhile the personal story took over.  It isn't necessary a bad thing, but it seemed to lose the basis for the book which was to talk about his training as a psychiatrist.  It isn't especially well written, but not terrible either.  Glad I read this - found it for a few dollars at a used book store - but not sure I would recommend it.

Stars: 3 

Book: Paper Cuts

 Book: Paper Cuts

Author: Ellery Adams

Pages: 308

This is my 16th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nora escaped her past a decade ago.  So it feels like a visit from another world when Kelly Walsh - the woman her ex-husband left her for - walks through the door of Miracle Books along with her son.  Kelly hasn't come to gloat, though.  As it turns out, she's been dumped too.  She's also terribly ill, and all she wants from Nora is forgiveness.  Shockingly, however, this woman who's been the victim of so much misfortune is about to become a murder victim.  Who would do such a thing?  Certainly not Nora, but that doesn't stop the gossip and suspicion - especially after Kelly's brother claims that he saw the 2 women arguing.  In seeking justice for Kelly, The Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the sheriff's department, but they've barely begun their probe when life throws another wrench.  After serving a 20 year sentence Estella's father returns to Miracle Springs.  And when his past comes back to haunt him, it might be more than the 4 friends can handle.

This was an okay book.  I am working through all 8 of these books by Adams, and they have all been fine.  The first one was my favorite, and they have gotten more "meh" the more I read.  They are easy reads, but I have liked the main character, Nora, less and less.  Adams keeps writing her with a bit of a "Bite" that I don't think you would find in a bookshop owner.  That is my own opinion, but it just doesn't fit what I see for this character, so her snarkiness, and a few things she does in this book seems out of what I felt the norm should be.  Nit picky for sure, but it rubs me the wrong way.  

Stars: 3

Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl

  Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl

Author: Matt Dinniman

Pages: 464

This is my 15th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend?  Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat.  And you know what's worse than that?  An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalatic game show.  That's what.  Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world - or just get to the next level - in a video game - like, trap filled fantasy dungeon.  A dungeon that's actually the set of a realit television show with countelss viewers across the galaxy.  Exploding goblins.  Magical potions.  Deadly, drug-dealing llamas.  This ain't your ordinary game show.

This was an excellent book.  I decided to listen to it because I heard that the audio version was top notch, and it was.  There are a lot of voices and it is highly entertaining this way.  It is clever, and well written, and Carl is a very likable character.  Princess Donut as well.  There are a lot of books in this Dungeon Crawler series, and I am anxious to keep reading to hear where the whole story is going.  Check this one out.

Stars: 5

Book: The Family Across The Street

 Book: The Family Across The Street

Author: Nicole Trope

Pages: 256

This is my 14th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses.  The new family, the Wests, are a perfect fit.  Katherine and John seem so in love and their gorgeous 5 year old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn.  But today, they won't invite you in when you knock, they brush away offers to babysite and the children haven't been seen.  Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out.  As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wall of sirents.  And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realize: Hogarth Street will never be the same again.

This was an okay book.  I had it as a Kindle free read, and I am really trying to get through those more this year.  It had a few surprsies, but not many and I found it overall too wordy.  Large amounts of past lives information that just could have been shortened to move the story along.  It is a fast read - read it in a few hours - so I will give it that.

Stars: 3