Book: You weren't meant to be Human

 Book: You weren't meant to be Human

Author: Andrew Joseph White

Pages: 336

This is my 40th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

Stars: 2

Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

 Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

Author: CL Miller

Pages: 304

This is my 39th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 2.5

Book: The Little Lost Library

 Book: The Little Lost Library

Author: Ellery Adams

Pages: 323

This is my 38th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

Book: His and Hers

 Book: His and Hers

Author: Alice Feeney

Pages: 320

This is my 37th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4

Book: Challenger

 Book: Challenger

Author: Adam Higginbotham

Pages: 576

This is my 36th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4

Book: Heartstopper Book 2

 Book: Heartstopper Book 2

Author: Alice Oseman

Pages: 320

This is my 35th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

Stars: 3

Book: March

 Book: March

Author: John Lewis

Pages: 128

This is my 34th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4.

Book: Madly, Deeply the diary of Alan Rickman

 Book: Madly, Deeply the Diary of Alan Rickman

Author: Alan Rickman

Pages: 480

This is my 33rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

STars: 3.

Book: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

 Book: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Author: Mark Twain

Pages: 123

This is my 32nd read for the year

Read this one for the Rory Gilmore reading challenge

Stars: 3.5

Book: The Children's Blizzard

 Book: The Children's Blizzard

Author: David Laskin

Pages: 307

This s my 31st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4 

Book: Letters To A Young Poet

 Book: Letters To A Young Poet

Author: Rainer Maria Rilke

Pages: 81

This is my 30th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

Read for a reading challenge

Stars: 4

Book: The Fall Risk

 Book: The Fall Risk

Author: Abby Jimenez

Pages: 81

This is my 29th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

Book: Eleven Numbers

 Book: Eleven Numbers

Author: Lee Child

Pages: 50

This is the 28th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3 

Book: Bad Date A Short Story

 Book: Bad Date: A Short story

Author: Ellery Lloyd

Pages: 58

This is my 27th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3 

Book: 84 Charing Cross Road

 Book: 84 Charring Cross Road

Author: Helen Hanff

Pages: 112

This is my 26th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4.5

Book: Under Her Care

 Book: Under Her Care

Author: Lucinda Berry

Pages: 275

This is my 25th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 2