Book: Kill for Me, Kill for You

 Book: Kill for Me, Kill for You

Author: Steve Cavanagh

Pages: 352

This is my 117th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3.5

Book: Theo of Golden

 Book: Theo of Golden

Author: Allen Levi

Pages: 400

This is my 116th book for the year.  

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 5

Book: Cradle and All

 Book: Cradle and All

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 286

This is my 115th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

Book: Chosen Ones

 Book: Chosen Ones

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 432

This is my 114th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

Book: End of Ever After: A Cinderella Retelling

 Book: End of Ever After: A Cinderella Retelling

Author: EL Tenenbaum

Pages: 310

This is my 113th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 2

Book: The Bielski Brothers

 Book: The Bielski Brothers

Author: Peter Duffy

Pages: 336

This is the 112th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3.5 

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

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

Author: Corey Mead

Pages: 283

This is my 111th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

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

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

Author: Matt Dinniman

Pages: 608

This is my 110th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 5

Book: Win

 Book: Win

Author: Harlen Corben

Pages: 384

This is my 109th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 2.5

Book: The God of the Woods

 Book: The God of the Woods

Author: Liz Moore

Pages: 496

This is my 108th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4

Book: The Roommate

  Book: The Roommate

Author: Andrea Mara

Pages: 39

This is my 107th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 

4

Book: You Killed Me First

 Book: You Killed Me First

Author: Jon Marrs

Pages: 399

This is my 106th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4

Book: Shakespeare for Squirrels

 Book: Shakespeare for Squirrels

Author: Christopher Moore

Pages: 288

This is my 105th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

Stars: 4 

Book: The Let Them Theory

 Book: The Let Them Theory

Author: Mel Robbins

Pages: 336

This is my 104th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 2

Book: The Lost Bookshop

 Book: The Lost Bookshop

Author: Evie Woods

Pages: 448

This is my 103rd book for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

Book: Patient Zero

 Book: Patient Zero

Author: Jonathan Maberry

Pages: 432

This is my 102nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

Book: The Cartographers

 Book: The Cartographers

Author: Pen Shephard

Pages: 400

This is my 101st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

Stars: 3.5

Book: The Husbands

 Book: The Husbands

Author: Holly Gramazio

Pages: 352

This is my 100th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 3

Book: Obitchuary

 Book: Obitchuary

Author: Spencer Henry

Pages: 224

This is my 99th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

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

Stars: 4 

Book: The Perfect Marriage

 Book: The Perfect Marriage

Author: Jeneva Rose

Pages: 352

This is my 98th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

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

Terrible.  Hated all the characters from the begininng.

Stars: 2

Book: Eerie Basin

 Book: Eerie Basin

Author: Ivy Pochoda

Pages: 72

This is my 97th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Erin tends bar at the last dive left in gentrified Red Hook, Brooklyn, where old-timers spin tales of the bar's legacy and the waterfront's crime-ridden past.  Her boss, Jimmy, a real estate magnate responsible for much of the neighborhood's shiny transformation, also has a story to share.  Back when he was a struggling beat cop, 2 neglected boys introduced him to an ancietn creature that made Jimmy's dreams come true.  Nightmares too.  Erin doesn't believe a word.  The bar is her life.  But this bar at the end of the world is also home to a deadly stowaway.  And it's looking for a new host.

This was a pretty good short story.  I am still working through all the Amazon Free Reads I have collected over the years, and in the evenings, I can take an hour and burn through some of these short books.  This one had good character development, a good mystery, and a good ending.  I enjoyed it.

Stars: 4