Book: The Oracle Year

 Book: The Oracle Year

Author: Charles Soule

Pages: 428

This is my 108th read for the year

This is the story of Will Dando.  He awakens one morning from a dream filled with 108 predictions about the future and starts to write them down.  As they start to come true, he becomes the most powerful person in the world.  Heads of countries and states start to pay him extremely large sums of money for information that he won't share with anyone else.  At the same time - he is also making a lot of enemies especially among religious heads.  Will releases the predictions slowly on something called "The Site" and he receives millions of emails asking for him to predict things for the general public - all which he ignores.  No one really knows who he is - except those closes to him - and he becomes known as "The Oracle".  As a manhunt for Will ensues he goes on the run to figure out when he should release the last of the predictions and how.  Knowing that the future of the world rests on his shoulders, he needs to do it fast.

This was an okay book.  I listened to it and it kept me entertained during a very long drive.  There is a lot of tension and drama.  It was an easy read (listen) for the most part.  I didn't really love the characters.  They were fine.  Kept the plot moving forward.  But nothing great.  I liked the first half of the book a lot better than the second half.  The ending fell a little flat.  

Stars: 3.5

Book: Migration

 Book: Migration

Author: Charlotte Mcconaghy

Pages: 288

This is my 107th read for the year

This is the story of Franny Stone.  She has never been able to sit still - even since she was little.  As a young girl, her mother was the same and one day she was gone and Franny was in the custody of her grandmother.  As an adult she meets a man, falls in love and gets married.  But soon her wandering gets the best of her and she comes and goes sometimes without even a word.  Her first love is birds, and one day she packs up and heads for Greenland to follow the last Artic terns who are making a flight to Antartica.  During her travels, the truth of her trip and her past come to light and the crew who ferry her become her closest protectors even putting themselves in danger.  As Frannie chases redemption, she wonders if she will ever be able to stop wandering.

This was an okay book.  I wanted to like it very badly.  I liked the idea - a woman and a boat full of fisherman chasing fish and a rare bird on a path to Antartica.  But it just fell flat.  The writing wasn't good.  I didn't like Franny at all.  She seemed ridiculous.  And these people on the boat who put their lives at risk for someone they didn't know and the amount of trouble she caused for them seemed unlikely.  The "twist" about Franny wasn't a surprise - you can figure that out almost from the begining.

Stars: 2.5

Book: What Lies In The Woods

 Book: What Lies In The Woods

Author: Kate Alice Marshall

Pages: 336

This is my 106th read for the year

This is the story of Naomi.  When she was a little girl, she and her two friends, Cassidy and Olivia, were in the woods playing a game when Naomi was almost killed.  She has very little memory of that day, but a serial killer in the area is whom the police think is responsible, so Naomi helps put him in jail for good.  22 years later, Naomi is approached by a podcaster to tell the story of what really happened all those years ago.  Naomi and her friends didn't tell the whole truth when they were kids and have always kept the secret.  When Olivia wants to tell, it sets Naomi on a path to discover the truth from all those years ago and who really attacked her that day in the woods.

This was an okay book.  After I listened to it, I realized it was by the same author of the "No One Can Know" book.  I might have skipped it if I had paid more attention.  I listened to it and it was read by a person who seems to read a ton of audio books I stumble upon and I hate her voice.  She whisper reads and only has one voice for every guy she acts out, and I don't care for it.  I should look before I listen to audio books in the future.  I think that decreased my like for this book, but the overall plot wasn't very interesting either.  It was fine.  I had two "sort of" surprises, but not huge ones.  It ends satisfyingly, which gave it another half a star.

Stars: 3

Book: No One Can Know

 Book: No One Can Know

Author: Kate Alice Marshall

Pages: 329

This is my 105th read for the year

This is the story of Emma.  When she and her two sisters, Daphane and Juliette, discovered their parents had been murdered.  Emma was a prime suspect but could never be found guilty.  14 years she has been gone from their family home in Arden Hills never to return.  However - when Emma finds out she is pregnant and her husband loses his job, he convinces her to return to her parents home which stands empty.  Emma's return to her home down is brining up too many things from her past and when both of her sisters re-enter her lives, and tragedy strikes yet again, it is up to Emma to find out exactly what happened to her parents all those years ago.

This book wasn't good.  It started out strong - the first few chapters were well written and I thought it was going to be a pretty good read.  But then the writing and the story started to go down hill with bad dialogue and terrible characters.  I stuck with it until the end, but I don't recommend it.  

Stars: 2.5

Book: IT

 Book: IT

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 1184

This is my 104th read for the year

This is the story of 7 Teenagers in Derry, Maine in 1958.  Something evil has come to their town and killed the little brother of one of them. The teenagers decide to ban together to try and rid the town of evil all while dealing with neglected parents and bullies.  In 1985, they are all asked by one of the group to return to Derry in a letter that states that It has returned and they need to come together once again to hopefully rid the town of It once and for all before more are killed.

This was an okay book. Extremely long and went on several tangents.  I think this could be about half the size if King would have stuck to one story line and not over indulged in getting into the weeds with side characters.  There are quite a few disturbing scenes (outside of horror) that I could have done without and could not really figure their place in the overall story.

Am I glad I finally read this daunting book?  Eh.

Stars: 3

Book: The Littlest Library

 Book: The Littlest Library

Author: Poppy Alexander

Pages: 336

This is my 103rd read for the year

This is the story of Jess Metcalf.  Her grandmother has just passed away and she lost her job as the librarian, so she decides it is time for a change.  She visits a small town and finds the perfect little cottage that might just fit what she was looking for.  This cottage comes with a lot of work and a gruff neighbor named Aiden, and an odd English telephone box in the front door.  Jess decides to turn the telephone box into a little library and in return, the town becomes her family.

This was a overly sweet not well written book.  This is an easy read, and I tried to enjoy it for what it was.  This is a Hallmark movie in book form.  I could picture the little cottage and her yard and her town and her little library - all positives of the story.  I didn't like the writing style.  I couldn't really connect to any of the characters or care what happened to him.  The author tried to shove a lot of little side stories into 300 pages and it just didn't work for me.

Skip

Stars: 2.5

Book: The Mask Falling

 Book: The Mask Falling

Author: Samantha Shannon

Pages: 560

This is my 102nd read for the year

The fourth installment of The Mime Order opens with Paige escaping to a hideout in Paris.  The Domino Program there has plans for Paige but she has plans of her own.  Arcturus is with her and they work with the Domino Program as well as searching the Paris Underground to escalate her rebellion.  But Paige has no idea what is coming in terms of the rebellion and her relationship with Arcturus and that will change everything.

This was a pretty good book. By far the longest one so far, and I see a lot of places where she could have cut this back a bit.  She gets a bit rambly and Paige, again, is constantly in need of medical attention.  There is too much time spent on Paige healing, coughing, resting, etc. that could have been left out in my opinion.  However - about 75% in the book - my heart is ripped out with a twist that I didn't really see coming after reading 4 of these books in a row.  I KNOW Shannon will redeem herself with the next book, but it was a blow.  This wasn't my favorite overall, but I will finish the series.

Stars: 3.5

Book: The Song Rising

 Book: The Song Rising

Author: Samantha Shannon

Pages: 384

This is my 101st read for the year

This is the third installment in the Bone Season series.  Paige is now the Underqueen and rules over all the clairvoyants in London.  Paige has a lot of people after her - including Nashira the Ranthem who will stop at nothing until she has Paige's powers.  Paige's followers have made a startling discovery.  Scion has made something called Sensheild which is deadly technology for clairvoyants.  Paige now has to make some tough decisions if she is going to save her followers.

This was a pretty good book.  Shannon is a great world builder but this one did have a bit of a slow start.  Paige has changed a bit as a character in this book and seems to be fumbling as a leader.  Although - it has to be remembered that Paige is 19 years old, so maybe Shannon did this on purpose?  She does seem a little more sickly in this book than others - lots of pages spent on her having headaches and being bone tired.  Got a bit much after awhile.  The ending did improve the book and I am anxious to see where it is heading next.

Stars: 3.5 

Book: I Never Thought Of It That Way

 Book: I Never Thought of it That Way

Author: Monica Guzman

Pages: 288

This is my 100th read for the year

This is Monica's story about learning to ask more questions.  She set out to find what is blinding Americans related to the political divide and figuring out what is the best way forward.  Ignoring the issues isn't working and hurting our relationships.  She sets out to understand and even learn from people whose world view is different than her own and then guide others to do the same.  

This was a pretty good book.  It was a little dry in places, but overall - it is well written and thoughtful.  It is divided into 4 sections of advice with the overall goal of trying to connect to those around us in meaningful ways.  We all have people in our lives with vastly different views and this book was meant to help bridge the divide.  Does it do that?  Maybe.  I found some useful information.  For me - the way I cope when I get hung up on an issue is to scroll through the "recommended friends" section of facebook.  I look at the smiling faces and remember that those people have families and friends and people who love them.  A good dose of reality.  The really big outliers are few and far between and those I will not tolerate. 

Stars: 3.5

Book: Death's End

 Book: Death's End

Author: Cixin Liu

Pages: 624

This is my 99th read for the year

This is the 3rd installment in the Three Body Problem series.  Here is what Amazon had to say (to save time)

Half a century after the Doomsday Battle, the uneasy balance of Dark Forest Deterrece keeps the Trisolaran invaders at bay.  Earth enjuoys unprecedented propserity due to the infustion of Trisolaran knowledge.  With human science advancing daily and the Trisolarans adopting Earth culture, it seems that the two civilizations will soon be able to co-exist peacefully as equals without the terrible threat of mutually assured annihilation.  But the peace has also made humanity complacement.

Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the early twenty-first century, awakens from hibernation in this new age.  She brings with her knowledge of a long-forgotten program dating from the beginning of the Trisolar Crisis, and her very presence may upset the delicate balance between two worlds.  Will humanity reach of the stars or die in its cradle?

This was probably my least favorite book of the series.  The author made this one way too long in my opinion just coming up with more and more ideas - taking us further and further into the future the point of insanity.  So much information in this one and not as much emotional attachment to particular characters.  There is a large section where the author tells three fables (more or less) that take up tons of pages that could have either been shortened or summarized.  I know why he included them but it just seems unnecessary on some level.  Too much hibernation - not enough story arc.

I am glad I finished it.  He is a talented writer, but this one lost me a bit.  I will be anxious to see the direction the TV show takes all of this.

Stars: 3.5

Book: The Big Door Prize

 Book: The Big Door Prize

Author: M.O. Walsh

Pages: 384

This is my 98th read for the year

This is the story mainly of Douglas and the residents of Deerfield, Louisiana.  A machine has shown up in town that will give users their life potential.  As residents start to use the machine, they decide that whatever the machine tells them their potential is - that is who they should be. Royalty, Cowboy, Magicians - they are following their results.  Douglas' potential hits very close to home and he starts to doubt the validty of the machine.  He thought he was happy with his life but now he and the towns people aren't so sure.

This was an okay book.  I actually picked it up because I am watching the show on Apple TV and thought it might make an interesting read.  It is only slightly like the show, and honestly this is one instance where I like the show better.  And the show isn't that good.  I had a hard time wrapping my head around the book because it was different than what I thought it would be like from watching the show, so I really couldn't get into it and I didn't really like any of the characters.  

Stars: 3

Book: The Writing Retreat

 Book: The Writing Retreat

Author: Julia Bartz

Pages: 320

This is my 97th read for the year

This is the story of Alex.  She has been invited by a coveted author for a month long writing retreat at her beautiful home.  Even when she finds out her ex-friend Wren is going to be there, she is not deterred.  When she gets to Rosa's house and they find out what they will all be doing during this retreat, it becomes clear that Rosa isn't who the public thinks she is.  When one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex is determined ti figure out who Rose is really and what is going on.

This wasn't a good book.  I listened to it to pass some yardwork time, and it did a fair job at that - passing time.  It isn't good writing.  It has quite a few sex scenes were are never my thing, and honestly did not really add to the story.  My age is showing when I don't really like books with a lot of vulgar language or sexual slang.  The characters were not likable.  Finding out what Rosa was really up to as a writer was the only interesting thing about this book, but not enough to redeem it for me.

Stars: 2

Book: The Mime Order

 Book: The Mime Order

Author: Samantha Shannon

Pages: 560

This is my 96th read for the year

This is the 2nd book in the Bone Season series.  Paige has escaped the prison of Oxford and is back with Jaxon - her mime lord.  She is not sure what has happened to Warden and not sure if she will ever see him again.  Paige now sees the syndicate through new eyes and is determined to bring down the corruption.  She thinks the only way forward is to become the Underqueen and make changes that are needed for clairvoyants.

This was another great installment from Shannon.  I did get a newer version of this book and Shannon does say in the beginning that she has cleaned it up as she has become a more seasoned author.  After reading the first one (Which I still thought was amazing), I can tell the difference.  She is a great writer.  Paige is a very likable character - strong and determined.  Like all of her other books, there are tons of characters so you need to be on your game.  However she is an expert world builder, and to me that makes a big difference. I docked it a half a star because the "battle" near the end of the book drew out a bit too long for me - too much detail.   I am anxious to see where the series is going.

Stars: 4.5

Book: Empire Falls

 Book: Empire Falls

Author: Richard Russo

Pages: 483

This is my 95th read for the year

This is the story of Miles Roby.  He has been running the Empire Falls Grill for 20 years hoping that the owner will leave him the restaurant when she dies.  A town that his mom had hoped he would escape from after he went to college, Miles wonders why he stays.  He thinks it is due to his daughter, and maybe his wayward brother and his unreliable father - all whom he feels responsible for.  However - those closest to him tell him it is time for him to start thinking about himself and planning a future outside of this small town.

This was a great book.  It was part of the Rory Gilmore reading challenge, and I am glad I decided to read it.  It is beautifully written, and even though it is a book that is mostly about the mundane every day life of Miles, it didn't feel mundane at all.  This man - whose love for his family  - even for the people who have always let him down - is endless.  The characters make you feel how you should feel about them.  The author has the ability  to make you love the expanse of a whole community as well as get interested in their individual lives.  Very deserving of the Pulitzer Prize in my opinion.

Stars: 5

Book: Driving Miss Daisy

 Book: Driving Ms. Daisy

Author: Alfred Uhry

Pages: 80

This is my 94th read for the year

This is the story of Daisy Werthan, her son, Boolie, and her chauffeur, Hoke Coleburn  A play that takes place over the course of 25 years between 1948 to 1973.  Daisy has wrecked her car and at the age of 72, her son believes she needs to give up her driver's license.  He hires Hoke to drive her around, and over the years Daisy - who has an hard outer shell - befriends Hoke in her own personal way.  Hoke continues to drive for Daisy to near the end of her life and is there for her even when she is starting to forget everyone around her.

This is a great book.  This is one of my favorite movies, and I don't know how I have never read this play.  It is very short, but well deserving of the Pultizer Prize it won.  A whole story transpires seemlessly and I am so glad I read it.

Stars: 5

Book The Huntress

 Book: The Huntress

Author: Kate Quinn

Pages: 576

This is my 93rd read for the year

This story is about several people but mostly Nina who was a night bomber in the war, and Jordan - a young American who dreams of being a photographer.  Nina becomes an expert flier but when she becomes stranded, she becomes the target of The Huntress and barely escapes.  A few years later - the war is over and she enlists the help of some friends to find the Huntress and bring her to justice once a for all - especially for her crimes of killing children.  

Jordan, recently engaged, finds out that her father has become engaged himself.  Jordan's mom died years ago and the idea of a stepmother actually brings her joy.  Especially since her new stepmother comes with a 4 year old daughter named Ruth, whom Jordan is immediately smitten with.  However - during her father's wedding, a discovery about her stepmother gives her pause and wonders who exactly her dad married.

This was a pretty good book.  I did find it dragging at times - especially with the Nina parts of the book.  It seems to be overly wordy.  I enjoyed the Jordan sections much more - trying to figure out the mystery of her step mother more than Nina's plight at a pilot.  It was easy to figure out who the Huntress was, but still an enjoyable story to get there.

Stars: 3.5