Breathe To Read

Breathe To Read

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Book: How To Stop Time

 Book: How To Stop Time

Author: Matt Haig

Pages: 336


This is my 132nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Tom Hazard has just moved back to London, his old home, to settle down and become a high school history teacher.  And on his first day at school, he meets a captivating French teacher at his school who seems fascinated by him.  But Tom has a dangerout secret.  He may look like an ordinary 41 year old but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries.  Tom has lived history - performing with Shakespeare, exporing the high seas with Captain Cook, and sharing cocktails with Fitzgerald.  Now he just wants an ordinary life.  Unfortunately for Tom, the Albatross Society, the secretive group which protect people like Tom, has one rule: Never fall in love.  As painful memories of his past and the erratic behavior of the Society's watchful leader threaten to erail his new life and romance, the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him.  Tom will have to decide once and for all whether to remain stuck in the past, or finally begin living in the present.  It tells a love story across the ages - and for the ages - about a man lost in time, the woman who could save him, and the lifetimes it can take to learn how to live.  

This was a pretty good book.  I like Matt Haig's books and this one did not disappoint.  I liked the main character and the idea of someone who could live for about 1000 years and what that would look like.  It was a neat idea that they aged one year old every 15 years and that started around age 11 (which was a good idea on Haig's part because I don't think anyone would want to do the baby stage for 15 years).  There are a lot of good characters, and the story moves along at a good pace, and it has a good ending.

Stars: 4


Monday, April 27, 2026

Book: The Charm Bracelet

 Book: The Charm Bracelet

Author: Viola Shipman

Pages: 304


This is my 131st read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Through an heirloom charm bracelet, three women will rediscover the importance of family and a passion for living as each charm changes their lives.  On her birthday each year, Lolly's mother gave her a charm, along with the advice that there is nothing more important than keeping family memories alive, and so Lolly's charm bracelet would be a constant reminder of that love.  Now seventy and starting to forgte things, Lolly knows time is running out to reconnect with a daughter and granddaughter whose lives have becoem too busy for Lolly or her family stories.  But when Arden, Lolly's daughter, receives an unexpected phone call about her mother, she and granddaughter Lauren rush home.  Over the course of their visit, Lolly reveals the story behind each charm on her bracelet, and one by one the family stories help Lolly, Arden, and Lauren reconnect in a way that brings each woman closer to finding joy, love, and faither.  

This book was overly syrupy sweet.   I have read of few of Shipman's book, but the first one was truly the only one I really liked (the Recipe Book).  It was okay for a small amount, but after about 1/3 of this book when it didn't let up - the sappiness - I was over it.  It was a good idea, just not well executed in my opinion.

Stars: 2.5


Book: Pike Island

 Book: Pike Island

Author: Tony Wirt

Pages: 269


This is my 130th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
What happens at the cabin stays at the cabin.  Right?  Andrew Harrison "Harry" Leonard is destined for politics.  Getting his start on the Rochester City Council, he quickly rose to become the youngest representative in Congress.  Now the up-and-comer from Minnesota is on the brink of something big.  If all goes well, he'll be in perfect position to aim for the presidency.  Then a postcard arrives, blank except for the name on the address: Andy Leonard.  Harry hasn't used that name since high school.  Krista Walsh, Harry's chief of staff, recognizes his old moniker, and when he dodges qustions about it, she wonders what he's trying to hide.  She soon discovers the lake pictures on the postcard holds secrets too.  Krista's investigation into Harry's past uncovers the truth of what happened one fateful teenage summer.  But as distrubing details come to light, how far will Krista go to keep Harry's career-and her own - headed to the top?

This was a pretty good read.  It was one of my Kindle free reads I am trying to work through.  It was an interesting enough murder mystery, characters were pretty good, and I was curious to see where it was going.  The ending was just okay.

Stars: 3.5


Sunday, April 26, 2026

Book: It's Not Her

 Book: It's Not Her

Author: Mary Kubica

Pages: 352


This is my 129th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
A scream shatters the silence - Courtney Gray's peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage.  Her niece Reese is missing.  Her nephew Wyatt is asleep upstairs - unharmed.  A town full of secrets - as police swarm the uiet resort, dark truths about Courtney's family - and the town itself - begin to surface.  Is REese a victim or the Killer?  A truth no one saw coming - with everyone hiding something, Courntey races to uncover the terrible mystery.  But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who - or what - to trust.

I have 2 words to describe this book: Verbal diarrhea.  So much nonsense mixed in with the actual story that I had a hard time caring.  Hated all the characters.  The twist was a bit surprising, but by the time we got to the killers, I didn't care any more.

Stars: 2 


Book: Talking to Strangers

 Book: Talking to Strangers

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

Pages: 416


This is my 128th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation?  Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise?  Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to one another that isn't true?  Talking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual adventure, a challenging, and controversial excusion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news.  He revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Know, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State, and the death of Sandra Bland - throwing our understanding of thsee and other stories into doubt.  Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know.  And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world.  

This was a great book.  I read it for a reading challenge, but I am glad I found this one.  It was well written, well researched, and gives you a lot to think about.  There are a lot of tough cases in this book that will make you cringe - especially as you hear from victims.  There are also a lot of case studies that had interesting results.  Very very good read.

Stars: 5


Saturday, April 25, 2026

Book: Antimatter Blues

 Book: Antimatter Blues

Author: Edward Ashton

Pages: 298


This is my 127th read for the year

What Amazon Says: 
Summer has come to Niflheim.  The lichens are growing, the 6-winged bat-things are chirping, and much to his own surprise, Mickey Barnes is still alive - that last part thanks almost entirely to the fact that Commander MArshall believes that the colony's creeper neighbors are holding an antimatter bomb, and that Mickey is the only one who'se keeping them from using it.  Mickey's just another colonist now.  Intead of cleaning out the reactor core, he spends his time these days cleaning out the rabbit hutches.  It's not a bad life.  It's not going to last.  It may be sunny now, but winter is coming.  The antimatter that fuels the colony is running low, and Marshall wants his bomb back.  It Mickey agrees to retrieve it, he'll be giving up the only thing that's kept his head off of the chopping block. If he refuses, he might doom the entire colony.  Meanwhile, the creepers have their own worries, and they're not going to surrender the bomb without getting something in return.  Once again, Mickey finds the fate of 2 species resting in his hands.  If something goes wrong this time, though, he won't be coming back.

This was a decent book.  It is a second in a series (and last I believe), and there was also a movie based on the 1st book (even though the movie changed a bit).  This is an easy read with several likable characters.  There is a bit of humor (especially from our main character Mickey).  Has a decent ending.

Stars: 4


Friday, April 24, 2026

Book: The Line

 Book: The Line

Author: Tim Weaver

Pages: 43


This is my 126th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
A career-mkaing rumo about a Hollywood icon could save a struggling journalist - or destroy her - in this twisting and atmospheric short story.  LA, 1985.  Journalist Hallie Pitney is fighting to keep her head about water selling minor stories to gossip magazines.  She still dreams of her byline on something better - something that could finally launch her career.  Then a whisper reachers her: a legendary movie star may be hiding a devastating secret.  For Hallie, this could be the story that changes everything.  But a dark choice lurks behind Hollywood's shuttered gates: the story of a lifetime - or everthing she stands for.

This was an interesting novella.  I got it free through Amazon First reads, and I continue to widdle those down in my Kindle.  It had good potential, but of the books I have in this series (this is part of a 6 book series - all different stories and different authors) it wasn't a favorite.  Ending was just okay.

Stars: 3


Thursday, April 23, 2026

Book: Monsters In The Archives

 Book: Monsters In The Archives

Author: Caroline Bicks

Pages: 304


This is my 125th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
After Caroline Bicks was named the University of Maine's inaugural Stephen E King Chair in Literature, she became the first scholar to be granted extended access by King to his private archives, a treasure trove of manuscripts that document the legendar writer's creative process - most of them never before studied or published.  The year she spent exploring Kig's early drafts and hand-written revisions was guided by one question millions of King's entralled and terrified readers (including her) have asked themselves: What makes Stephen King's writing stick in our heads and haunt us long after we've closed the book?  Bicks focuses on 5 of his most iconic early works - The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, 'Salem's Lot, and Night Shift - to reveal how he crafted his language, story lines, and characters to cast his enduring literary spells.  While tracking King's margin notes and editorial changes, she discovered scenes and alternatve endigns that never made it to print but tha tKing is allowing her to publish now.  The book also includes interviews Bicks had with King along the way that reveal new insights into his writing process and personal history.  This book chronicles what Bicks found when she set out to unearth how King crafted some of his scariest, most iconic moments.  But it's also a story about a grown-up English professor facing her childhood fears and getting to know the man whose monsters helped unleashed them.

This was a pretty good book.  It is brand new and I was excited to see what Stephen King shared with the author during the year she spent with him.  I didn't know he had basically a locked vault on his property that contains all of his manuscripts, notes, etc.  How cool would it be to see that, and then get to talk to him about it?  I am a Stephen King superfan - made it my mission to read all of his books - and this would be one of the best things to get to see inside his mind as he fought to a finished product.  This book had excerpts of those trials, and also interviews that the author had with Stephen King about his process and why he wrote certain characters the way he did.  Good insight.  Glad I read this one.

Stars: 4.5


Book: The Meg

 Book: The Meg

Author: Steve Alten

Pages: 288


This is my 124th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean's deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face to face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom.  The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he's sure he saw but still can't prove exists - Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark.  The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds.  Written off as a crackpot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Taylor refuses to forget the depths that nearly cost him his life.  With a PhD in paleontology under his belt, Taylor spends years theorizing, lectuing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea.  But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high tech minature sub.  Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he's never imagined, and what he finds could turn the tides bloody red until the end of time.

This was an interesting novel.  Characters were pretty good, and I liked the flow of the story.  There were some pretty scary parts - trying to imagine a fish this size.  A lot of Jaws vibes.  Glad I listened to this one.

Stars: 4

Book: Daisy Miller

 Book: Daisy Miller

Author: Henry James

Pages: 102


This is my 123rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:
This is a classic novella about a young America girl's journey of self-discovery during her travels in Europe.  The story follows Daisy, a vibrant and free-spirited American girl, as she falls in love with a young Italian man and navigates the expectations of American and European societies.  As she straddles the line between the 2 cultures, Daisy must decide what she truly desires, and whether she will choose freedom or convention.

Weird book.  Read strictly for the Rory Gilmore Challenge.

Stars: 3


Book: The Christie Affair

 Book: The Christie AFfair

Author: Nina De Gramont

Pages: 400


This is my 122nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Why would the world's most famous mystery writer disappear for 11 days?  What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman's marriage?  How deeply can a person crave revenge?  In 1925, Miss Nan O'Dea infiltrated the wealthy, rarefied world of author Agatha Christie and her husabnd, Archie.  In every way, he became a part of their life - first, both Christies.  Then, just Archie.  Soon, Nan became Archie's mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife, desperate to marry him.  Nan's plot didn't begin the day she met Archie and Agatha.  It begane decades before, in Ireland, when Nan was a young girl.  She and the man she loved were a star-crossed couple who were destined to be togehter - until the Great War, a pandemic, and shameful secrets tore them apart.  Then acts of unspeakable cruelty kept them separated.  What drives someone to murder?  What will someone do in the name of love?  What kind of crime can someone never forgive?

This was a pretty good book.  I liked being able to look up Agatha Christie, Archie Christie and Nan's actual lives to see where she stuck to the truth and where the author took liberties.  This book was told from Nan's perspective, and I could find very little about her online.  Archibald's Wikipedia page is 2 lines long and no where it mentioned that he was married to anyone except Agatha.  However he was married to Nan and they had a kid and they stayed married until she died in the 1950s.  Anyway - there were some other parts of the book where she veered from the truth, but I won't go into them since it would give away the plot of this book too much.  The characters are well developed and you end up liking just about everyone.  It had a good ending and I am glad it lead me to looking more into the lives of these people.

Stars: 4


Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Book: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

 Book: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Author: Charles Seife

Pages: 272


This is my 121st read for the year

What Amazon Says:
The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshiped it, and the Church used it to fend off heretics.  Now it threatens the foundations of modern physics.  For centuries the power of zero savored of the demonic; once harnessed, it became the most important tool in mathematics.  For zero, infinity's twin, is not like other numbers.  It is both nothing and everything.  In Zero, Science Journalist Charles Seife follows this innocent-looking number from its birth as an Eastern philosophical concept to its struggle for acceptance in Europe, its rise and transcendence in the West, and its ever-present threat to moder physics.  Here are the legendary thinkers - from Pythagoras to Newton to HEisenberg, from the Kabalists to today's astrophysicists - who have tried to understand it and whose clashes shook the foundations of philosophy, science, mathematics, and religion.  Zero has pitted East against West and faith against reason, and its intransigence persits in the dark core of a black hole and the brilliant flash of the Big Bang.  Today, zero lies at the heart of one of the biggest scientific controversies of all time: the quest for a theory of everything.

I read this book for an Alphabet challenge, and ended up really liking it.  Math - not my favorite subject - makes for a tricky read, but the author does a good job laying it out for lay people like myself.  This book starts quiet a ways back in history and I actually learned quite a bit.  Interesting read.

Stars: 4


Book: The Possession of Alba Diaz

 Book: The Possession of Alba Diaz

Author: Isabel Canas

Pages: 384


This is my 120th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas.  Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiance, Carlos, to his family's isolated mine for refuge.  But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions.  She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin.  Something angry.  Something wrong.  Elias, haunted by a troubled past, came to the NEw World to make his fortune and escape his family's legacy of greed.  Alba, as his cousin's betrothed, is none of his business.  Which is of course why he can't help but notice the growing tension between them every time she enters the room - and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon's thirst for blood gets stronger.  In the fight for her life, Alba and Elias become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other - not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom.

Stars: 3

Book: Beggars in Spain

 Book: Beggars in Spain

Author: Nancy Kress

Pages: 154


This is my 119th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
This coming of age tale follows Leisha Camden.  She is the first person gentically altered before birth so that she does not need to sleep.  Her rich industrialist father pays for the procedure so that his daughter will have a competitive edge over others.  It's soon discovered that Leisha's mother is also carrying a "normal" child.  As Leisha grows older she finds others who've had the non-sleep genetic alteration.  Compared to their age mates, the non-sleep children, who have not had IQ genetic manipulation, are more intelligent, better at problem - solving, and more joyous than non-engineered children.  And no negative side effects reported so far.

This book was interesting.  I picked it up after having a discussion with my husband that with all the books I read, especially in my favorite genre (Dystopian), I have not read a book where people don't sleep and it is a NORMAL phenomenon.  Not "can't sleep", or a disease comes into the world that causes people to stay awake and chaos ensues - but a world where not sleeping is known.  I did a deep search and this is the only one I could find.  It started out strong, but alas, as a novella, it didn't satisfy me completely.  It has an abrupt end - almost on a cliff hanger like the author might want to write more and continue on, but this is an old book so I guess that won't be happening.  It has quite a bit of smart thinking in it - the author put some thought into how this would work and what it would look like.  But the story was just so-so.  She kept starting ideas, but because of the short stories - there was no world building which is my favorite in these types of novels.  I am glad I read it.  I was just hoping for a bit more.

Stars: 4


Sunday, April 19, 2026

Book: Mary and O'Neill

 Book: Mary and O'Neill

Author: Justin Cronin

Pages: 256


This is my 118th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Mary and O'Neill: They are ilke any other couple.  They have survived loss and found love and managed the occasional hard-earned laugh as they moved toward the future, hearts thick with hope.  Each human life is ever changing, born of moments large and small - births and deaths and weddings, grave mistakes and chance encounters and acts of surprising courage - and in this unforgettable book, Justin Cronin makes vivid how those moments connect us all, making us more than we could ever be on our own.  

This book was okay.  The title is a bit confusing.  Yes - there becomes a Mary and O'Neil, but honestly - this book should have been called Kay and O'Neil, because it is more about the brother and sister than the husband and the wife.  It was dry and mundane, and while I enjoy Justin Cronin books, this one fell flat for me.

Stars: 3


Book: Kill for Me, Kill for You

 Book: Kill for Me, Kill for You

Author: Steve Cavanagh

Pages: 352


This is my 117th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
One dark evening on NYC's Upper West Side, 2 strangers meet by chance.  Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, including an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families.  As they talk into the night, they coe up wiht the perfect plan: if you kill for me, I'll kill for you.  In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded.  She's attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night.  Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?

This was an interesting enough book.  It has been on my shelf for awhile, and I am determined to make a big dent in that thing this year.  It has an interesting enough mystery.  There was a twist I didn't see coming - bravo.  Two of them actually.  It was an easy read - a lot of short chapters.  I liked a lot of the characters.  The ending - even with a bit of a twist - was still just okay.

Stars: 3.5


Saturday, April 18, 2026

Book: Theo of Golden

 Book: Theo of Golden

Author: Allen Levi

Pages: 400


This is my 116th book for the year.  

What Amazon Says:
One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden.  He doesn't explain much about where he came from or why he's there - but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the wlals, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each protrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person's story.  And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.  A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unfortgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder.

This book was excellent.  I have been seeing this book everwhere for months, and finally was able to get my hands on it.  It is very well written.  Great characters.  Theo is adorable and the epitome of someone who gives without wanting anything in return.  He keeps his last name anonymous the entire time he lives in Golden.  The story is sweet with humory and humility and will restore your faither in humanity.

Stars: 5


Book: Cradle and All

 Book: Cradle and All

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 286


This is my 115th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
In Boston, 17 year old Kathleen is pregnant, but she swears she's a virgin.  In Ireland, another teenage girl, Colleen, discovers she is in the same impossible condition.  Cities all around the world are suddenly overwhelmed by epidemics, droughts, faminse, floods, and worse.  As terrifying forces of light and darkness begin to gather, Kathleen and Colleen find themselves at the center of the final battle for a very sould of humanity.  Each of the girls must convince a young detective that she is the true mother of God - and that the other is carrying the devil. 

This book was good enough.  It is a very easy, very fast read - I read it in a day.  Lots of short chapters and half pages of text made that easy.  James Patterson is a commercial success, but a great writer?  Not sure about that.  The story was interesting.  Got a bit drawn out, even in its few pages, and got a bit boring, but does circle back to redeem itself at the end.  Left on a bit of cliff hanger, but this is an older book, so I don't see a sequel appearing.

Stars: 3


Friday, April 17, 2026

Book: Chosen Ones

 Book: Chosen Ones

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 432


This is my 114th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
15 years ago, 5 ordinary teenagers were signled out by a prophecy to take down an impossibly powerful entity wreaking havor across North America.  He was known as the Dark One, and his weapon of choice - catastrophic events known as Drains - leveled cities and claimed 1000s of lives.  Chosen Ones, as the teens were known, gave everything they had to defeat him.  After the Dark One fell, the world went back to normal - for everyone but them.  After all, what do you do when you're the most famous people on Earth, your only education was in magical destruction, and your purpose in life is now fulfilled?  Of the 5, Sloan has had the hardest time adjusting.  Everyone else blames the PTSD - and her huge attitude problem - but really, she's hiding secrets from there - secrets that keep her tied ot the past and alienate her from the oly 4 people in the world who understand her.  On the 10th anniversary of the Dark One's defeat, something unthinkable happens: one of the Chosen Ones dies.  When the others gather for the funderal, they discover the Dark One's ultimate goal was much bigger than they, the government, or even prophecy could have foretold - bigger than the world itself.  And this time, fighting back might take more than Sloane has to give.  

This was an okay book.  I have read most of Veronica Roth's books, because I did like her Divergent series years ago.  However this one wasn't great.  It was a cool idea, but I felt like I was walking into a sequel instead of a stand alone.  We are past this big battle with a world ending deamon, and we are supposed to care about it?  I just could not get sucked in.  I walked away from the book a few times because it just did not hold my interest.  This is supposed to be an adult fantasy, but it is written as YA in my opinion.  Hard to like any of the characters - especially Sloane.  

Stars: 3


Thursday, April 16, 2026

Book: End of Ever After: A Cinderella Retelling

 Book: End of Ever After: A Cinderella Retelling

Author: EL Tenenbaum

Pages: 310


This is my 113th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
When the invitation to the prince's ball was put in her hands, Ella imagined a single night of wonder, a single night to escape her wretched life and be anyone else for awhile.  She never expected to turn the prince's head, she certainly never expected to run off with his heart.  Five years later, Ella looks back on her faerytale rise from soot stained cinderwench to the queen the people call CinderElla.  Ignored and humiliated much of her life, she could hardy believe her sudden good fortune.  Nor could she aniticpate what was to follow, not the lies, not the betrayal, not the truthof her handsome Prince Charming.  Ella is desperate to figure out how, despite her best intentions, everything went so horribly wrong.  And what, if anything, she can do to get back her ever after.  End of Ever After is the first in a five part companion series that rewrites the classic tales of happily ever after.

Terrible book.  Poorly written.   Read it because I had it in my kindle as a free book and it fit a challenge caterory I was trying to fill.

Stars: 2


Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Book: The Bielski Brothers

 Book: The Bielski Brothers

Author: Peter Duffy

Pages: 336


This is the 112th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
In 1941, 3 brothers witnessed their parents and 2 other silbings being led away to their eventual murders.  It was a grim scene that would, of course, be repeated endlessly throughout the war.  Instead of running or giving in to despair, these brothers - Tuvia, Zus and Asael Bielski - foughtback, waging a guerrilla war of wits against the Nazis.  By suing their intimate knowledge of the dense forest surrounding the Belarusan towns of Novogrudek and Lida, the Bielskis evaded the Nazis and established a hidden base camp, then set about convincing other Jews to join their ranks.  As more and more Jes arrived each day, a robust community began to merge, a "Jerusalem in the woods".  After 2 1/2 years in the woods, in July 1944, the Bielskis learned that the Germans, overrung by the Red Army, were retreating back toward Berlin.  More than 1000 Bielski Jews emerged - alive - on that final, triumphant exit from the woods.  

This was a good book.  It was a bit dry, but otherwise well written.  This book is on the Rory Gilmore endless reading challenge, so that is why I picked it up.  I like a good non-fiction book, and what these brothers were able to do was miraculous.  I also enjoyed that the author included pictures of the brothers and other key players in this story.  Love putting faces to names.

Stars: 3.5 


Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Book: Pursued: The Story of Stalking, Memory and Madness

 Book: Pursued: The Story of Stalking, Memory, and Madness

Author: Corey Mead

Pages: 283


This is my 111th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
From 1977 to 1981, Ruth Finley, an ordinary wife and mother from Kansas, was tormented by an elusive maniac known as the Poet. The police, already on edge from BTK's reign of terror, spent years searching for the stalker.  Meanwhile, his cryptic letters in rhymed verse grew more disturbing and violent, spilling into deeds like stabbing and kidnapping.  In this propulsive nonfiction account, as Ruth is surveilled from all sides, her nightmare takes a chiling turn: The Stalkier is no stranger at all.  It's someone the police have been close to for years, someone nearer to home than Ruth dared to admit.  The revelation recasts what seemed like a cruel twistof fate as something far more disturbing. 

This book was okay.  It is one of my Kindle free reads I am trying to work through.  It is non-fiction - on of my favorite genres - but this one was a bit dry.  I kind of figured it out right before the "twist" was revealed, but it was a bit of a surprise and I was curious to figure out how it took the police so long to figure it out.  Glad I read it because I do love true crime, but I wish it was just a little bit better written.

Stars: 3


Monday, April 13, 2026

Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl 4: The Gate of the Feral Gods

 Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl 4: The Gate of the Feral Gods

Author: Matt Dinniman

Pages: 608


This is my 110th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galazy's most watched game show has taught Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, that there's only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what's coming next.  And this floor is no exception.  A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes.  A castle made of sand.  A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines.  A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.  It was supposed to be easy.  One bubble.  Four castles.  15 days.  Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.  Here's the thing.  I's never easy.  Going it alone is not an option this time, so Carl and his team must rely on the help of the low-leve, I can't believe these idiots-are-still-alive cralwers trapped in the bubble wiht them.  But can they be trusted?  Welcome, Crawlers.  Welcome to the 5th floor of the dungon.

Another great installment in the Carl world.  These books are fun and entertaining and huge tomes all in one.  I continue to listen to them because the narrator is fantastic.  If you enjoy audiobooks - highly recommend these for that.  The books are well written and there are a lot of likable characters.  The AI is hysterical.  As is the cat and Carl.  Even though this is a Dungeons and Dragons type of trope - something I never learned about or know anything about - they are not hard to follow.  After the first book, you get the idea, and then those parts of the books (loot boxes, rewards, etc) all become something you look forward to.  It is just a really fun series and after 4 books, I am obsessed.

Stars: 5


Saturday, April 11, 2026

Book: Win

 Book: Win

Author: Harlen Corben

Pages: 384


This is my 109th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Over 20 years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin or monhts, Patricia escaped, but so did her captors - and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.  Until now.  On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3.  For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead - not only on Patricia's kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man.  Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win, as his few friends call him - doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up with a dead man.  But his interest is piqued, especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an acto fo domestic terrorism - and that the conspirators may still be at large.  The 2 cases have baffled the FBI for decades, but Win has 3 things the FBI doesn't; a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune: and his own unique brand of justice.

I am slowly working through a back log of books on my shelves, and this one has been sititng there for awhile.  I have read a couple of Harlen Corben books, and I like them okay.  But to me, they aren't great.  They are easy reads, but his chracters are not likable to me.  Win, especially turned me off right from the beginning.  It was almost like reading more later Patricia Cornwell books where she also makes her main characters so rich that they are not relateable let alone likeable.  Because the Win character struck a negative cord with me from the beginning, I could not turn this story around in my mind.  It was an interesting enough murder mystery, but not enough to redeem the characters as a whole.

Stars: 2.5


Friday, April 10, 2026

Book: The God of the Woods

 Book: The God of the Woods

Author: Liz Moore

Pages: 496


This is my 108th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk.  Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing.  Barbara isn't just any thirteen-year-old: she's the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and emplys most of the region's residents.  And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared.  Barbara's older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.  As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds.  Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and teh blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore's multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances.

This was a pretty good book.  I have read mixed reviews, so I was worred - especially since it is a bit more of a popular novel.  Those tend to be hit or miss for me.  But I did like this one.  It has a good story where you want to get to the end to see what has happened to Barbara and her brother.  You learn about members of the camp and the  Van Laar's family along the way to complete the picture of why what happened to those children happens.  The back story of the Van Laar's family was a bit tedious, and probably could have been a bit less of this story, but that is just my opinion.  Overall , a solid story, and I am glad I finally read this one.

Stars: 4


Thursday, April 9, 2026

Book: The Roommate

  Book: The Roommate

Author: Andrea Mara

Pages: 39


This is my 107th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
A dark and dangerous secret one woman has desperately tried to forget becomes the plot of a hit TV dramam in this chiling short story.  Elena's looking forward to a quiet Friday night curled up with her husband with a glass of wine and a new crime drama on TV.  As the show starts, she realises, with a jolt of panic: every detail mirrors one horrific night she's spent years trying to forget.  Elena doesn't believe in coincidences.  Someone knows her secret - and she'll lose everything if the truth comes out.

This was an interesting short story.  It has a nice beginning, middle, and end in a few pages.  The ending even has a twist I did not see coming.  Good story.

Stars: 
4



Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Book: You Killed Me First

 Book: You Killed Me First

Author: Jon Marrs

Pages: 399


This is my 106th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
It's 5 November, and a woman awakens to a nightmare.  Bound and gagged, she lies trapped in the heart of a towering bonfire.  As the smoke thickens, panic sets in - she's moments away from being engulfed in flames.  How did it come to this?  Rewind 11 months: Margot, a faded TV star, and her long-siffering friend Anna watch as glamorous Liv nd her flawless family move into their street.  The three women soon fabricate the perfect pretence of friendship, but each harbours her own deadly secret - and newcomer Liv senses something is terribly wrong beneath the polish exteriors.  As cracks widen in the veneer of perfection and lies escalate out of control, tension ignites.  Bonfire Night is approaching and someone is set to burn - But who will it be?

This was an interesting book.  I have read a lot of Marrs books, and I always enjoy them.  I hated most of the characters in this book - he wrote some of them over the top.  Was it on purpose?  There were a lot of twist - a few I did not see coming, which was a plus.  The ending was wild.  Overall, I was glad I read it.

Stars: 4


Monday, April 6, 2026

Book: Shakespeare for Squirrels

 Book: Shakespeare for Squirrels

Author: Christopher Moore

Pages: 288


This is my 105th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Set adrift by his pirate crew, Pocket of Dog Snogging - last seen in The Serpent of Venice - washes up on the sun-bleached shores of Greece, where he hopes to dazzle the Duke with his comedic brilliance and become his trusted fool.  But the island is in turmoil.  Egus, the Duke's minister, is furious that his daughter Hermia is determined to marry Demetrius, instead of Lysander, the man he has chosen for her.  The Duke decrees that if, by the time of the wedding, Hermia still refuses to marry Lysander, she shall be executed - or consigned to a nunnery.  Pocket, being Pocket, cannot help but point out that this decree is complete bollocks, and that the Duke is an egregious weasel for having even suggested it.  Irritated by the fool's impudence, the Duke orders his death.  With the Duke's guards in pursuit, Pocket makes a daring escape.  He soon stumbles into the wooded realm of the fairy king Oberson, who, as luck would have it, IS short a fool.  His hester Robin Goodfellow - the mischievous sprite better known as Puck - was found dead.  Murdered.  Oberon makes Pocket an offer he can't refuse: he will make Pocket his foold and hae his death sentence lifted if Pocket finds out who killed Robin Goodfellow.  But as anyone who is even vaguely aware of the Bard's most performed play ever will know, nearly every character has a motive for wanting the mischievous sprite dead.  With too many suspects and too little time, Pocket must work his own kind of magic to find the truth, save his neck, and ensure that all ends well. 

Stars: 4 


Book: The Let Them Theory

 Book: The Let Them Theory

Author: Mel Robbins

Pages: 336


This is my 104th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
This was an okay book.  I liked a lot of it, but it just left too many unanswered questions.  The fantas part of this novel was choppy.  Some of the characters were really horrible - I do not like to read about domestic violence.  I was curious about where it was going, but I just don't think the plot pulled itself all the way together - even with the ending where she tried.

This book could have been an article.  Or an email.

Stars: 2


Sunday, April 5, 2026

Book: The Lost Bookshop

 Book: The Lost Bookshop

Author: Evie Woods

Pages: 448


This is my 103rd book for the year

What Amazon Says:
For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.  For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.  But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books.  And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder - where nothing is as it seems.

This was an okay book.  I liked a lot of it, but it just left too many unanswered questions.  The fantasy part of this novel was choppy.  Some of the characters were really horrible - I do not like to read about domestic violence.  I was curious about where it was going, but I just don't think the plot pulled itself all the way together - even with the ending where she tried.

Stars: 3


Saturday, April 4, 2026

Book: Patient Zero

 Book: Patient Zero

Author: Jonathan Maberry

Pages: 432


This is my 102nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:
When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there's either soething wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills - and there is nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills.  And that's both a good, and a bad thing.  It's good because he's a Baltimore detective that has just been secretly recruited by the government to lead a new taskforce created to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can't handle.  This rapid response group is called the Department of Military Sciences or the DMS for short.  It's bad because his first mission is to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a dreadful bio-weapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies.  The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

This book was long.  And very technical.  I had it as a free Amazon first reads, and it was a bit too technical in the military and war categories for my taste.  And it was just an okay zombie story with just okay characters.

Stars: 3


Friday, April 3, 2026

Book: The Cartographers

 Book: The Cartographers

Author: Pen Shephard

Pages: 400


This is my 101st read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Neil Young's whole life and greatest passion is cartography.  Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field, and Nell's personal hero.  But she hasn't seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.  But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the NY Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can't resist investigating.  To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable, and also exceedingly rare.  In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence - because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one - along with anyone who gets in the way.  But why?  To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret, and discover the true power that lies in maps.

Stars: 3.5

Book: The Husbands

 Book: The Husbands

Author: Holly Gramazio

Pages: 352


This is my 100th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael.  There's only one problem - she's not married.  She's never seen this man before in her life.  But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they've been together for years.  As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can't remember meeting, Michale goes to the attic to change a lightbulb and abruptly disappears.  In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her.  Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the questions:  If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you've taken the right path?  When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

That was an interesting enough book.  I picked it up at a used bookstore - drawn in by the blurb on the back.  It starts out strong - as she tries to figure it out.  And holds it together when she meets another person like her.  But then it got a bit tedious, and I did not like the ending at all.  

Stars: 3


Thursday, April 2, 2026

Book: Obitchuary

 Book: Obitchuary

Author: Spencer Henry

Pages: 224


This is my 99th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
It's safe to say everyone thinks about death - whether they want to or not.  But have you ever wondered about what sort of keepsakes you can make with your remains, or given any thought to the most scandalous deathbed confessions throughout history?  Well Madison Reyes and Spencer Henry have, and they've spent countless hours scouring the darkest corners of the internet, digging through newspaper archives, devouring documents, and picking the brains of death industry experts to bring you Obitchuary, a darkly funny and deeply poignant exploration of all things death.  The authors guide us through surprisingly colorful history, traditions, and contemporary practices.  They also demystify taboo topics with incredible and hilarious details, including FUNerals, as they call them, cremations and themed funerals, famous body snatchers, and so much more.  This book carefully explores what death says about our humanity and the ways we choose to remember those we've lost.

This was a pretty good book.  I picked it up at a used bookstore because the cover and title were hilarious.  I learned quite a bit about death rituals in the book as well as got to read some pretty humorous stories about several people and the obituaries written about them.  It is a very quick read.  Next I think I will check out their podcast.

Stars: 4 


Book: The Perfect Marriage

 Book: The Perfect Marriage

Author: Jeneva Rose

Pages: 352


This is my 98th read for the year

What Amazon Says:
Sarah Morgan is one of the best ciminal defense attorneys in Washington, DC.  With a perfect case record and having made named partner before the age of 35, her life is going exactly as she planned.  However, the same cannot be said for her husband, Adam, a failed author, who's grown to resent his wife's meteoric success as he feels it's come at the expense of their relationship.  For almost 2 years, Adam has kept his affair with Kelly Summers a secret, but everything changes when her boyd is discovered at the couple's lake house and Adam is arrested on suspicion of murder.  Sarah now finds herself facing her most challenging case yet when se vows to defend her husband - a man accused of murdering his mistress.  While Adam is certainly guilty of sleeping with Kelly, the question remains: is he guilty of killing her too?

Terrible.  Hated all the characters from the begininng.

Stars: 2