Book: Finding Christmas

 Book: Finding Christmas

Author: Karen Schaler

Pages: 384

This is my 235th read for the year

What Amazon says:

This year, she can't wait to share her favorite Christmas traditions with her boyfriend, Grant.  She thinks he's "the one".  So when Grant's hectic work schedule has him more "Bah Humbug" than "Ho Ho Ho" Emmie creates a holiday-themed scavenger hunt to help him find his Christmas spirit.  At the end of the journey, Grant will arrive at the charmingtown of Christmas Point where she's planned a remoantic weekend filled with holiday activities.  But Emmie's plan backfires when a mix-up has the wrong guy following her clues.  Sam, a best-selling mystery writer, thinks Emmie's clever Christmas riddles are from his agent, who is trying to help him get over his writer's block.  When he arrives at Christmas Point and finds Emmie, he immediately feels she's someone special, but she cannot see beyond the fact that the wrong guy showed up.  When Grant finally shows up, Emmie is disappointed to discover he's not enjoying the activities she planned and can't help but wonder if he is really the one for her.  She also cannot get Sam out of her mind.

No one who knows me will be surprised that I thought this book was bad.  Why did I read it?  For a Holiday challenge I am doing for a friend.  I tried to find something for this last category, but gave up and decided to suck it up for a rom/com Hallmark channel type book.  But this one was just poorly written.  Of course you know what is going to happen right from the beginning - that is expected and not the problem.  The problem was the juvenile story.  Emmie is a dumb character.  And extremely whiny.  They make Grant out to be horrible because he has to work so much and doesn't love Christmas to the impossible level Emmie does.  The over use of the word Christmas and Perfect was astonishing.  I think either word was in every other sentence.  There was so much laughing at the dumbest stuff.  I don't know - just overall bad.

Stars: 2

Book: You Better Watch Out

 Book: You Better Watch Out

Author: James Murray

Pages: 240

This is my 234th read for the year

Amazon says:

48 hours until Christmas, Jessica Kane wakes up with blurred vision, ears ringing, and in excruciating pain.  A gash in her head and blood running down her face, the last thing she remembers is goingfor a run and something or someone hitting her in the head.  It doesn't take her long to realize she is trapped in an unknown, deserted town with five other stragers who share similar stories of being attacked and stranded there.  unsure why and how they got there, she knows one thing for certain, she has to find a way out.  That becomes nearly impossible when someone is meticulously orchestrating their deaths, one by one, and the only thing Jessica can do is watch the life leave their eyes.  The fenced-in town is the killer's very own playground and there's nowhere life to hide.

This book was fine.  I read it for a holiday challenge and it fit the category.  It is a short book and I finished it pretty quickly.  Easy read.  I have to admit I didn't see the killer coming for quite a while, so that was a plus.  There is a lot of gore - doesn't bother me.  The ending was just okay.  They left it on a bit of a cliff hanger, so maybe there is going to be a second one?  Who knows.

Stars: 3

Book: Letters from Father Christmas

 Book: Letters From Father Christmas

Author: JRR Tolkien

Pages: 208

This is my 233rd read for the year

What Amazon says:

Ever December, an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for JRR Tolkien's children.  Inside would be a letter in strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or some sketches.  The letters were from Father Christmas.  They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how all the reindeer got loos and scattered presents all over the place; how the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas's house into the dining room; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back gardn.  Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and something Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humor to the stories. 

This was a great children's book!  It is well written, of course (I would expect nothing less), and the artwork he drew for his children was amazing.  What a wonderful treasure for his children as they grew up.  These letters and pictures were kept and then made into this book after his death be his family and his foundation.  Glad I found this one.

Stars: 5

The Knowledge Gap

 Book: The Knowlege Gap

Author: Natalie Wexler

Pages: 352

This is my 232nd read for the year

What Amazon says:

It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comesto providing every child with a quality education.  The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilites, lack of accountability.  It was something no one was taking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge.  Welxer brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system.  It follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed.  

This was an interesting book.  I learned a lot from Natalie's research and talking with teachers who are in the classrooms of these elementary schools everyday.  How high schools are seeing widening gaps because the problem lies in the younger kids and the way they are learning.  I did find the content a little dry though.  It didn't hold my attention as well as I was hoping. Also I wish she would have broaden her reach as far as who she met with and talked to.  This is a vast country with vastly different education systems and it would have been nice to see a bigger picture.

Stars: 3.5

Book: In The Company of Witches

 Book: In The Company of Witches

Author: Auralee Wallace

Pages: 336

This is the 231st read for the year

What Amazon says:

For 400 years, the Warren witches have used their magic to quietly help the citizens of the sleepy New England town of Evenfall thrive.  There's never been a problem they couldn't handle.  But then Constance Graves - a local known for being argumentative and demanding - dies while staying at the bed and breakfast Brynn Warren maintains with her aunts.  At first, it seems like an accident....but it soon becomes clear that there's something more sinister at work, and Aunt Nora is shaping up to be the prime suspect.  There's nothing Brynn wants more than to prove Nora's innocence, and it hurts her to know that even two years ago that might have been easier.  Brynn, after all, is a witch of the dea - a witch who can commune with ghosts.  Ghosts never remember much about their deaths, but Constance might remember something about her life that would help crack the case.  But Bryn hasn't used her powers since her husband died, and isn't even sure she still can.  Brynn will just have to hope that her aunts magic and her own investigative skills will lead her to answers - and maybe back to the gift she once thought herself ready to give up forever.

This was a pretty good book.  I listened to it, and it is narrated well.  The story is easy to follow and the characters likeable (the ones that are supposed to be likeable).  It is a cozy mystery where the mystery was good and kept you guessing on where it was going.  Good side characters.  Could picture the town and its people.  The main character, Brynn, is loveable.  Good ending.

Stars: 4

Book: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

 Book: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

Author: Benjamin Stevenson

Pages: 192

This is my 230th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

My name's Ernest Cunningham.  I used to be a fan of freading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones.  I'd hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays.  I was wrong.  So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered.  My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.  The magician, the assistant, the executive, the hypnotist, the identical twin, the counselor, the tech.  My clues are even more abstract: a suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there.  A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens.  And an advent calendar.  Because, you know, it's Christmas.  It I can see through the illusions, i know I can solve it.  After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn't it?

This was a good book.  This is the third installment in the Ernest Cunningham series, and it did not disappoint.  I liked the characters, and even though it was a quick read, there was a lot of content in those pages.  The mystery is well developed.  I did figure it out pretty early on who it was, but it didn't take away from the story.  These books are humorous, and I like the writting style - that Ernest is the writer of this book and he is telling us the story of the murder.  Very clever.  

Stars: 4.5

Book: The Chritmas Tree

 Book: The Christmas Tree

Author: Julie Salamon

Pages: 134

This is my 229th read for the year

What Amazon says:

On his annual search for Rockefeller Center's next Christmas tree, the chief gardener spots an ideal candidate: a stately Norway spruce located on the grounds of a convent.  There he meets Sister Anthony, a nun for whom the tree has special meaning.  Orphaned and sent to the convent as a lonely young girl, Sister Anthony befriended the then tiny spruce whom she lovingly named "Tree".  Over the following decades, as the tree grew, so did Sister Anthony's appreciation for the beauty and wonder of nature.  She is reluctant to see her oldest and closest friend chopped down and sent to NYC.  But when a fierce blizard threatens the old tree's existence, Sister Anthony realizes it's time to let the world enjoy Tree as she did for nearly her whole life.

This was a great little book.  It is very short and an easy read - read it in a few hours - but I am glad I did.  I liked the story and the message, and it was a good choice for the holiday season.

Stars: 4

Book: A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching A Killer

 Book: A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer

Author: Maxie Dara

Pages: 352

This is my 228th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Murder is not her department.  It's not like it used to be.  Modern-day grim-reapers wear business casual, not black cloaks, and they don't carry scythes, they work for S.C.Y.T.H.E. (secure collection, yielding, and transportation of human essences), where the Department of Natural Causes is the least exciting gig.  And that's how Kathy Valence likes it: Boring and predictable.  She has enough stress in her personal life; she's mid-divorce, pregnant, and terrified she doesn't have what it takes to be a good mom.  Then she goes to pick up a new client and finds his soul is missing.  When she finally tracks down Conner Ortiz, he angrily insists he was murdered, and he refuses to move on until Kathy finds out why and by whom.  Kathy only has 45 days to solve the mystery before the boy's soul is doomed to raom te earth as a ghost forever.  To do that she'll have to call on the help of her retired mentor, her almost ex-husband - and invonveniently, Conner himself.  This is the wildest case of her career - and on wrong move could cost Kathy her job, not to mention her life.

This was an interesting book.  The characters are pretty well developed - I really liked Kathy's ex-husband.  Conner took some getting used to.  He is written with a really foul mouth, but he eventually tapers off, and then got to be a much better character.  Kathy was a good character - but I didn't like her as much as I wanted to.  The way she treated her ex-husband never really made sense - he was written as the nicest guy.  But she was quirky and fun on many occasions which redeemed her some.  I liked the ending. It is a bit of a cozy mystery and I am glad I read this one.

Stars: 4

Book: Krampus

Book: Krampus

Author: Brom

Pages: 368

This is my 227th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Set in Appalachia, this is a twisted fairytale about a failed West Virginia songwriter who gets ensnared on Christmas Eve in an eternal war between anot-so-saintly Saint Nick and his dark enemy Krampus, an ancient trickster demon.  Krampus has been imprisoned by Saint Nick for 500 years and Saint Nick stole his magical sack.  Jesse, the songwriter, finds the sack and upon discovering what it does leads him on a path he never expected to try and save his ex-wife and daughter from some bad people.

This was a pretty good book.  I liked the inclusion of a bit of Norse Mythology along with the story of Krampus.  It is well written and the characters were well developed.  Most of the story was about Jesse and trying to get his wife and daughter back with the battle of Krampus and Saint Nick as a second story.  I liked how it ended - thought it wrapped up well.

check this one out.

Stars: 4

 

Book: The Night watchman

 Book: The Night Watchman

Author: Louise Erdrich

Pages: 464

This is my 226th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota.  He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new "emancipation" bill on its way to the floor of the US Congress.  It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn't about reedom; Congress is fed up with Indians.  The bill is a "termination" that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity.  How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans "for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run"? Since graduatin high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice.  Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to hear herself down with a husband and kids.  She makes jewel bearing at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to suppoer her mother and brother.  Patrice's shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terroize his wife and childre.  But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to Minneapolis.  Very may have disappeared, and is rumored to have had a baby.  Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.  Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice's best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, a white high school math teacher who is in love with Patrice.  

This book is hard to review.  Overall I think the story was good.  But it takes a lot of concentration to follow this book.  It is all over the place as far as tying all of these characters and stories together.  I am not sure why the author just didn't tell the story of Thomas - who is based on her own grandfather.  There are a zillion characters.  A lot of minor characters have storylines.  Lots of rambling and loss of relevance made it just not an overall enjoyable read for me.  Trying to piece out what she was talking about took too much work.

Stars: 3

Book: Sheltering Rain

 Book: Sheltering Rain

Author: Jojo Moyes

Pages: 450

This is my 225th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Estranged from her mother since she ran away from her rural Irish home as a young woman, Kate swore a future oath that she'd always be a friend to her daughter, Sabine.  But history has a way or repeating itself, and Kate now faces an ever-widening chasm between herself and her daughter.  With Sabine about to make her own journey to Ireland to see the grandmother Kate abandoned, Kate is left wondering how they ever made it here, and what she can do to close the gap between them.  For Joy, seeing her granddaughter is a dream come true.  After the painful separation from Kate, she's looking forward to having time wiht Sabine.  Yet almost as soon as the young woman arrives, the lack of common ground between them deflates her enthusiasm.  And when SAbine's impetuous, inquisitive nature forces Joy to face long-buried secrets from her past, she realizes that perhaps it's time to finally heal old wounds.

This was not a good book.  I think I read that this was her first one, or one of her first, so I will give it a pass if that is the case.  I did not like any of the characters.  The three main women characters were the worst.  It isn't well written, and it was so up and down with love/hate that I just lost interest.  In the end I didn't care what happened to them and good thing because the ending wasn't good either.

Stars: 2

Book: We Are The Brennans

 Book: We Are The Brennans

Author: Tracey Lange

Pages: 288

This is my 224th read for the year

What Amazon says:

When 29 year old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in NY.  But it's not easy.  She deserted them all - and her high school sweetheart - five years before with little explanation, and they've got questions.  Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiance.  The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them.  When a dangerous man from her past brings her family's pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets - secrets that have damaged the family for generations and will threaten everything they know about their lives.  In the aftermath, the Brennan family is forced to confront painful mistakes - and ultimately find a way forward, together.

This book was okay.  The characters are fine - I really didn't like Sunday.  The story is a build toward a big secret she has, and in the end, they set it up to be much bigger than it was.  Don't get me wrong- it was terrible.  But it wasn't what I was expecting.  I also didn't like the ending.

Stars: 3

Book: Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark

 Book: Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark

Author: Alvin Schwartz

Pages: 368

This is my 223rd read for the year

This is a collection of short stories for grades 3-7.  The stories are short and of course, not scary for an adult, but I enjoyed the book all the same.  I heard a few that I heard as a child myself which was neat.  I read it for a reading challenge, and it was a quick read that I read in an afternoon.

Stars: 4

The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel

 The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel

Author: Jasper Fforde

Pages: 400

This is my 222nd read for the year

Amazon says:

Meet Thursday Next, "part Bridget Jones, part Nancy Drew, and part Dirty Harry", a literary detective without equal, fear, or boyfriend - and welcome to a surreal version of Great Britain, circa 1985, where time travel is routine, cloning is a reality, and literature is taken very, very seriously.  England is a virtual polic state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wadsworth poem, militant Baconians heckle performances of Hamlet, and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense.  All this is business as usual for Thursday, renowned Special Operative in literary detection, until someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature.  When Jane Eyre is plucked from the pages of Bronte's novel, Thursday must track down the villain and enter a novel herself to avert a heinous act of literary homicide.

This was a very intersting book.  It is not an easy read.  If you can buckle down and focus, it is a fun book.  There is humor in between the chase with a lot of funny named characters (Thursday Next is our main character) thrown in the mix.  This is a world where a criminal master mind that hold a world hostage through literature.  It is a very interesting read and while I don't think I will be continuing the series at this time due to the task it is to read it, I am glad I tried this one.

Stars: 4

Book: Revival

 Book: Revival

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 416

This is my 221st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers.  Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister.  Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church.  The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs - including Jamie's mother and beloed sister, Claire.  With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession.  When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and us banished from the shocked town.  Jamie has demons of his own.  Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock an roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss.  In his mid-thirties - addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate - Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with proound consequences for both men.  Thier  bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie dscovers that rivival has many meanings.

This book was okay.  I had a really hard time getting into it and staying interested in where the story was going.  It felt disconncted and it rambled.  It has a slow and steady start but the climax and ending fell flat for me.  The whole build up of the book was less than 20 pages in the end and I was left wanting more.

Stars: 2.5

Book: Zero Repeat Forever

 Book: Zero Repeat Forever

Author: GS Prendergast

Pages: 496

This is my 220th read for the year

Amazon says:

He has no voice or name, only a rank, Eighth.  He doesn't know the details of the mission, only the directives that hum in his mind.  Dart the humans.  Leave them where they fall.  His job is to protect his OFfside.  Let her do the shooting.  Until a human kills her.  Sixteen year old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored Nahx invade.  Isolated in the wilderness, RAven and her fellow campuers can only stay put.  Await rescue.  Raven doesn't like feeling helpless, but what choice does she have?  Then a Nahx kills her boyfriend.  Thrown together in a violent, unfamiliar world, Eighth and Raven should feel only hate and fear.  But when Raven is injured, and Eighth deserts his unit, their survival comes to depend on trusting each other.

This was a pretty good book.  I found it on a search for a book challenge, and was pleasantly surprised with the story.  It is dystopian, so it gets extra points for that being my favorite genre.  But overall the writing was decent.  I liked Eighth a lot.  Raven?  Not so much.  Her charcater was all over the place.  I have a few teenagers and know their can be wild swings of emotion, but this seemed to be written to the extreme.  However - I did start to figure out where the story was going, but wasn't quite sure.  The author wasn't keeping the reader in the dark - it was slowly burning to a big reveal.  Which SORT of came at the end, but I think will be clarified in the second book.  I think I will check it out to see where it goes.

Stars: 3.5

Book: Crossroads

 Book: Crossroads

Author: Laurel Hightower

Pages: 124

This is my 219th read for the year

Amazon says:

How far would you go to bring back someone you love?  When Chris's son dies in a tragic car crash, her world is devastated.  The walls of grief close in on Chris's life until, one day, a small cut on her finger chages everything.  A drop of blood falls from Chris's hand onto her son's roadside memorial and later that night, Chris thinks she sees his ghost outside her window.  Only, it is really her son's ghost, or is it something else - something evil?  Soon Chris is playing a dangerous game with forces beyond her control in a bid to see her son, Trey, alive once again.

This was a strange book.  It is very short and I finished it in one day, but I didn't love it.  It is repetative.  I like the idea of the story - a mom so grieving her son that when she thinks she has a chance to bring him back she will do anything.  But it was a mix of grief and a bit of horror, but it didn't do either well.  Characters were just so so.  The plot never developed.

Stars: 2.5

Book: You Wish

 Book: You Wish

Author: Jason Lethcoe

Pages: 224

This is my 218th read for the year

What Amazon says:

On his eleventh birthday, sad, orphaned Benjamin Bartholomew Piff accidentally adheres to all of the wishing rules, and, in wishing for the mother lode of limitless shes, he unknowingly sets into a motion a chain of events that threatens to disrupt the balance between the magical realm of wishes and curses.  Before long, Benjamin has been recruited by the Wishworks Factory director himself to fight the evil henchmen of the Curseworks Factory.  In the process, Benjamin will reclaim his original wish, giving new credence to the old adage: Be careful what you wish for.

This was a cute book.  I read it for a reading challenge, and feel like these books probably crossed my path when the kids were younger and I have forgotten.  It is a quick read and definitely for the younger crowd, but still well written.  Good development of characters and a good ending.  I think there are more books as the ending lead me to believe.

Stars: 4

Book Garlic and Sapphires

 Book: Garlic and Sapphires

Author: Ruth Reichi

Pages: 352

This is myi 217th read for the year

Amazon says:

Ruth Reichl, world-renowned food critic and former editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, knows a thing or two about food.  She also knows that as the most important food critic in the country, you need to be anonymous when reviewing some of the most high-profile establishments in the biggest restaurant town in the world.  A charge she took very seriously, taking on the guise of a series of eccentric personalities.  She reveals the comic absurdity, artifice and excellence to be found in the sumptuously appointed stages of the epicurean world - along with her favorite recipes and reviews.

This book was okay.  I liked the idea of her dressing up as various people to disguise herself at these establishments.  She had been warned that her face was posted at a lot of the elite NY restaurants and knew she was not going to be able to get the full effect and true dining experience of a restaurant if she went as herself.  Her orginal plan was to write two reviews.  One as herself - where she knows she would catered to and one as a disguise persona.  But that was vetoed so she wrote just as the persona.  The side of this book that drug for me was the over explaining in each chapter about the character she was going to portray - setting it up, shopping, getting into character - it was too much.  Also Ruth didn't seem to like anyone.  She had really nothing nice to say about the staff, the food, the other people she encountered.  She seems like someone who is very hard to please even in her everday life.  It got to be a bit much.

Stars: 3

Book: Eyes of the Dragon

 Book: Eyes of the Dragon

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 320

This is my 216th read for the year

This is the story of the kingdom of Delain.  Peter and his brother Thomas grew up without their mother and with a distant father.  When their father dies under mysterious circumstances, Peter is accused of his murder, thrown into jail and his brother crowned King.  Over the next 4 years Peter plans his escape and how to prove he didn't kill his father.

This was a pretty good book.  3/4 of it was well written and the story flowed nicely.  There was good character development.  The last 1/4 of the book drug some.  It seemed to take forever to get through the rescue of Peter - I think that part of the book could have been shortened.  Overall a good story.

Stars: 4

Book: We Have Always Lived In A Castle

 Book: We Have Always Lived In A Castle

Author: Shirley Jackson

Pages: 146

This is my 215th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Since the mysterious death their family, the superstitious Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, her ailing wheelchair-bound uncle, Julian, and agoraphobic sister Constance have lived in a contented state of isolation, secluding themselves from the taunting villagers.  But when cousin Charles arrives in search of the Blackwood fortune, a terrible family secret is revealed.  

This was an okay book.  Not as good as I was hoping.  I read if for a reading challenge.  It was short and uncomplicated and I finished it in a few hours.  Started out okay - but then got sluggish.  It is slow moving with no real buildup - just a lot of bullying.  Ending was disappointing.

Stars: 3

Book: Three Sisters

 Book: Three Sisters

Author: Heather Morris

Pages: 402

This is the 214th read for the year

Amazon says:

Against all odds, three Solvakian sisters have survived years of imprisonment in the most notorious death camp in Nazi Germany: Auschwitz.  Livia, Magda, and Cibi have clung together, nearly died from starvation and overwork, and the brutal whims of the guards in this place of horror.  But now, the allies are closing in and the sisters have one last hurdle to face: the death march from Auschwitz, as the Nazis try to erase any evidence of the prisoners held there.  Due to a last minute stroke of luck, the three of them are able to escape formation and hide in the woods for days before being rescued.  And this is where the story begins.  From there, the three sisters travel to Israel, to their new ome, but the battle for freedom takes on new forms.  Livia, Magda, and Cibi must face the ghosts of their past - and some secrets that they have kept from each other - to find true peace and happiness.

This book was okay.  I really liked her other two books, so I had high hopes for this one.  The first half of the book was good.  It is detailed and hard to read about their time in the camps.  The second half fell flat for me.  It jumps ahead so quickly - marriages, babies, moving.....just seemed almost unrealistic.  It was like she told what she wanted to tell in the first half and then pieced together the second to make the book longer.  It became a chore to finish it.  I lost all interest in what was happening to the sisters by the end of the book and was just glad to be done with it.  It is based on a true story, but how much?  Not sure.

Stars: 3.

Book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

 Book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Author: Barbara Kingsolver

Pages: 432

This is my 213th read for the year

Amazon says:

America has long been a nation of farmers.  But within the past several decades, our food supply has become dependent on transportation that burns fossil fuels and on increasingly fewer varieties of vegetables and animals.  In a single generation, most Americans have lost their knowledge of agriculture and the natral processes that are a part of our food chain.  But while food is cheap, we pay for it in other ways, including shorter life spans for our children, argues Barbara Kingsolver.  Determined to integrate their food choices with their family values, Kingsolver and her family moved from suburban Arizon to a rural Appalachia, and embarked on an adventure of realigning their lives with the food chain.  Part memoir, part journalistic invetigation, it follows the family through the first year of their experiment.  They learn from other committed citizens who are trying to turn the tide in their communities, from organic farmers to members of the Slow Food movemnt who are doing their best to protect our foods against extinction and return us to a way of life that is better for our health, our wallets, and our environment.

This book was excellent.  Barbara Kingsolver is a gifter writer, and her non-fiction books are no exception.  I really enjoyed this look into her personal life and her personal quest to eat better, better the environment, and truly stick to her purpose - to eat only what she could get locally.  The book will make you hungry and you will want to run out and buy seeds and start your own movement after you hear her passion.  The whole family was on board - even her youngest.

I am so glad I found this book.  I read if for a reading challenge, and it did not disappoint.  I could not put it down.

Stars: 5

Book: The Cabin In The Woods

 Book: The Cabin In The Woods

Author: Sarah Alderson

Pages: 400

This is my 212th read for the year

Amazon Says:

In a cabine in a wood, A woman by the window stood.  Glancing out, she thought she heard.  Footsteps, whistling, somethig stirred.  Hiding here, she fears the night, for what's done in the dark will come to light.

This was a pretty good book.  Better than I expected it to be.  There were a few twists in there I didn't see coming, and that kept the story moving along at a good pace.  I listened to this one, and I consider it a great audiobook.  Characters were developed nicely.  The people that helped Rose when she was in the cabine were some of the best characters.  The ending was okay - I would have liked a bit better.  Writing was overall good.  Glad I read this one and I might try a few of her other books.

Stars: 4  

Book: The Wild Robot

 Book: The Wild Robot

Author: Peter Brown

Pages: 320

This is my 211th book for the year

Amazon says:

Can a robot survive in the wilderness?  When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island.  She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is - but she knows she needs to survive.  After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants.  As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home - until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.  

This was a cute book.  We had recently see the movie and it was quite the tear jerker.  I was curious about the books.  This is again a young to middle grade book, and written for that age group.  Writing is still pretty good.  In this case I need to say that the movie was better.  I liked the story of Roz and the Gossling Brightbill in the movie much better than in the book.  And Roz was much more of a hero in the movie.  Overall - glad I read it.

Stars: 4

Book: Cirque Du Freak - Allies of the Night

 Book: Cirque Du Freak

Author: Darren Shan

Pages: 196

This is my 210th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Darren Shan, Vampire Prince and Vampaneze killer, faces his worst nightmare yet - school.  But homework is the least of Darren's problems.  Bodies are piling up.  Time is running out.  And the past is catching up with the hunters fast.

Why didn't I start with the first book do you ask?  Well this one fit a challenge, and honestly - because it is a middle grade book - it made little difference.  This book was fine.  It is a quick read with a thin plot as you would imagine for this age group.  It has some twists and turns and a little love story thrown in.  Not much else to say.

Stars: 3

Book: The Baker's Secret

 Book: The Baker's Secret

Author: Stephen Kiernan

Pages: 336

This is my 209th read for the year

Amazon says:

On June 5th, 1944, as dawn rises over a small town on the Normandy coast of France, Emmanuelle is making the bread that has sustained her fellow villagers in the dark days since the Germans invaded her country.  Only 22, Emma learned to bake at the side of a master, Ezra Kuchen, the village baker since before she was born.  Apprenticed to Ezra at 13, Emma watched with shame and anger as her kind mentor was forced to wear the siz-pointed yellow star on his clothing.  She was liekwise powerless to help when they pulled Ezra from his shop at gunpoint, the first of many villagers stolen away and never seen again.  In the years that her sleepy coastal village has suffered under the enemy, Emma has silently, stealthily fought back.  Each day, she receives an extra ration of flour to bake a dozen baguettes for the occupying troops.  And each day, she mixes that pcious flour with ground straw to creat enough dogu for 2 extra loaves - contraband bread she shares with the hungry villagers.  Under the cold, watchful eyes of armed soldiers, she builds a clandestine network of barter and trade that she and the villagers use to thwart their occupiers.  

This book was fine.  I read it for a reading challenge where the main character is a baker.  She is, but this book is more about WWII and Germany's invasion of France.  I was hoping it was going to be more than just another WWII book, but it really wasn't.  The writing was choppy.  And there wasn't a lot of character developement.

Stars: 3

Book: The Comfort Book

 Book: The Comfort Book

Author: Matt Haig

Pages: 272

This is my 208th read for the year

This is a collection that Matt Haig put together for his future self when he was going through a deep depression.  A book on hope, it is a reminder for us all that things are not always as bad as they seem.  This is an easy read - I finished in in an afternoon - with a lot of encouraging antecdotes and short paragraphs to encourage and inspire you.

For me - this book was a good one to read with what is currently going on in our current political climate.  If you are feeling a little out of your depth, worried about what is to come, you should check out this book.  I was glad I read it.  Excellent read.

Stars: 5

Book: The Book of Doors

 Book: The Book of Doors

Author: Gareth Brown

Pages: 416

This is my 207th read for the year

Amazon says: (sorry I am super lazy lately - busy and reading a ton)

Cassie Andrews works in a NYC bookship, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life.  Until the day one of her favorite customers - a lonely yet charming old man - dies right in front of her.  Cassie is devastated.  She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by.  Nothingbu the last book he was reading.  The Book of Doors.  Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawing, it promises CAssie that any door is every door.  You just need to know how to open them.  Then she's approached by a gaunt stranger in a rumpled black suit with a Scottish brogue who calls himself Drummond Fox.  He's a librarian who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes.  The tome now in Cassie's possession is not the only book with great power, but it is the one most coveted by those who collect them.  Now Cassie is being hunted by those few who know of the Special Books.  With only her roomate Izzy to confide in, she has to decide if she will help the mysterious and haunted Drummond protect the Book of Doors - and the other books in his secret library's care - from those who will do evil.   Because only Drummon knows where the unique library is and only Cassie's book can get them there.  But there are those willing to kill to obtain those secrets.  And a dark force - in the form of a shadowy, sadistic woman - is at the very top of that list.

Great book.  Well written with good character development.  It is a neat concept - books that all do different magical things for the person who possesses them.  I knocked it a star because I think the evil characters were overdone - just too horrible.  Overall an interesting story full of mystery and fantasy.

Stars: 4

Book: Notes On An Execution

 Book: Notes on An Execution

Author: Danya Kukafka

Pages: 336

This is my 206th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours.  He knows what he's done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago.  But Answel doesn't want to die.  He wants to be celebrated, understood.  Through a kaleidoscope of women - a mother, a sister, a homicide detective - we learn the story of Answel's life.  We meet his mother, Lavender, a 17 year old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Answel's wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister's relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly.  As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake.

This was an okay book.  I enjoyed the timeline and view points of vaious characters  that were all tied to Ansel.  I liked that the focus wasn't solely on the serial killer, but his victims.  The problem was that the characters were just so-so.  And the writing was average.

Stars: 3

Book: Dark Corners

 Book: Dark Corners

Author: Megan Goldin

Pages: 352

This is my 205th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Terenc Baily is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women.  As his release date approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a youn influencer with a huge social media follwoing.  Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she's been kidnapped or worse.  When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel Krall's help in finding the missing influencer.  Maddison seems to only exist on social media - she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her.  Using a fake Instagram account, RAchel goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.  When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tall - identical to a tattoo Rachel had seen on Bailey's hand - the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, incluing Racehl Krall herself.  Suddenly the target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

This was a pretty good book.  I read the first Rachel Krall book (The Night Swim) and enjoyed it as well.  I listened to this book and honestly I felt that helped because these are books about a podcaster.  She weaves her podcast episodes into the story, so audiobook works well for that story line.  I like the Rachel character - she doesn't do anything overly stupid.  I liked most of the characters in this book (main characters) and there is even a little love story happening in this one.  Written well with a satisfying ending, I am glad I read this one.

Stars: 4

Book: Everything's Eventual

 Book: Everything's Eventual

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 464

This is my 204th read for the year

This is a book of short stories.  And it was okay.  I liked a few of the stories, but not even half I would say.  They were not scary.  Some just....ended.  Quite a few were well written and interesting - but not scary.  Odd?  yes.  Even being a fan of his writing I just could not get into this one.  I have read quite a few of his short story books, but this one I would rate at the bottom of the ones I have tackled so far.

Stars: 3

Book: The Days I Loved You Most

 Book: The Days I Loved You Most

Author: Amy Neff

Pages: 336

This is my 203rd read for the year

This is the story of Evelyn and Joseph.  They fell in love in the 40s and have been married ever since.  3 kids and several grandkids later, Evelyn has been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease and decided she wanted to leave this life on her terms.  And Joseph wants to go with her.  When they tell their family that this is their last year, the family explodes with confusing and anger.  But Evelyn and Joseph are determined to make this a great year to leave their family with many good memories.  

This was an okay book.  I read it for a reading challenge, and was hoping for a better love story.  The story goes back and forth between Evelyn and Joseph's past and their present and intermingles their kid's feelings with a few chapters as well.  But it fell flat for me.  The writing was okay.  I really didn't like Evelyn at all.  The others were just okay.  Joseph was the only one that really didn't seem self absorbed.  I did not like the ending, but should have seen it coming.

Stars: 3

Book: Unnatural Causes

 Book: Unnatural Causes

Author: Richard Shepherd

Pages: 391

This is my 202nd book for the year

This is the story of the author as a Forensic Pathologist.  He uses this book to recount his time from the beginning of his career until present day (for this book when it was published in 2019).  He is a pathologist in the UK.  He recounts stories of crime scenes, bodies in the morgue and his defense in the courtroom of the cases he was in charge of.  Driven by finding the truth, and becoming a top expert in his field, he strives to bring justice to people who were killed or died under circumstances that were not clear.

This was a great book.  It is well written and I became very invested in the stories he was telling of certain cases where the cause of death was not clear.  He was even on a team sent over from Britain for 9/11 and was called in to review the case of Princess Diana.  He weaves his personal life into the story and how he learned to separate his work from his home life.  I learned a lot about forensic pathology and I thought he did a good job of keeping the story for the general writer and did not get overly technical when talking about his work.  He remained honest and self aware throughout.  Glad I read this one.

Stars: 4.5

Book: Black Coal and Red Bandanas - West Virginia Mine Wars

 Book: Black Coal and Red Bandanas - West Virginia Mine Wars

Author: Raymond Tyler

Pages: 136

This is my 201st read for the year

Amazon says:

Our illustrated history begins with Mary Harris "Mother" Jone's arrival at the turn of the century.  White-haired, matronly, and fiercely socialist, Jones became known as the "miners' angel", and helped turn the fledglind United Mine Workers into the nation's most powerful labor union.  In 1912, miners led by stubborn Frank Keeney struck against harsh conditions in the work camps of Paint and Cabin Creeks.  Coal operators responded by elisting violent Baldwin-Felts guards.  The ensuing battles and murderous events caused the governor to declare and execute martial law on a scale unprecedented in the US.  On May 19, 1920 in response to evictions by coal company agents, the "Matewan Massacre" event occured.  This graphic interpretation of people's history features unforgettable main characters while also displaying the diverse rank nd file workers who stood in solidarity during this struggle.

This was a good graphic novel.  It is short, but it covers a lot of material and does it well.  I did not know anything about this story, and learned a lot about the unions that were formed for mine workers and the cost.  My husband got it for me as a present knowing I am a fan of non-fiction and graphic novels, and it was a good one.

Stars: 4