Book: Rebecca

 Book: Rebecca

Author: Daphne du Maurier

Pages: 448

This is my 256th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In Monte Carlo, our unnamed heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage.  Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck.  It is only when they arrive at Manderley, huer husband's cavernous estate on the Cornish coast, that she realizes how vast a shadow his late wife, Rebecca, will cast over their lives - introducting a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their love from beyond the grave.

I picked this one up to fill a challenge about a gothic romance novel.  How I missed this one long ago, I will never know.  I enjoyed it.  Reading classics is not my favorite, but I am glad I read this one.  It was a bit long winded and our unnamed heroine was a bit too much like a child at times.  But overall - it kept my interest.  I had no idea where this thing was going, and was a bit surprised with the reveal of Rebecca.  Ended with a gasp from me for sure.  

Stars: 4 

Book: W0rldtr33 Vol 2

 Book: W0rldtr33 Vol. 2 

Author: James Tynion

Pages:

This is my 255th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

With the press of a button, Gabriel winter changed the world.  As his closest friends reckon with the consequences, Special Agent Siobhan Silk must unravel what set all of this in motion 25 years ago in Palo Alto - and attempt to uncover the origin of PH34R.

Second installment in the W0RLDTR33 series did not disappoint.  Continuing to enjoy the series - and looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Stars: 4.

Book: What The Neighbors Saw

 Book: What The Neighbors Saw

Author: Melissa Adelman

Pages: 304

This is my 254th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Sometimes the darkest acts occur in the most beautiful houses.  When Alexis and her husband Sam buy a neglected Cape Cod house in an exclusive DC suburb, they are ecstatic.  Same is on the cusp of making partner at his law firm, Alexis is pregnant with their second child, and their glamorous neighbors welcome the couple with open arms.  Things are looking up, nd Alexis believes she can finally leave her trouble past behind.  But the neighborhood's picture-perfect image is shattered when their neighbor Teddy - a handsome, successful father of three - is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River.  The community is shaken, and as the police struggle to identify and apprehend the killer, tension in the neighborhood mounts and long-buried secrets start to emerge.  In the midst of the turmoil, Alexis takes comfort in her budding friendship with Teddy's beautiful and charismatic widow, Blair.  But as the women grow closer, the neighborhood only becomes more divided.  And when the unthinkable truth behind Teddy's murder is finally uncovered, both Blair and Alexis must reexamine their friendship and decide how far they are willing to go to preserve the lives they have so carefully constructed.

Terrible book.  Should have been a DNF.  Hated every character.

Stars: 1 

Book: Who Ate The First Oyster

 Book: Who Ate The First Oyster

Author: Cody Cassidy

Pages: 240

This is my 253rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Who invented the wheel?  Who told the first joke?  Who drank the first beer?  Who was the murderer in the first murder mystery, who was the first surgeone, who sparked the first fire - and most critically, who was the first to brave the slimy, pale oyster?  In this book, writer Cody Cassidey digs deep into the latest research to uncover the untold stories of some of these incredible innovators (or participants in lucky accidents).  With a sharp sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for the wonders of our ancient ancetors, Who Ate the First Oyster? profiles the perpetrators of the greatest firsts and catastrophes of prehistory, using the lives of individuals to provide a glimpse into ancient cultures, show how and why these critical developments occured and educate us on a period of time that until recently we've known almost nothing about.

This was an interesting book.  It was on our shelf and honestly, I cannot remember how it got there.  I am gifted a lot of books, so maybe that?  I do love a good non-fiction, and this was a fun read.   It is a quick trip through the time of homosapiens over the last 160,000 years.  Even goes back to 3 million years ago with primates and how they discovered how to use tools and fire  Pretty cool journey.

Stars: 3.5 

Book: Threshing Day

 Book: Threshing Day

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 224

this is my 252nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Welcome to Threshing Day, the brutal, high-stakes trial where would-be riders at Basgiath War College fight to earn the bond of a dragon or die trying.  Amid ruthless competition and dragon fire, these 13 cadets must survive a battlefield where desperate rivals will do anything to gain an advantage and dragons decide one's ultimate fate - and where a single choice can forge a rider - or destroy them.  Xaden Riorson, the powerful leader.  Rhiannon Matthias, the clever friend.  Dain Aetos, the dutiful rule-follwer.  Liam Mairi, the kindhearted protector.  Ridoc Gamlyn, the jokester.  Sawyer Henrick, the underdog.  Garrick Travis, the dependable aide.  Imogen Cardulo, the Impulsive fighter.  Bodhi Durran, the second-in-command.  Mira Sorrengail, the fearless rider.  Brennan Sorrengail, the brilliant tactician.  Aaric Graycastle, the restless royal. Sloane Mairi, the determined sister.  On Threshing DAy, there's only one rule: don't die.

This book was great.  Yes - I have read the Fourth Wing series, even though YA is getting way too young for me.  However - I do love a good dragon story.  The books were starting to wane for me, BUT I thought what the heck with this novella.  The art work is extrodinary.  And the stories of how each character obtained their dragons was fun.  I will say that Yarros does 2 things well - writing the dragon personalities - they are hysterical and so fun to read (and if you listen to these books - even a better listen), and endings.  Girl has a talent for endings of books.  So if you like the Fourth Wing books - definitely check this one out, and make sure you pick up a copy with the artwork.

Stars: 4.5 

Book: I'll Stop The World

 Book: I'll Stop The World

Author: Lauren Thoman

Pages: 446

This is my 251st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Is it the right place at the wrong time?  Or the wrong place at the right time?  Trapped in a dead-end town, Justin Warren has had his life defined by the suspicious deaths of his grandparents.  The unsolved crime happened long before Justin was born, but the ripple effects are still felt after 38 years.  Justin always knew he wouldn't have much of a future.  He just never imagined that his life might take him backward.  In a cosmic twist of fate, Justin's choices send him crashing into the path of determined optimist Rose Yin. Justin and Rose live in the same town and attend the same school, but have never met - because Rose lives in 1985.  Justin won't be born for another 20 years.  And his grandparents are still alive - for now.  In a series of events that reverberate through multiple lifetimes, Justin and Rose have a week to get Justin unstuck in time and put each of them in control of trier futures - by solving a murder that hasn't even happened yet.  

Meh.  Free read from Amazon

Stars: 2 

Book: Girl Who Was Taken

 Book: Girl Who Was Taken

Author: Charlie Donlea

Pages: 352

This is my 250th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina.  When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search.  No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods.  A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity.  It's a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing.  Nicole's older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, epects that one day soon Nicole's body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate.  Instead, the first clue to Nicole's disappearnace comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue - that of a young man connect to Nicole's past.  Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the 2 were taken.  Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected.  But Megan knows more than she reveals in her blockbuster book.  Flashes of meory are coming togeher, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chiling memori describes.  And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you've been looking for.

This was an interesting enough book. I listened to it and it kept me entertained during long drives and yard work.  I did not see the ending coming - I will give it that.  I did feel like the killer was a bit of a "what?" reaction for me-  nothing that really lead me to believe that was where this was going anywhere in this book.  

Stars: 3.5