What Are We Reading And Reviewing in November2020?

What are you planning to read to celebrate National Reading Month?

📌 - ★
Carol Celebrates With Lots of Good Books in November

📌Dead Already - Mike Krentz - 3★ (Early Reviewers)
📌Woodson Falls: 16 Lakeview Terrace - Andrea O'Connor - 3.5★ (Early Reviewers)
📌Heart of A Killer - David Rosenfelt - 5★ (Pick A Winner make a Friend)
📌Less – Andrew Sean Greer - 3★
📌The Shallows - Matt Goleman- 4★ (Touchstone is wrong)
📌Hidden Creed – Alex Kava - 5★
📌The Invisible Life of Addie Larue -V. E. Schwab- 3- ★
📌The Invisible Girl - Lisa Jewell - 5★
📌The Sleeper Lies - Andrea Mara - 5★
📌Elsewhere – Dean Koontz - 5★
📌Rage – Richard Bachman - 3★
📌She’s My Dad - Iolanthe Woulff -5★
📌Blood On The Line - Edward Marston - 5★
📌The Devil and The Dark Water - Stuart Turton - 4★
📌Sinister Summer - Colleen Gleason - 4.5★
📌A Christmas Railway Mystery- Edward Marston - 4.5★
📌Nothing Can Hurt You - Nicola Maye Goldberg - 3★
📌The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks - 4.5★
📌Culloden - John Prebble - 4.5★
📌Conventionally Yours - Annabeth Albert- 2.5★
📌Bridge To Terabithia - 5★
📌All Tied Down - Mary Calmes 5★
📌Fit To Be Tied - Mary Calmes - 5★
📌Tied Up In Knots - Mary Calmes - 5★
📌At Attention - Annabeth Albert - 4.5★
📌Maps - Nash Summers - 5★
📌Task Force - John Simpson - 3★
📌Feel The Fire - Annabeth Albert - 5★
📌Chief's Mess - L.A. Witt - 5★
📌A Question of Proof - Nicholas Blake - 4★
📌The Book of Polly - Kathy Hempinstall - 5★

I'm posting this here because I count the states and countries that you visit in your reads on the Mystery & Suspense groups topic "Where in The World Are We in....". Thought those of you that are not members' of the Mystery & Suspense group, might like to see where we have traveled as a group in our reads. This group leads the in the "most Places Visited" of the other 2 groups I keep these stats for. Good job to all of you.

Mystery & Suspense group topic:


OUR TRAVELS THUS FAR IN OCTOBER
As of October 31st we have visited 55 states; and 59 other countries. This gives us a grand total of 988 places visited. Let's see where November will take us.

California and New York tied as the most state visited with 7 visits each...with Minnesota coming in second with 4 visits. England was the most visited "other country" with 32 visits and Ireland /b> was second with 4 visits.

Bridge To Terabithia - Katherine Paterson
5★
Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

It’s a charming coming of age…some things are just destined to be type of story. “The girl”…Leslie Burke… has moved into the farmhouse next door and into Jess’s life and will change it forever. Not only does she not look or act like any girl Jess knows, but she also turns out to be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. Beaten by a GIRL…his life is over…or maybe not. After getting over the shock and humiliation Jess begins to think Leslie might be okay…actually more like a soul-mate. You can’t help but think of the land of Narnia while reading. The author is good enough at what she does to know that this will be read by kids, but judged by the adult reader. As a result we have narrative that a 12 year old can understand and those of us older readers feel at home with….and not talked down to at all. We see the world… and Leslie, through Jesse's eyes, but the story is never childish. . It doesn't pull its punches, but it takes care to show us beauty, too. The book should diffidently come with a warning label that says…”WARNING…DO NOT READ WITHOUT KLEENEX”,

Conventionally Yours - Annabeth Albert
True Colors series Book #1
2.5★
When two "big name fans" go head-to-head at a convention, love isn't the only thing at stake. Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all...but in reality, he's scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control. Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection...but even he can't help but feel a little broken inside. When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way—even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.

Even though it wasn't advertised as such...I found It was a bit too "YA like" to be of any real interest to me… but I knew the age of the characters when I started it. The two characters were enemies at the start but actually “enemy” was too strong a word to describe the relationship…or lack of…accurately. They were competitors…two guys that made a gaming tournament more important than their feelings. If you aren’t into the gaming scene or 20 years old, you probably won’t get much from this. This is not by any means a badly written book or that someone else won't find it perfectly okay. I usually really like this author’s work but this book was a real struggle for me. I'll read more of her other series but I won’t get into the rest of this one.

This Other Eden / Ben Elton
3 stars

It is sometime in the future and the world is in bad shape with regard to the environment. Plastic Tolstoy is all about marketing. He has created and sells the Claustrosphere. Only the rich can afford them, but that’s where people (those who could afford them) intend to go once the air is no longer breathable and water is no longer drinkable. Well, that’s already happening, but the effects are being staved off as much as possible. There is still an environmental movement, though, that believes that the Earth can be repaired.

There’s a lot more going on than what I’ve described and there are a lot of characters. The book is meant to be humourous, but mostly I found it odd. There were some funny parts. I did like how it ended. But, Ben Elton has better books.

Finished and reviewed The Ruby Kiss by Helen Scott Taylor, which is the last of her fantasy/romance Magic Knot trilogy. The books were okay, but kind of "meh" feeling to me. I did like it enough to read all three of the books (over a period of time).

Last night I finished and reviewed Skeletons in the Closet which is a tie-in novel based on the original Roswell television series. As far as tv show tie-ins go, this was a pretty good one. I like it when the authors know a show well enough to capture the personalities of the characters correctly.

Less - Andrew Sean Greer
4★

Who says you can't run away from your problems? You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else. You can't say yes--it would be too awkward--and you can't say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world.
QUESTION : How do you arrange to skip town?
ANSWER : You accept them all.
What would possibly go wrong? Arthur Less will almost fall in love in Paris, almost fall to his death in Berlin, barely escape to a Moroccan ski chalet from a Saharan sandstorm, accidentally book himself as the (only) writer-in-residence at a Christian Retreat Center in Southern India, and encounter, on a desert island in the Arabian Sea, the last person on Earth he wants to face. Somewhere in there: he will turn fifty. Through it all, there is his first love. And there is his last. Because, despite all these mishaps, missteps, misunderstandings and mistakes, Less is, above all, a love story.

You will probably love or at least like just a little bit...the character of Arthur Less…he’s just that kind of person. I thought that Arthur would accept the fact that he would be better off being rid of this “boyfriend” at last and get on with his life and all for the better…but Arthur saw the whole approaching marriage as the result of some failed character flaw on his part. The book description asks “What could go wrong?” The answer was “plenty”…and almost everything. This is a book that you will never be in the middle of the road about. You will really like it or really hate it. I found it delightful but I have to say that it is NOT a book, or a subject, that will appeal to everyone.

The Invisible Life of Adie LaRue - V.E. Schwab
3★
A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget. France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever…and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

If Addie LaRue had only listened to the warning from the cover of the book….“NEVER PRAY TO THE GODS THAT ANSWER AFTER DARK”. Do you want to live forever? If your answer is “yes”…what would you be willing to give in exchange? You’re making this deal with a character that is never identified as such, but will give the reader the impression that he is none other than….the devil himself…and he’s going to drive a really hard bargain. Addie finds this out when her wish is granted but she has given up her entire life. Oh, she’s alive and she’s going to get her wish… but in no one is going to remember her…even when they have just met her. Addie spends the next 300 years of her life in a bookshop…but of course no one remembers seeing her…meeting her or that she was ever there…until there was Henry. It’s a story with a interesting premise although one that has been played out in many different books... but differently enough in this one to make it a little different. The book is slow and repetitive in places and because of the characters situation…she has really no opportunity to advance. It’s like she is stuck in time...if that makes any sense. No matter how you rate the book, you will find yourself remembering this story for better or worse long after you have closed the covers.

Woodson Falls: 16 Lakeview Terrace Andrea O’Connor
Gaby Quinn Mystery series Book #1
3.5★
Welcome to Woodson Falls
Gaby Quinn is hiding from her past, recovering from the senseless death of her husband, and living in a small New England town. She has her law practice, her dog Kat, and a small circle of friends. What more could she need? But when an unusual probate case crosses her desk, she finds herself looking for a lost body, an abandoned truck, and answers to a mountain of questions, not least of which is, “Who was Pieter Jorgenson?” Soon enough, she discovers even small towns hold big secrets.

I liked the fast-pace of the story as well as the short chapters. The characters, especially Gaby and Jorgenson, are very three dimensional. I believe Gaby is going to be an interesting character to follow and get to know better This is the first book I have read by Andrea O’Connor but I will be more than happy to pursue more of this author’s work. I understand that she has previously published several non-fiction books but this is her first venture into the realm of fiction. The only thing I can find about the book that I didn’t care for was that the author found it necessary to give detailed descriptions of every step Gaby made when gathering material for probate court or when talking to potential witnesses. Some background is fine but this in-depth info is boring and doesn't really add anything to the story. This however was really a very small annoyance in what was a really excellent and enjoyable read. I liked this book well enough to be watching for the next book in the series. Fans of legal thrillers will really like this new author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. The views expressed by this reviewer are entirely my own.

>9 Carol420: I enjoyed that book!

>12 JulieLill: I found it accidently while looking for something else but was really glad I went back and got it.

Espresso Shot – Cleo Coyle
Digital audiobook read by Rebecca Gibel
3***

Coffeehouse Mystery series book # 7 finds Clare Cosi in the uncomfortable position of catering a wedding reception for her ex-husband and his intended. The bride-to-be is a Trend magazine’s editor – wealthy, beautiful, sophisticated and a known tastemaker. But when people connected to the event begin to die, Clare’s radar goes into high gear and she starts investigating.

I like this series. It’s populated with a nice cast of recurring characters and Clare’s romance with detective Mike Quinn is heating up nicely. There are plenty of suspects and some twists and turns to keep the reader (and Clare) guessing. I find all the references to foodie culture and explorations of different cuisines, desserts and beverages (including various coffees) entertaining. Recipes are included at the end, and I’m really tempted to try the Lomo Saltado included in this volume.

Rebecca Gibel does a fine job narrating the audio book. I especially like the way she voices Madame, Clare’s ex-mother-in-law.

Hidden Creed - Alex Kava
Ryder Creed K-9 series Book #6
5★
During a training exercise, Ryder Creed’s scent dog, Grace, is drawn off course and discovers a shallow grave. The body was never meant to be found, hidden deep in an isolated part of Florida’s Blackwater River State Forest. The remote area has no easy access in or out. The killer obviously hoped his secret would be scattered and swallowed up by the forces of nature. When Creed’s dogs continue to find more remains, investigators quickly realize they’re dealing with someone who knows the forest intimately and has been using it to hide his handiwork for years. Soon they’ll also discover just how far he’s willing to go to stop them and keep his secrets hidden forever.

You have to love the dogs that star in this series…especially Creed’s little Gracie, a Jack Russell Terrier that will steal your heart. Along with a top notch mystery the reader will learn some fascinating information about scent dogs and how they are trained and these amazing dogs work with rescue people as well as police departments all over the country often going into places that their human handlers couldn’t go. You can’t ever go wrong with an Alex Kava book but you diffidently can’t go wrong with any book in this series. I have yet to find one that is not entertaining…has wonderful characters…a believable plot…and portrays law enforcement officers as they deserve to be portrayed. Oh...and did I mention the really cute dogs?

Compulsion
Jonathan Kellerman
3/5 stars
Alex Delaware, psychologist, hooks up with his old colleague Detective Milo Sturgis to search for a missing young woman, tries to solve the cases of an ex-school teacher who was killed in her driveway and solve the cases of two dead women found in a beauty shop. Are the cases linked and who did it? Full of details, you will be guessing to the very end. Not my favorite book of the series but never boring!

Read and reviewed the YA book, The Body Finder, which was interesting as it presented a supernatural talent/premise that I hadn't heard of before.

The Invisible Girl - Lisa Jewell
5★
Owen Pick’s life is falling apart. In his thirties and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct—accusations he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel forums, where he meets a charismatic and mysterious figure.
Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family has a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night. Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre disappears…and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.

Somehow Lisa Jewell manages to always write a nearly perfect book…this one was not an exception. The characters are so vivid and their personalities…while flawed, are so believable. You don’t know if you should pity Owen Pick or crucify him. He is a sad, lonely, and creepy individual... but the question remains… is he a sexual predator and did he have anything to do with Saffyre’s disappearance? The reader will have a great ride while trying to work out the puzzle that these question raise. Everything is seldom clearly black or white as you will find out. Thriller fans will love it.

When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People
Jeannie Gaffigan
4/5 stars
In 2017 Jeannie Gaffigan loses the hearing in her one ear. Putting it off because of just being too busy, she finally goes to the doctor and finds out that she has a brain tumor and must undergo brain surgery. Her husband Jim cancels all his concerts, takes over the household and gathers up all her family and friends to help out. Very heartwarming and at times very funny!

Sworn to Silence / Linda Castillo
4 stars

Kate grew up in an Amish community, but something happened when she was 14. She ended up leaving the community and became the chief of police in the nearest town. When a girl’s dead body appears, then another, Kate is brought back to that awful thing that happened when she was younger, as she tries to solve the murders in her small town. But, it can’t be the same guy who haunted the town back then – it’s just not possible.

This was really good. I listened to the audio and it kept my attention all the way through. I liked Kate, but I didn’t like the romance that suddenly happened almost toward the end of the book. I didn’t like him and I thought the romance came completely out of the blue. But, the mystery was really good, as was learning about Kate’s background and what happened when she was younger.

My Secret Sister / Helen Edwards & Jenny Lee Smith
3.75 stars

Helen and Jenny were sisters, but neither knew the other existed until they were well into adulthood. Jenny had been adopted out to a loving couple; she grew up with plenty of advantages and became a professional golfer. Helen was left behind in an abusive home, with a(n) (physically) abusive father and a neglectful mother. She had an older brother, but he managed to get away from the family and the home while Helen was still quite young.

This book tells of both Jenny and Helen’s lives from when they were children up to and a bit after they finally met when in their late 50s. The chapters alternate between them each telling their own stories. Have to admit that Jenny’s life was kind of boring (I’m also not a fan of golf!), but poor Helen. It was her sad story that kept me most interested. They grew up not far from each other, so there were some interesting coincidences when they may have even crossed paths when younger.

I kept waiting for them to find out about being twins (it’s mentioned right on the front cover). It was pretty much the very end of the book when this was “revealed”, so it might have helped with expectations to not have that full front on the cover. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for them to find out.

The Sleeper Lies - Andrea Mara
5★
It’s March 2018, and the country is covered in snow. Roads are impassable, shops are running out of food, and official advice is to stay indoors. Marianne lives on her own and works from home, so this isn’t a problem. Until she wakes one morning in her house in the middle of nowhere and finds footprints trailing all across her garden. Half-asleep, she is at first curious. Then she realizes the footprints stop at her bedroom window, and curiosity gives way to unease. Who was looking in at her, while she was asleep?

Living alone can be peaceful but also dangerous as this woman discovers when she awakens one snowy morning and sees deep footprints leading up to her bedroom window. By the depth of the prints she knows the watcher had stood there for a long time…just watching her sleep. This person didn’t just happen upon her cabin as it is literally in the middle of nowhere. The author, Andrea Mara didn’t just pull this account out her head and put it down on paper…it is based on a true event that happened at her Dad’s snow covered garden… and that no one could explain. Meet the main character, Marianne who is a True Crime fan as well as member of various online forums for “armchair detectives”…. people who try to investigate crimes and missing persons cases via the internet. Her two worlds’ are on a collision course that no one can stop. It’s a story within a story that takes the reader on a journey from a small community set in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland to a small town in Denmark. The atmosphere is unnerving and there is a permanent chill in the air throughout that has nothing to do with the snowstorm.

Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White
Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen
4/5 stars
Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen talk about their lives as stand up comics and as the first comedy duo who were interracial. This was a fascinating look at their lives growing up, how they met and started to perform together, how audiences responded to them and how they ended up eventually parting ways. Tom remained a comedian and was the opener to Frank Sinatra concerts while Tim moved on to TV in WKRP in Cincinnati and Frank's Place. Written in 2008, this book is still relevant today.

Susannah's Garden / Debbie Macomber
3.75 stars

Susannah’s mother, Vivian seems to be losing her memory about 6 months after Susannah’s father died. Susannah hadn’t been home much as she wasn’t close to her father. But, she needs to go home to try to convince her mother to move to assisted living. Susannah’s 20-year old daughter is finished her first year of college, but hasn’t found a job, so Chrissie decides to come help her mom with packing Vivian’s house. At the same time, Chrissie has other other ideas, as she wants to have fun this summer, so when she meets bad boy Troy...

It wasn’t fast moving, and I would have rated it good, anyway, but I upped the rating by a 1/4 star for a couple of the twists at the end of the book. I did like this. I preferred the storyline between Susannah and her mother over Susannah and Chrissie; Chrissie seemed more like a drama-queen teenager than an adult. Susannah met up with other friends from high school, as well, and I wasn’t a fan of her friend Carolyn’s romance, as it seemed out of place, but it did end up tying in at the end, as well.

The Shallows - Matt Goldman
PI Nils Shapiro series Book #3
4★
A prominent lawyer is found dead, tied to his own dock by a fishing stringer through his jaw, and everyone wants Minnesota private detective Nils Shapiro to protect them from suspicion: The unfaithful widow who hires him to find out what happened, by whom and why. Her artist boyfriend, who thinks he may be a suspect. The lawyer’s firm, who wants to make sure the company reputation, stays squeaky clean. There is also an election coming in November, and a very (very!) right wing Congressional candidate may be involved

There are a lot of people in this story which usually is a turn off for me…but in this case it is fairly easy to keep track of them. The story consists of murders… bomb scares…and kidnapping…however it's all in a day's work for Minneapolis PI Nils Shapiro. While he juggles multiple clients he also has to deal with his personal life like his ongoing relationship… or lack of…with his ex-wife. That situation becomes much more complicated throughout the story. The Shallows along with Nils Shapiro is a somewhat complicated read at times. While I like the way Goleman portrays Shapiro as an intelligent PI who doesn't fall for stupid tricks and actually knows and carries out a few of his own…I became a little annoyed with some of his antics and a couple people he works with. I did find most of his comments and his view of the world...entertaining and sometimes comical. Readers that like Robert Parker’s Spencer series will more than likely like this series.

(Note: The Touchstone for this book is wrong. It reads as "The Shadows" instead of "The Shallows")

The Devil And The Dark Water - Stuart Turton
4★
A devilish sea saga that never runs out of cutthroat conspiracies. After an outbreak of ghastly events aboard the Saardam, a merchant vessel returning from the East Indies to Amsterdam in 1634, fear spreads that an evil spirit is responsible.

A leaper tried to warn them just before he became a 'crispy critter"... but no one except the prisoner listened or believed the warning. When utter chaos breaks out and human decency is long forgotten… the message is remembered, but it is far too late. It is an utterly horrific story but inside of it are all these other stories that contribute to making the novel not only worthwhile reading but gives it a feeling of intrigue, mystery and supernaturally chilling. The characters can only be described as charming. The plot outstanding…the story picks up toward the end…and readers should be warned there are some real moments of real horror that will appeal to lovers of this genre.

Life According To Maps series book #1
5★

If Maps ruled the world, his best pal Benji would be court jester, and every day would celebrate a new experiment. No, scratch that. If Maps ruled the world, his best pal would still be living next door, and there wouldn’t be any gap-toothed new guy staring at him as if he’s bonkers. Pity Maps doesn’t rule the world . . .

It's a fun, quirky, sweet YA book! We get an entirely new perspective on the geek and jock pairing. My only complaint is that it was way, way too short....Only 86 pages. But WHAT pages they were!! If warm fuzzy feeling are your "cuppa tea", then this is it. I hated to leave Maps and Lane's little world. I bought the book for my neighbors great - grandson but couldn't resist reading it after hearing him giggling and enjoying it so much. There are not enough stars in the universe for a book that gets this kid to READ!

Elsewhere - Dean Koontz
5★
Since his wife, Michelle, left seven years ago, Jeffy Coltrane has worked to maintain a normal life for himself and his eleven-year-old daughter, Amity, in Suavidad Beach. It’s a quiet life, until a local eccentric known as Spooky Ed shows up on their doorstep. Ed entrusts Jeffy with hiding a strange and dangerous object—something he calls “the key to everything”—and tells Jeffy that he must never use the device. But after a visit from a group of ominous men, Jeffy and Amity find themselves accidentally activating the key and discovering an extraordinary truth. The device allows them to jump between parallel planes at once familiar and bizarre, wondrous and terrifying. And Jeffy and Amity can’t help but wonder, could Michelle be just a click away? Jeffy and Amity aren’t the only ones interested in the device. A man with a dark purpose is in pursuit, determined to use its grand potential for profound evil. Unless Amity and Jeffy can outwit him, the place they call home may never be safe again.

Spooky Ed …a man that is eccentric to put it mildly… gives Jeffy a package to hold for him and tells him not to open it. The main theme of the story becomes obvious that it resolves around the age old concept of good vs. evil and so we all know where this is going to go from here. Of course Jeffy can’t resist the urge to open it…and then we can just sit back…turn the pages… and let the fun begin. Large portions of the story are told from the point of the view of 11 years old, Amity. Amity is rather adorable and sometimes seems way older than 11. She weighed her actions each time but always did what most 11 year olds would be expected to do. For example… she wanted a puppy but thought she should “practice” first so what does she get to practice on... a mouse. Everyone that has ever owned a puppy knows that these are two creatures are about as far separated as a cockroach and a race horse. The book can best be described as a fantasy story mixed with doses of the horror that Dean’s fans expect to see in his writings. The good guys and bad guys all played their roles out as they should and it was a pleasure to read….as usual.

Dead Already - Mike Krentz
3★
Battling a malicious wrongful death malpractice suit, past-haunted emergency physician Zack Winston and case-hardened defense attorney Bridget Larsen uncover a conspiracy that trades in prescription drugs and murder-for-hire. A series of obscure deaths in the ER impugn Zack’s competence and set him up for failure. He conjures an imaginary relationship with Noelle, his young naval aviator wife whose life he could not save nine years ago. An unseen enemy now threatens his hard-earned redemption. As Zack and Bridget peel back layers of truth, past relationships and current alliances destabilize. Inspired by memories of Noelle, Zack must deal with his blighted past and overcome a mentor’s treachery to find the truth. Bridget’s life and his hang in the balance..

The book is a really good read for anyone that is a fan of medical thrillers from authors such as Robin Cook…I’m just not particularly a big fan. However, I did like the legal aspects of this one and that gave the book a 3 star rating. It’s a very well written story with lots of intrigue and drama. I believe that I might try this author again at another time when medical drama plays a lesser real-life role in our everyday lives

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. The views expressed by this reviewer are entirely my own.

Read and reviewed Daphne and Velma which I enjoyed. An interesting little YA mystery story.

I had to stop reading The Sinner, it was just waaaay too disgusting for me.

Barely a Lady
Eileen Dreyer
3.5/5 stars
During the War of 1815 in Europe, Olivia Grace who is divorced from her husband finds him unconscious on a battlefield in the enemy's uniform. Despite her misgivings, she rescues and brings him to the place where she is staying with friends and relatives. When he wakes up he does not remember their divorce and tries to resume their relationship but he is still in danger and they cannot reveal his condition or where he is at to others. Romance fans will probably enjoy this!

I don't read a lot of romance novels but I enjoy them every now and then.

Rage- - Richard Bachman
3★
At 9:05 a.m. in Room 16 of Placerville High School Mrs. Underwood realised that she had to go back to the basics in Algebra. The exam results had not been good. At 9:50 the change-of-class bell rang. But in Room 16 Algebra was already long over. For Mrs. Underwood, over for ever. She lay dead on the floor, shot through the head, her eyes still wide open, her blood already dark and congealed as a fly settled hungrily on her bare neck. Mr. Vance was dead as well. The bullet had caught him full in the throat as he came through the door. The kids were still there, not hurt but not going anywhere. The boy with the gun, sitting so casually on the edge of the teacher's desk, had decided that. He watched and waited as outside the police circled and conferred. School had been evacuated. Except for Room 16 where the kids still had a lot to learn. The end of the first lesson. …time for a second, a third. A whole timetable of terror stretching ahead of them.

This book was published in 1983. No one ever thought that this could or would actually happen. After all…it was just fiction. It was a story written by one of America’s greatest, scariest horror writer of all time…Stephen King, under the pen name of Richard Bachman…a man that has made literature history writing about horrific, nightmare making events…places… and people. Fiction is fun and by definition unreal, not true, often impossible…until it’s NOT! Stephen King requested the book be pulled from publication due to real-life school shootings that may or could have been partially inspired by it. Some called it censorship but I couldn’t help but feel it was the most respectable act he or any author could have done, that he had the book pulled for something he believes in. Perhaps if he could have foreseen these future events that would cover the nations headlines a few short years later and if the world hadn’t been such a much different place at that time…he would not have made the gun wielding, teacher killer, hostage taker character of Charlie so sympathetic, amiable and heroic figure to the students.

>32 Carol420: That is very interesting, thank you for the background on that. Stephen King definitely has strong beliefs and I feel that his decision on pulling the book was a good one. I can't think that it is censorship if it is the author himself requesting that kind of an action.

When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
5/5 stars
This is the wonderfully written autobiographical book by and about Paul Kalanithi’s life and his struggle with cancer which ends his life at the age of 36. The epilogue written by his wife lets the readers know what occurred at the end of his life. I am probably one of the last to have read this book but it was so inspirational and thought provoking that I had to praise this to all of you have not read it.

Heart of A Killer - David Rosenfelt
5★
Jamie Wagner is a young lawyer who is happy to be flying under the radar at a large firm. It's not that he isn't smart. He is. It's just that hard work, not to mention the whole legal thing, isn't exactly his passion. But then he's put on a case that turns his whole world upside down.
Sheryl Harrison is serving a thirty-year murder sentence for killing her husband, who she claims was abusive. The case is settled--there shouldn't be anything for Jamie to do--except now Sheryl's fourteen-year-old daughter, Karen, is sick. She has a congenital heart defect and will die without a transplant. Sheryl is a matching donor--and is willing to die to save her daughter. But suicide, no matter the motive, is illegal. Now Jamie is in way over his head. With Sheryl on suicide watch, Jamie's only shot at saving Karen is to reopen the murder case, prove Sheryl's innocence, and get her freed so that she can pursue her own plan. And time is running out.

When the story begins the lawyer… Jamie Wagner is seriously thinking that maybe he should have listened to his father and chosen a different career…he’s clearly has had enough with his present law firm. To make matters worse he’s been assigned a pro-bono case that no one in their right mind would want. He is supposed to try to help a woman serving a life sentence for murdering her husband…to die. Why ever you ask? So she can give her heart to her dying daughter. Now meet John Novack …the detective who answered the call to the Harrison home the day of the murder. He has always had major doubts about her guilt so when asked he agrees to help but not to help her die but to get her out of prison. Time is getting short for the daughter and no one wants to help the woman die. Now we add another dilemma…someone is moving huge sums of money to people that don’t exist and taking down aircraft and other disasters if large sums are not transferred to given accounts. I think you can see what is quickly developing here. David Rosenfelt is a genius at presenting unique plots and edge of your seat situations… but he has really out done himself with this one. This is a genuinely unique and well told story.

Mary: Mrs. A. Lincoln / Janis Cooke Newman
3.75 stars

Mary Todd was Abraham Lincoln’s wife. She grew up in a well-off family, but Abraham was poor. They had four sons, but only one, Robert the oldest, made it to adulthood. Although Mary loved her son with all her heart, Robert never returned that love, nor the affection she so craved.

Ten years after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Robert had Mary confined to an insane asylum, though she insisted she was sane and didn’t belong there. This book goes back and forth in time from when Mary is confined to the asylum (and her attempts to have Robert have her released) back to when Mary met Abraham, their courtship, marriage and all the way up to what led Robert to confine her.

I quite liked this. I went back and forth, on thinking Mary didn’t belong in the asylum to wondering if she did. I can’t say I liked her much, but I certainly felt badly for her, as Robert was awful to her. I took 1/4 star off my rating because there is no historical/author’s note at the end. I know nothing about the real Mary – did these things really happen?

She’s My Dad - Iolanthe Woulff

For decades, ultra-liberal Windfield College has been a thorn in the side of Northern Virginia's hidebound elite. When a teaching position unexpectedly becomes available, the school hires a former male graduate - now a transsexual woman named Nickie Farrell - as an assistant professor of English. Hoping to find peace, Nickie keeps her secret under wraps until ambitious lesbian student reporter Cinda Vanderhart outs her. And Cinda has noticed something else: both Nickie and a young townie waiter named Collie Skinner have a genetic quirk which causes their eyes to be different colors. Convinced that the similarity is no coincidence, Cinda begins an investigation to discover the connection between them. Lives and secrets hang in the balance until everything comes to a thunderous head at Windfiled’s Spring Picnic on April Fool’s Day

It’s a beautifully written story of love, honesty, life decisions that can never be taken back, and pride in who you are and what you are, no matter who says you can’t be or shouldn’t be. It’s also… unfortunately…a story of hate, and the destructiveness of intolerance and betrayal. The author shares so much of her real life experiences with her fictional character of Nickie Farrell. There are parts of the story that will make you laugh and smile… parts that will make you want to scream… parts that will make you cry …and parts that you will smile at the courage shown by this professor who dared to say “I am who I am and proud of it”. Not a book that everyone will enjoy, or agree with… but it brings a message that will stay with you forever. One of the most unforgettable books I have ever read.

Tied Up In Knots - Mary Calmes
Marshall series Book #3
5★

Miro Jones is living the life; he's got his exciting, fulfilling job as a US deputy marshal, his gorgeous Greystone in suburban Chicago, his beloved adopted family, and most importantly, the man who captured his heart, Ian Doyle. Problem is, Ian isn't just his partner at work - Ian's a soldier through and through. That commitment takes him away from Miro, unexpectedly and often, and it's casting a shadow over what could be everything Miro could ever dream of. Work isn't the same without Ian. Home isn't the same, either, and Miro's having to face his fears alone...how to keep it together at the office, how to survive looming threats from the past, and worst of all, how to keep living without Ian's rock-solid presence at his side. His life is tied up in knots, but what if unknotting them requires something more permanent? What would that mean for him and Ian? Miro's stuck between two bad choices, and sometimes the only way to get out of the knot is to hold tight to your lifeline and pull.

One review I read described this book...actually the entire series...as being filled with "happy moments...with sappy moments...and moments that you just wanted to cry with and for Miro". That reviewer got the truth of that 110% right. You just have to want everything to be perfect for these two guys as you fall in love with them and their giant dog. I read this book slowly because I simply didn't want it to end. There is only one more book in this series which I am hording on my desktop as I type this. Please, please, please Ms. Calmes...your other books and characters are good but please give us more Ian and Miro.

Thirteen Moons – Charles Frazier
Audiobook performed by Will Patton
5*****

Frazier’s sophomore effort returns to the rural Carolina landscape, covering nearly a century from the 1820s to the very beginning of the 20th century. The tale is told by Will Cooper, who as a twelve-year-old orphan was sent into the wilderness as a “bound boy” – beholden to a serve as the lone shopkeeper of a remote Indian Trading Post in exchange for a small stipend. He was sent from his uncle’s home with a horse, a key, an old map, and his father’s knife. He is befriended by Bear, a Cherokee chief, and develops a strong relationship with the father figure.

What a marvelous story, and beautifully told. Will’s life is full of adventure and opportunities, as well as peril and mistakes. At the outset of his journey he begins the habit of keeping journals and it is these documents that help record his extraordinary ordinary life. At a tender age, Will falls head-over-heels in love with the enigmatic Claire, who is the powerful Featherstone’s girl. He develops skills as a trader, negotiator, and entrepreneur. He reads voraciously and becomes a lawyer. He meets, and either befriends or makes enemies of, a variety of famous individuals, including Andrew Jackson and Davey Crockett. He finagles and trades and manages to kluge together quite a large parcel of land. He makes and loses and remakes several fortunes. He seeks the counsel of Bear and also of Granny Squirrel, a medicine woman who is said to be over 200 years old, and whose spells cannot be broken.

Frazier paints this time and place so vividly, I felt transported to that time. I could smell the pines, hear bacon fat sizzling in a pan, feel the chill of a winter morning or the warmth of a welcome fire, taste the delicious stews and French wines. Here are a couple of memorable passages:
I slept on the open ground and watched the enormous sky off and on between brief bouts of sleep. It was a dark night, without any moon at all and utterly cloudless. The air was dry and the stars were sharp points in the dark and there seemed to be a great many more of them than I ever remembered seeing before. And then it came to my attention that it was a night of meteor showers. Spouts and shoots of light, both thin and broad, arced overhead.

The cool damp air smelled of wet growing leaves and rotted dead leaves. A redtail hawk sat in a Fraser fir. It stared my way and shook water out of its feathers. It spread its wings and its tail, and it bowed toward me – or lunged, perhaps. I thought there was recognition in the look it gave me, and I put an arm straight into the air as a salute, for I guessed the hawk to be a representative of the mountains themselves, an ambassador charged with greeting me upon my return.

She had beautiful soft hair the color of a dove’s breast and green eyes and creamy long legs that turned under into unfortunately long narrow feet, but she had a behind with curves to break your heart. At least, they broke mine.

Will Cooper’s America is long gone but vividly brought to mind by Frazier’s skill. On finishing, I find that I want to start over again at the beginning, savoring every word.

Will Patton is fast becoming one of my favorite audiobook narrators. He does a marvelous job with Frazier’s text, bringing the many characters to life.

Ghost Soldiers / Hampton Sides
3.5 stars

Close to the end of WWII, there were American (and a few other nationalities) prisoners of war being held by the Japanese in the Philippines. When one POW camp was brutally massacred, the American Rangers decided to go in to rescue the POWs at another one before the same thing could happen there. This book goes back and forth between the POWs: how they came to be in the camp and their life there leading up to the rescue and the rescuers and their dangerous mission to get them out. In the end, they saved over 500 POWs, many who were sick.

This was good. I found the POWs story more interesting than the rescuers, though there were still portions of both that held my interest. The book started with a “bang”, describing the other POW camp and how almost all of them were murdered except for a very few who managed to escape. Then, it switched to the story at hand, going back and forth. It did pick up in the last half to third of the book, as the rescue was about to happen, and as it happened.

I finished and reviewed Project Hero by Briar Prescott which I really enjoyed.

Blood On The Line – Edward Marston
Railroad Detective series Book #8
5★
1857. On the LNWR train to London, a criminal is being escorted to his appointment with the hangman. But the wily Jeremy Oxley, conman, thief and murderer, has one last ace up his sleeve – a beautiful and ruthless accomplice willing to do anything to save her lover, including cold-blooded murder. When the Railway Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck learns that Oxley, his arch nemesis, has escaped, black memories of their shared past leave him no choice but to do his duty, whatever the cost. With the faithful Victor Leeming at his side, Colbeck must use all of his skills to track his elusive enemy. But could he have finally met his match?

Edward Marston just can’t write a book that is anything but interesting…entertaining...factual of the era… and isn’t just impossible to put down. The only thing I found rather off putting about this book... and that I have seen developing throughout from the first... is that one of the characters is becoming hard to tolerate. Sergeant Leeming needs to grow up… see a shrink…read the help wanted ads…or something. His constant complaining about being away from his family is belittling and redundant. Okay…he misses them…I get it…but did he miss this part of the job description? On the plus side the information about the railroad system in that slower era was fascinating and the chase for Jeremy Oxley was brilliant. Looking forward to the next adventure with Inspector Robert Colbeck.

A Discovery Of Witches – Deborah Harkness
Audiobook narrated by Jennifer Ikeda
4****

This is a combination of fantasy, romance, suspense, mystery, and historical fiction. Diana Bishop is a professor of alchemical history, studying at Oxford. When she requests a particular document, she senses that it is bound in magic, but she has renounced her family legacy and wants nothing to do with spells. She returns the document to the stacks, unaware that it has been lost for centuries and her calling it up has awakened a keen interest among the creatures – daemons, witches and vampires – drawing them to Oxford and putting her in danger. One of these is Matthew Clairmont, a physician, genetic researcher, wine connoisseur and a vampire.

In some respects, this reminded me of the Outlander series, in that Diana (like Claire) is a thoroughly modern woman but finds herself forced to deal with ancient rituals and traditions. Matthew (like Jamie) is a strong leader, a killed strategist, and a lord (of sorts). And, like the Outlander series, I was skeptical going in – this being far from my usual reading tastes – but find myself completely addicted to this story. I was hooked on page one and could not stop reading / listening.

As Matthew and Diana try to discover the secret behind the ancient manuscript, their mutual attraction develops, and despite prohibitions against witches and vampires mingling, they pursue the relationship, with some deliciously stimulating scenes.

There are many twists and turns and it became clear pretty early on that there was no way Harkness would wrap this up in one volume. I knew this was book one of a trilogy going into it, and I really do want to see what happens next.

Jennifer Ikeda does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and brings the many characters to life.

>40 LibraryCin: I was going to comment that this sounds good. Then I realized it also sounds familiar .... Upon checking, I discover that I read it in 2016 and rated it 4****.

Sinister Summer - Colleen Gleason
4.5
Welcome to Wicks Hollow: a cozy town near Lake Michigan filled with quaint houses, eccentric residents, and more than its share of ghosts, murders, and romance.
Diana Iverson needs a break--from her stressful job, from her philandering boyfriend, and from the rest of her fast-paced life. When she inherits her eccentric Aunt Jean's home on Wicks Lake, Diana takes a much-needed vacation in the cozy little town. But when the lake house becomes the scene of multiple break-ins and other unsettling events, Diana begins to suspect Aunt Jean’s death was not as innocent as it seems. And then there’s Ethan Murphy, the sexy college professor who lives next door… He appears to know a lot more about Aunt Jean than he should, and Diana doesn’t trust him. But most of all, there's Aunt Jean herself…who seems determined to communicate with Diana—from beyond the grave. A ghost story romance set in a small town, featuring a cozy mystery about a ghost that just won’t rest until justice is served.

This was just a lot of fun. It had mystery, ghosts and quirky characters. It was just what the ‘Ghost Story Junkie” ordered. The paranormal elements were tame enough as not to freak out those that are hesitant about venturing into a book labeled as “ghost story”. I loved the little town on Lake Michigan…to bad it was fictional. The heroine…Diana, was almost a little too hung up on the “it can’t be true…everything should be either black or white” camp…but she didn’t take away from the story and did begin to lighten up. I believe this book is either part of a series or the author is thinking of making it a series. Whichever…I hope there is more of Wick Hollow coming up.

Blindman's Bluff
Faye Kellerman
4/5 stars
A gruesome killing of a billionaire sends LAPD Peter Decker and his crew investigating the family and the people he surrounded around himself. It has been awhile since I read the an installment of the Decker and Lazarus series and I really enjoyed it!

>44 BookConcierge: LOL! Isn't it funny when that happens!?

A Bend In the Stars– Rachel Barenbaum
Digital audiobook performed by Thérèse Plummer and Eduardo Bellarini
3***

From the book jacket: In Russia in the summer of 1914, as war with Germany looms the czar’s army tightens its grip on the local Jewish community, Miri Abramov and her brilliant physicist brother, Vanya, are facing an impossible decision. Since their parents drowned, they’ve been raised by their babushka, who taught them to protect themselves at all costs: to fight, kill if necessary, and always have an escape plan. Now, with Miri on the verge of becoming one of Russia’s only female surgeons, and Vanya close to solving the puzzle of Einstein’s elusive theory of relativity, can they bear to leave the homeland that has given them so much?

My reactions:
This was an ambitious debut, and Barenbaum did a reasonably good job of painting the picture of a country divided by political upheaval and on the brink of war. But I think she bit off more than she could chew. There are so many subplots here … a romance or two, an escape from danger (or three), Vanya’s efforts to test his theory based on the solar eclipse, Miri’s efforts to be recognized as the surgeon she wants to be. They are chased from one end of Russia to another, riding trains and carts and living by their wits (and occasional muscle). They hide in filthy holes, and in “plain sight.” They are separated, reunited and separated again. I ached for some peace for them and for me as a reader.

The audio version is expertly performed by two very talented voice artists: Thérèse Plummer and Eduardo Bellarini. They really brought these characters to life and made me feel I was involved in the intrigue.

How to Cook Without a Book / Pam Anderson
3.5 stars

This book basically gives tips on cooking. The idea is that if you know how to do a few things without needing a recipe, you can change up those things to make it interesting, and you don’t need as much time to cook. The tips are more than the “formulas” for cooking the various things without a recipe; there are other time-saving tips, as well.

It was good. I had the ebook that I looked at on my 2nd generation Kobo (Touch), so the photos, unfortunately, were black and white. I bookmarked some things to make a note of before returning the book to the library (though it says “without a book”, it will take a few tries to make some of the things before I can go from memory).

I don’t like cooking. Some of these things will still take more time than I’d like, and I rarely eat meat, so I kind of skimmed over some of those parts. I did appreciate that for some things, she did make vegetarian/vegan suggestions, as well. In addition to the formulas, the author gave examples. For instance, a formula might say XX amount of starches, XX amount of protein, etc. Then she would also list a bunch of starches or proteins you can use (which is helpful when you don’t cook!).

I don’t tend to just read cookbooks, so I was glad that this book was more than that. Although it says “without a book”, I do feel like this is a useful book to own to go back to for the tips. That being said, I don’t plan to go buy it.

The Pull of the Stars / Emma Donoghue
3.5 stars

This is set in Ireland in 1918, during the influenza pandemic. Julia is a nurse in a maternity ward, so we follow her at work for a few days with the flu being a constant threat. Bridie is an orphan (an adult now) who comes to volunteer in the hospital, so Julie and Bridie get to know each other while helping the women in the ward.

I listened to the audio and thought there was a bit too much detail in the birthing of babies than I like to read/hear about. Ugh! The story was good, but I was a bit disappointed in that the influenza seemed more of a background than the main part of the story, which was the women having babies. There was an author’s note at the end, and I was interested to learn that the woman doctor was the one real person as a character in the book.

The Nickel Boys – Colson Whitehead
Audiobook performed by J D Jackson, and the author
5*****

In the 1960s Jim Crow South, a young man on his way to college makes a life-changing mistake and winds up in the notoriously draconian Nickel Academy reform school.

Elwood is a marvelous character. Abandoned by his parents, and raised by his grandmother, he’s developed a strong moral compass. He studies hard, has a mentor / champion in one of his teachers, works at local business, and listens to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s speeches for inspiration. He can hold his own against bullies and believes that it is his duty to cry out and try to stop injustice.

But this strength of character goes against everything the leaders of Nickel Academy want in the boys under their control. And they will break Elwood if it’s the last thing they (or he) do.

I was completely engrossed in this story. I loved how the relationships between the boys at Nickel developed, how they helped one another even when they could not understand one another. Turner is a particular friend, despite their different viewpoints and philosophies on how to succeed and “graduate” from Nickel. Turner is a schemer, a cynic, and a realist; he KNOWS “the man” will get him at the first opportunity and is determined to stay out of anything that can get him into trouble. Elwood, on the other hand, believes that doing the right thing (like stopping a fight among other boys, or reporting corruption and mistreatment) will be the ticket to release. Turner cannot believe that Elwood can be so naïve as to think that anything he says will make a difference. Elwood cannot understand how Turner can turn his back on injustice.

The last part of the novel moves forward in time when one of the boys has grown up and is living in New York. But while he has achieved a measure of success, he is still haunted by what happened in his youth. Whitehead’s use of this structure made the pivotal scene all the more impactful. I literally gasped.

J.D. Jackson does a stupendous job narrating the audiobook. He is a skilled voice artist and became Elwood and Turner.

Stephen King Country / George Beahm
3.5 stars

This book is part-biography of Stephen King and partly looks at the places where King grew up, lived, spent time... and where he modelled some of the settings for his books. It includes photos of many of the places.

I liked it. It was published in 1999, so there is probably a lot more current stuff that could be added if it was updated. The book also looked at some of the movies that were made from King’s books. I particularly enjoyed the section on “The Shining” (Stephen and Tabitha lived in Colorado for a short time). I also love that they are both so supportive of libraries, to the tune of gifting a couple of local libraries a lot of money to help them out.

Culloden – John Preble
5★
The book begins in the rain at five o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, 16 April 1746, when the Royal Army marched out of Nairn to fight the clans on Culloden Moor. It is not a partisan book, its feeling is for the 'Common Men' on both sides - John Grant charging with Clan Chatten and seeing the white gaiters of the British infantry suddenly as the east wind lifted the cannon smoke, and Private Andrew Taylor in a red coat waiting for Clan Chatten to reach him, likening them to 'a troop of hungry wolves'. Culloden reminds us, too, that many of the men who harried the glens as ruthlessly as the Nazis in Occupied Europe were in fact Scots themselves. It recalls the fact that many men in Prince Charles' army had been forced to join him. It shows that a British foot-soldier's wish for a sup of brandy on a cold morning before battle is as much a reality as a Prince's pretensions to a throne.

This book was really personal to me. My grandfather came to America in 1926 from the Glencoe region of Scotland. He was so very proud of obtaining his United States citizenship but his heart and soul wandered those beautiful hills and glens of his beloved Scotland until the day he died. This book is well researched but you have to have connections to actually say you enjoyed reading it. There is nothing enjoyable about what happened here on the cold, rainy, foggy April day when the British and the Scots fought the battle known as Culloden on Culloden Moor. Culloden Moor is a tract of moorland in the county of Inverness, Scotland, forming a part of the northeast of Drummossie Moor and lying about 6 miles (10 km) east of Inverness. A great deal of it is bogs and that was one factors that made it the “wrong” choice for a battle…as if there is a ”right” one. Mr. Prebble discusses the battle and its consequences for the Highlands in terms of the “ordinary “men of both sides. There is little ordinary or equal about the men that fought this disaster…but I found out after 16 years of living around my grandfather that nothing is as hard headed or as determined to protect his own and his country as a Scotsman. Only about a third of the book is devoted to the actual battle, although a clear account is given of the slaughter in which nearly half the 5,000 Scottish clansmen gathered on Drummossie Moor were killed. Trying to define “fault” is about as useless as trying to say who was right and who was wrong in any long ago dispute…everyone has an opinion. I…of course was for the Scots…this was my grandfather after all, and as he pointed out often... “my people’. He was always forgetting that the other half of “my people” were Irish. I know that no matter the outcome or who was right and who was wrong…I will never forget standing in the rain as a 7 year old child beside my grandfather at the Visitor’s Center honoring the Scottish dead that fought in this battle and seeing this strong, but never silent man that I loved more than anything on this Earth…weep for his long lost clansman.

The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
4.5★

The Wasp Factory is the bizarre, imaginative, disturbing, and darkly comic look into the mind of a child psychopath. Meet Frank Cauldhame. Just sixteen, and unconventional to say the least: Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That's my score to date…Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again.

"I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard my brother had escaped. I already knew something was going to happen; the Factory told me."
Those two lines begin one of the creepiest Scottish characters and novels that I have read in some time. Frank Cauldhame, is a weird and scary 16 year old who lives on a tiny island connected to mainland Scotland by a bridge. He maintains grisly "Sacrifice Poles" to serve as his early warning system and deterrent against anyone who might invade his territory. I can’t imagine anyone ever wanting to do that but you can bet he’s ready for them if they do. Those that choose to push their luck soon find that any luck they may have had has all run out. If Iain Banks was going for shock value he achieved it with flying colors creating characters carrying out some really sick and violent acts... the ultimate dysfunctional family is putting it mildly....the understatement of the century! This book is NOT for the faint of heart or stomach. This is Iain Banks' début novel but it shows the same undisputed talent for telling a long tall tale as he has in all his later novels.

Presumed Innocent – Scott Turow
Book on CD performed by Edward Herrmann
4****

From the book jacket: Rusty Sabich, Kindle County’s longtime chief deputy prosecutor, has been asked to investigate the rape and murder of one of his colleagues. Carolyn Polhemus was strong, sensuous, and magnetic; she was also clearly ambitious and quite possibly unscrupulous. Her murder has been an embarrassment to Rusty’s boss, Raymond Horgan, who is facing a serious challenge in the upcoming election and who looks to Rusty for a fast solution to the case that will help save him politically. What Horgan doesn’t know is that, only a few months before she was murdered, Carolyn Polhemus and Rusty Sabich were lovers.

My reactions
This is book # 1 in the Kindle County Legal Thriller series. It’s a fast-paced story with several twists and turns and lots of political and personal intrigue to keep the reader guessing and turning pages. I don’t go to many movies, but I did see this one, starring Harrison Ford as Rusty. So, I knew where things were headed going into the novel. Still, Turow’s tight writing gave me the sense of suspense and intrigue and impending doom that I expect from a mystery/thriller like this. final reveal is a bit of a stunner.

Edward Hermann did a marvelous job of narrating the audio. He set a good pace and kept the story moving.

A Christmas Railway Mystery - Edward Marston
4.5★
December 1860. Headed for the morning shift at the Swindon Locomotive Works is an army of men pouring out of terraced houses built by the GWR, a miniature town and planned community that aims to provide for its employees from cradle to grave. Unfortunately, boilersmith Frank Rodman is headed for the grave sooner than he'd expected, or he will be once his missing head is found. Colbeck, the Railway Detective, finds his investigation into Rodman's murder mired in contradictions. Was the victim a short-tempered brawler or a committed Christian and chorister? On the trail of Rodman's enemy as the season starts to bite, Colbeck finds little festive cheer in the twists and turns of this peculiar case.

I have followed The Railway Defectives from the start of the series and was not let down and nor have I by this one. As usual the plot twists and turns causing distress and leading to a series of red herrings until the correct culprit is unveiled. Veteran readers of Edward Marston’s books or this series in particular, may not find this little offering as exciting as some of the other Inspector Colbeck mysteries. I believe the book was intended to be a fill in for the holiday season. I can only now wait for the next episode in Detective Colbeck’s life.

Julie – Jean Craighead George
Book on CD performed by Christina Moore.
3***

Book two of the Julie of the Wolves series, has our heroine returning to her father’s home and trying to reconcile the traditional Eskimo ways with the newer structure of village corporations, industry and working with the white man.

Julie is a marvelous character. Strong in body and mind, intelligent, resourceful, determined and loving. She’s also a young woman trying to find her place in the community after her year-long experience among the artic wolf pack she came to know as her family. She has a new stepmother, a red-haired Minnesotan named Ellen, whom she does not want to like. And she is taken aback to find that village life is very different from what she had remembered. Her father flies a plane, uses a snowmobile more often than his sled and dogs, and manages the village’s industry – a tiny herd of musk ox. Julie also faces a personal decision: to leave for more education to secure her future, or to stay and protect her wolf pack. And there is a possible romance that adds yet another element to consider in her decision-making.

The push/pull of old vs new, of childhood vs adulthood, of nature vs business form the central conflicts in the story.

The illustrations by Wendell Minor add a nice touch and support the scenes I had imagined from reading George’s descriptions.

Christina Moore does a fine job of the audio, although I did find the pace a bit slow. I probably read at least half the book in text format.

Warden Ragen of Joliet
Gladys A. Erickson
5/5 stars
Despite the age of the book (published in1957) and the subject, this is a book that I had a hard time putting down. In this true story, Warden Joseph E. Ragen was encouraged to take over the Stateville Prison and the Old Prison in Joliet, Illinois because of conditions at the prisons and the incompetence of an earlier warden. The book discusses the time period, some of the famous criminals in the system and the reforms that Ragen instituted to turn around the prison and encourage good behaviors in the prisoners. Highly recommended!

Nothing Can Hurt You - Nicola Maye Goldberg
3★
On a cold day in 1997, student Sara Morgan was killed in the woods surrounding her liberal arts college in upstate New York. Her boyfriend, Blake Campbell, confessed, his plea of temporary insanity raising more questions than it answered. In the wake of his acquittal, the case comes to haunt a strange and surprising network of community members, from the young woman who discovers Sara's body to the junior reporter who senses its connection to convicted local serial killer John Logan. Others are looking for retribution or explanation: Sara's half sister, stifled by her family's bereft silence about Blake, poses as a babysitter and seeks out her own form of justice, while the teenager Sara used to babysit starts writing to Logan in prison. A propulsive, taut tale of voyeurism and obsession

It’s a story of murder…its impact… and the aftermath…told in a series of vignettes. How does a tragedy… particularly a senseless and violent one, affect those on the periphery of it and how it changes every aspect of their very lives?. The writing was good but the vignettes would have been better if they had made the characters connect in some way other than they had all been murdered. It was like reading 5 different books with the same scenario and no real ending because there was no pulling it together. Even though I found the book a bit disappointing it was still very worthy the 3 stars.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon – Kelly Barnhill
Digital audio narrated by Christina Moore
4.5****

For years the people of the Protectorate have left a newborn in the forest to appease the wicked witch. But the actual witch in the forest, Xan, is a kind woman, who takes the babies to the other side of the forest and finds good families to raise them. She feeds the babies starlight as they may the long trek through the forest. But one night she mistakenly gives the baby moonlight, which fills the child with magic. Xan must now raise the baby – whom she names Luna – and introduce her to her magical gifts when she turns thirteen. Xan shares her forest home with a Swamp Monster (the wise and tender and kind Glerk) and a “Perfectly Tiny Dragon” (named Fyrian), and together the three raise a lovely young girl.

This is a delightful fantasy / fairy tale that deals with prejudice, fear, the importance of family, and the courage to do the right thing. While it’s aimed at the middle-school crowd, it is easily enjoyed by adults.

I loved these characters and their “family dynamic.” There are some pretty scary and tense scenes, as well as distressing scenes in an asylum, but goodness wins out (as it must in fairy tales).

Christina Moore does a fabulous job of performing the audiobook. I particularly loved the voices she used for Glerk and Xan and Fyrian. Her narration earns the book an extra half-star. When I finished, I wanted to start listening all over again.

The Silkworm / Robert Galbraith
3 stars

Just before his newest book will be published, author Owen Quine goes missing – again. He’s done this before. His wife comes to PI Cormoran Strike to find him. She thinks he has gone to a writing retreat, but it’s much more sinister.

I do like the personal stories of Cormoran and his assistant Robin. There were parts of the mystery that didn’t hold my attention as much, though. I did have a bit of a hard time remembering who some of the characters (suspects) were. Overall, I’m rating this one ok, but I do think I’ll continue the series – for now, anyway.

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground – Rita Williams-Garcia
Digital audiobook performed by Adam Lazarre-White.
4.5****

From the book jacket: When, Cool Papa, when? That’s what Clayton Byrd is always asking his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd. When does he get a solo to show off his talent on the blues harp? Clayton feels most alive when he’s with Cool Papa Byrd and the Bluesmen, playing the music he feels in his bones. But then the unexpected happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies. Clayton’s mother forbids him from playing the blues. For Clayton, that’s no way to live. Armed with his grandfather’s porkpie hat and his blues harp, he runs away from home and to the New York City subways in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road.

My reactions:
This was wonderful on so many levels. First on a purely superficial level, I loved the lesson in blues history that Williams-Garcia has given to young readers, introducing them to historic figures in the development of this uniquely American music.

Secondly, I loved the relationship between Clayton and his grandfather. The respect and love between them was palpable, even after Cool Papa has died, you can feel the deep connection they had and Clayton remembers some of the lessons his grandfather imparted, which help him when he’s “underground.”

Third, I really liked that Williams-Garcia did NOT paint a rosy picture of Clayton’s “adventure” as he ran away. He was in real danger and he suffered some consequences of his inexperience, rashness and youth. On the other hand, he also showed himself to be an astute observer, a clever negotiator, and he had the kind of determination and grit that will see him through on his life’s journey.

And I loved the way in which this wrapped up. The apologies and understandings that Clayton, his mother and his father came to, by really talking about what was important and putting aside some of their own hurt to help one another through this terrible grief.

Adam Lazarre-White does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. I love his deep bass voice for Cool Papa and Clayton’s dad. I would have liked a little blues music underscore, but that’s not enough to deter me from listening again or re-reading the text.

Since I finished my challenge, I have gotten back to my never ending reading list. I have got three going now and am glad cause our library just closed down for 2 weeks because a staff member came down with the virus.
I am reading now Waiting For Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic by Bill Richardson, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons From the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty and All About Eve: The Complete Behind-The-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made! by Sam Staggs.

Feel the Fire – Annabeth Albert
Hotshot series Book #3
5★
When their career paths bring two high school sweethearts together again, the forest isn’t the only thing ablaze…Fire behavior specialist Luis Riviera goes where his job takes him. But when he’s assigned to an arson investigation in Central Oregon—the place he left his broken heart twenty years ago—he’s afraid of being burned all over again. Tucker Ryland had planned to join his first love, Luis, in LA after high school graduation, but life got in the way. Now a fire management expert and a divorced father of teen twins, Tucker’s thrown for a loop when he finds himself working side by side with his Luis, now all grown up and more intriguing than ever. Though consumed by a grueling fire season and family responsibilities, the two men discover their bond has never truly broken. Tentative kisses turn to passionate nights. But smoking sheets aside, old hurts and new truths stand in the way of this time being the start of forever.

What I liked most about Luis and Tucker was the initial interactions to every situation, both personal and professional. They actually sat down and worked out their past and their future in a mature adult way even though they were only kids when they started out with one another. They each accept the blame they had in their teenage breakup. Stories where the people are willing to communicate about their problems are always easy reads. The angst is fairly low in the story and is centered more on how they could possibly make a relationship work when Luis returns home to California. Surprising how things ended up and I really liked how the compromises were made and the children were put first and foremost.

Doña Barbara – Rómulo Gallegos
3.5***

This classic of South American literature was first published in 1929 and virtually forgotten by US readers. It first came to my attention through Public Broadcasting System’s Great American Read program in 2019.

It is an epic tale of two cousins who are fighting for control of a vast estate / ranch in Venezuela. Doña Barbara is beautiful and powerful. At her core she hates men for the way she was used and abused as a young girl. She has earned a reputation as a witch and is widely known for using, abusing and tossing aside her lovers as whim and her needs dictate. She fits perfectly into the wild, untamed landscape of the llano (prairie) and the surrounding swamps, bogs and jungles.

In contrast, we have Santos Luzardo, who, while born on the plains has long left for an education in the city. Now he returns to reclaim his inheritance – land and cattle. But he retains the manners and customs of his city education. Their battle is both cerebral (who can outwit the other?), and physical, involving seduction, chicanery, violence, gamesmanship, cunning and some magic as well.

The novel is an early example of magical realism and Gallegos weaves together adventure, fantasy, and romance. He uses vivid description and outlandish storytelling (I loved the one-eyed monster alligator!) to bring this era to life. The various outdoor scenes were particularly exciting – I could practically taste the grit, feel the dust in my nostrils, hear the roar of stampeding herd, and smell the smoke of an uncontrolled wildfire.

If there was an element that made me downgrade my rating it was the story of Marisela, and the way that Doña Barbara came to terms with that character. It was rather melodramatic and very soap-opera-ish.

In the introduction, Larry McMurtry writes: “Doña Barbara is, in her way, a tragic heroine, seeking to attract a decent lover, while giving herself day and night to very coarse lovers indeed. She is, however very vividly drawn, a Bovary of the llano.”

The War of the Worlds – H G Wells
Digital audiobook performed by Christopher Hurt
4****

Classic science-fiction horror. Residents of a small community outside London are puzzled and curious about the “meteor” that has landed in a nearby field. But it’s clearly a manufactured rather than a natural object. And they notice that there is an effort – from the inside – to open the vessel. Thus begins the horror that becomes an invasion from Mars.

I knew the basic premise going in. I knew about the Orson Welles’ radio broadcast that caused panic (despite an introduction advising that this was a dramatic reading of a work of fiction). But I’d never read the original.

The first-person narrative lends a sense of urgency and immediacy to the narrative. The reader feels completely immersed in the story. Wells includes significant tension; while there are a few moments of respite, I found it a very anxiety-producing read. I like that he leaves much to the reader’s imagination, which heightens the suspense.

Christopher Hurt did a fine job narrating the audio book. There’s something about that clipped British accent that just draws me in.

Fire Watch / Connie Willis
2.5 stars

This is a book of short stories. I am not usually a big short story fan. I find that if I lose focus for even a short time, I can never really get back into the story because it’s too short. I’ve missed too much. So, as usual, I didn’t follow more than half the stories. A few were ok, but overall, I wasn’t a fan.

Oh (and this isn’t saying much for the stories themselves), something I did like was that she had a short (2-3 paragraph) introduction to each story. I liked many of those better than the stories! They did build up a bit of “atmosphere”, so to speak, for the stories.

Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic
Bill Richardson
4/5 stars
This delightful story is set in Paris’s famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery where many famous people are buried there including Maria Callas, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Alice B. Toklas to name a few. Author Bill Richardson imagines that the celebrity dead have now been reincarnated into cats who live, work, fight and bicker in the cemetery.

It Takes a Witch – Heather Blake
2**

From the book jacket: Until three weeks ago, Darcy and Harper Merriweather were working dead-end jobs and trying to put their troubles behind them. They their aunt Velma delivered a bombshell: They’re actually Wishcrafters – witches with the power to grant wishes with a mere spell. Wanting a fresh start, they head to their aunt’s magic-theamed tourist town – Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts, - to join the family business and master their newfound skills. But their magic fails them when a wannabe witch turns up dead – strangled with Aunt Ve’s scarf.

My reactions:
If I didn’t need this for a challenge to read about witches this month …

The premise is pretty lame. I quickly got tired about the whole “wishcrafter” mythology – not to mention all the other Crafters in the village. For there are Curecrafters, Bakecrafters, Halfcrafters and even a Vaporcrafter among the residents of the town.

The murder plot (main reason to read a cozy mystery in my humble opinion) was moderately interesting. There were plenty of suspects and red herrings to keep this reader – and the central characters – guessing. And there’s a somewhat interesting subplot pickpocketing crime spree that further distracts the investigators.

I also thought the romantic interest was handled fairly well, with a nice promise of more to come. But I’ll probably never know what happens between Darcy and Nick, because I have no plans to continue this series. At least it was a fast read.

A Question of Proof - Nicholas Blake
Nigel Strangeway series Book #1
4★

None of the classical portents showed to warn him of the disastrous events soon to pile themselves upon his head. Michael Evans is unlucky in love – he just doesn’t know it yet. An affair with Hero, the headmaster’s beautiful wife, culminates in a rendezvous in the haystacks at school Sports Day. But when a young student is found strangled in that very haystack later that night, all evidence points to Michael. Unwilling to explain how the evidence got there, Michael calls upon his old friend (and aspiring investigator) Nigel Strangeways, to help prove his innocence. Nigel is sure he’s found the murderer but is lacking any real proof. Will he be able to clear Michael’s name before it’s too late?

I was a bit surprised to learn that this is a reprint of the book that was first released in 1935. Some things just don't lose their appeal and this was certainly one of them. I don't know where the author came up with the name of the victim...maybe it's a common name in England but we meet 13 year old Algernon Wyvern-Wemyss (pronounced “Wiv-urn Weems”.) After wrapping your tongue around that name a few times, you just tend to skip over it every time it appears and get on to a well written very entertaining mystery of a disappearance and eventual murder. The book was written in a much different era than it would be today. There are a plethora of suspects. The murders are a bit implausible...and it seems the victims are being plucked out of the bunch of obnoxious 13 year old boys at random. The case does get resolved but is presented in a very much prolonged explanation at the end. If you remember that life was viewed differently in the era in which it was written...you should enjoy the story.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
Caitlin Doughty
4/5 stars
Doughty writes about her life and how she came to work in a crematory and eventually earning her degree in mortuary science. She also talks about the history and science of cremation and much more. I thought this so interesting and hard to put down. This may not be for everyone but if you are open to unusual experiences this may be the book for you.

Caroline: Little House Revisited – Sarah Miller
Book on CD performed by Elizabeth Marvel
3.5***

Readers familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, will find this very familiar. Miller chooses to retell Wilder’s stories for an adult audience, focusing on Laura’s mother, Caroline.

I really enjoyed this work of historical fiction. Miller does not gloss over the very real challenges of pioneer life – the lack of supplies, or routine comforts we take for granted. There were many elements in this part of their lives to produce anxiety and fear, and I can understand Caroline’s perspective, given her limited knowledge, though I cringed at the her attitudes towards the Native American population. I think Miller does a reasonable job of balancing Caroline’s prejudice with Charles’s stead non-judgmental approach (and Laura’s excitement about a new experience).

Caroline is a strong women, with a certain confidence and a practical approach. She is certain her husband will see them through, but sometimes fails to see her own strength – physically, mentally and emotionally. Also, she is fiercely protective of her young girls (when they set out, Mary is five and Laura only three years old). She reminds herself that she must protect and shield her children, refusing to show her own fear lest she further frighten them. Miller does not gloss over the very real challenges of pioneer life – the lack of supplies, or routine comforts we take for granted.

Elizabeth Marvel does a fine job narrating the audiobook. I really felt as if I were listening to Caroline relate her own reminiscences of that time.

The Book of Polly - Kathy Hepinstall
5★

With a kick like the best hot sauce, this is the laugh-out-loud story of a girl determined to keep up with her aging, crazy-as-a-fox mother. Willow Havens is 10 years old and obsessed with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives to chase varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the neighbors - and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the young, modern mothers of their small conventional Texas town. She was in her late 50s when Willow was born, so Willow knows she's here by accident, a late-life afterthought. Willow's father died before she was born, her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone and failing elsewhere. It's just her and bigger-than-life Polly. Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life that preceded her, and especially Polly's life pre-Willow. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana, 50 years ago and vow never to return? Who is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed a man? And will Polly be able to outrun the Bear, the illness that finally puts her on a collision course with her past?

Be prepared to leave your heart with Willow Haven and her mother Polly...who was 58 years old when she became a widow and then learned that she was going to be a mother. You can imagine the difficulties that both of them had since Willow should...by all the laws of nature...been Polly's granddaughter and not her daughter. The book will make you laugh and it will make you cry but overall it will just make you feel good. It's a daughter and mother story with all the joys and fears that come with motherhood as well as daughterhood. I don't recommend very many books as we all have our different ideas of what makes a "must read" story...but If you don't have time to read another book this coming year...I would recommend you give this one a try.

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D.

Mary Trump spent much of her childhood in her grandparents' large, imposing house in the heart of Queens, where Donald and his four siblings grew up. She describes a nightmare of traumas, destructive relationships, and a tragic combination of neglect and abuse. She explains how specific events and general family patterns created the damaged man who currently occupies the Oval Office, including the strange and harmful relationship between Fred Trump and his two oldest sons, Fred Jr. and Donald.

I'll admit to not reading a lot of books about the current political climate, in part because I don't want to have this group on LT become a politically charged morass. However, as soon as I saw Dr. Trump speak and heard her story, I found the similarities between us striking and was intrigued by this close, personal, professional view.

And I must say, what a spectacular view of this man and the severely dysfunctional family that created him. Dr. Trump's knowledge of childhood development and her psychology background show through from the very first pages.

She documents the psychopathology of Fred Trump, Sr., and how it so severely hampered any emotional bonding with the two youngest children in the family. Add to this Donald's mother's illness (possibly a by-product of severe emotional neglect) and a lack of any repercussions for bad behavior, and you have what lived in the White House for 4 years.

And the impact on Mary's own family is also profound. Her father, Fred, Jr., was the only sibling who broke away from the family mold and pursued his passion. He seemed like a kind and caring soul whose "fatal flaw" was in needing his own father's approval, and not able to cope with the harsh reality that he was never going to get it. That damage resulted in alcoholism and both a broken marriage and a broken family.

It is as important to modern Presidential politics as any book on Watergate or the 9-11 disasters. It is also a call to action for those who care for children's welfare, be it personal or professional. Healing and love need to happen at an early age, and the sooner the intervention, the better.

>74 threadnsong: Your review was enlightening and very well done. I don't like the man but more so I don't like his behavior... I have nothing against his political party. I wouldn't have let my 5 year old behave like that. I also agree about not letting the sites like LT and Goodreads become political platforms for anyone anywhere. They are one safe place like none other that we can just enjoy our books. Again a nice well done and impartial review.

>75 Carol420: Thank you. And glad you found my review impartial, and for raising the younger generation right. It *is* nice to have safe space these days, isn't it?

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
3***

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning . . . along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames . . . never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.

It is darkly dystopian, and with what this year has been the only way I finished it was that it was for a book challenge. It is so prescient, though. The writing style is definitely 1953 so it can take some slogging through stereotypes. Still worth reading, especially for us book lovers.

As a re-read, I had forgotten elements like the mechanical Hounds and the speeding cars as a way to let off tension. The walls of the interior of houses, though, where people "join" in the televised episodes was a jolt of "now" and reminds me of creating a buzz over the latest reality TV episode.

His Father's Eyes by David B. Coe
4 1/2 ****

Justis Fearsson is a "weremyste." He wields potent magic, but every month, on the full moon, he loses his mind. He's also a private detective, who can't afford to take time off from his latest investigation while his sanity goes AWOL. A legion of dark sorcerers has descended on Phoenix, wreaking havoc in the blistering desert heat. With the next moon phasing approaching, Jay has to figure out what connects a billionaire financier and a vicious drug kingpin to an attempted terrorist attack, a spate of ritual killings, and the murder of a powerful runemyste.

I am beginning to enjoy the darker, grittier side of urban fantasy, and this is one of the authors who is a reason why. It is the second in the series, but it is not imperative to read the first. It takes place in modern day Phoenix and is a combination of detective fiction mixed with were-creatures.

The novel picks up with Justis Fearsson remaining a private investigator and tracking down a suspect who, without the help of magic, would have shot him dead. But the magic comes from another source, and the full explanation of that source and why it has an interest in him weaves into the latter part of the book.

There is an almost-too-detailed explanation of magic at the beginning, but once Coe realizes that his audience "gets" it, he dials down the how and concentrates on the mystery portion. And the mystery is not just why people have been killed, but also killed is a supposedly immortal runemyste in a bizarre, ritualized manner. Even going between the real world and the magical one becomes part of the pace of the book. Fearsson has to navigate his former police partner, his new girlfriend, his declining father, and a powerful drug lord, who are all brought together in pursuit of who really dunnit.

Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega / Joe Hill
4 stars

This is the final book in the Locke & Key series, so I don’t want to do too much of a summary so as not to give anything away. I guess I’ll just say that prom is coming up and although Tyler isn’t interested in going, his younger sister, Kinsey is going with her boyfriend. Things will come to a head after the prom.

I thought this was one of the better books in the series. As with the others, there is some gore. The illustrations are done very well.

The Boat People / Sharon Bala
4 stars

In 2009 or 2010 a boat of refugees arrived in British Columbia. There were over 500 people aboard, coming from Sri Lanka. This really happened, and this book is a fictionalized version of this. The refugees were “detained” (basically, jailed) until they had their initial hearings (just as to whether or not they were allowed into Canada at all; later hearings determine whether or not they can stay.)

Mahindan is a mechanic and has arrived with a young son (5 or 6 years old); unfortunately, his son is not allowed to be detained with his father, so he is initially sent with some of the women detainees and their children, and later placed with a Canadian foster family. Priya is studying to become a lawyer; she wants to be a corporate lawyer, but is assigned to help as counsel for the refugees. Grace has been assigned as an adjudicator for the hearings; she has been informed by a government minister of (I think) public security to be wary and watch for the terrorists who are aboard, because he is certain some of them are.

The story is told from all three viewpoints. Priya has a Sri Lankan background, but does not speak the language. Grace’s background is Japanese and her family has been in Canada for a few generations now (her grandparents and parents were interred in the Japanese concentration camps during WWII. The two women learn more about their families’ backgrounds, as well.

This was really good. I was really frustrated with Grace for – what I felt was – relying too much on Fred’s (the minister’s) rhetoric. I guess I wanted to believe all of their stories. I wasn’t as interested in Mahindan’s background in Sri Lanka – well, some was interesting, but I did lose a bit of focus when talking about his courtship to his son’s mother. Without giving too much away, I really had no idea how it would end, and yet I was still surprised.

Fraternity – Diane Brady
3***

Not sure this is really a subtitle, but printed on the cover is this statement: In 1968, a visionary priest recruited 20 black men to the College of the Holy Cross and changed their lives and the course of history.

This was a very interesting look at how their experience at Holy Cross influenced these young men. Their time in college coincided with my own years at Marquette University (another Jesuit institution). The historical events depicted were familiar to me and really took me back to those days.

Brady focuses on seven of the recruits: Stanley Grayson, Gilbert Hardy, Eddie Jenkins, Edward P Jones, Arthur Martin, Clarence Thomas and Theodore Wells. All but one of these men went on to law school and had distinguished careers. Clarence Thomas, of course, is now a U.S. Supreme Court justice. The lone non-lawyer is Edward P Jones, who penned the Pulitzer-prize-winning The Known World and is a professor at Georgetown University (yet another Jesuit institution).

But the person who really stands out in this tale is Rev. John Brooks, the priest who recruited the students, fought for funds, mentored them, championed their causes, and kept them engaged and focused on the goal – a sterling education that would give them the boost they needed to succeed.

All About All About Eve: The Complete Behind-the-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made!
Sam Staggs
4/5 stars
This was an interesting look at the movie and eventually a play called All About Eve. The movie stars Bette Davis and Anne Baxter as rivals in the theater, one is on her way up and one is on her way down in their careers. Sam Staggs does a thorough job detailing the behind the scenes story of the movie, the actors and the drama on the set and off the set. He also discusses the musical stage version that starred Lauren Bacall years later after the original movie came out. This is definitely for movie buffs. I don’t think I have ever read such a detailed account of the story of a movie!

A Cold Heart by Jonathan Kellerman
5*****

LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis summons his friend psychologist-sleuth Alex Delaware to a trendy gallery where a promising young artists has been brutally garroted on the night of her first major showing. The details of the murder scene immediately suggest to Alex not an impulsive crime of passion but the meticulous and taunting modus operandi of a serial killer. Delaware's suspicions are borne out when he and Milo find a link between the artist's death and the murder of a noted blues guitarist.

An interesting take on relationships, Alex and Milo, and Petra introduced in an earlier, standalone novel. Also converging is the world of art in its many guises: jazz and classical performances, seedy nightclubs and struggling art galleries, and the fan-zines.

In this case, a sequence of murders occur to artists who are making professional comebacks in all these fields that Petra begins to investigate with her new partner, the silent and stoic Eric. She calls in Milo and Alex, and each of them handles seemingly innocuous details of these cases in their own unique way.

The point-of-view of each Petra and Alex chapters are separate, and the aspects of the cases they work are clear and unmuddied. In addition to the police procedural chapters there are the psychological insights into the killers' motives: as we trace a car at a junkyard, the questions begin about the young man who abandoned it and what happened in his family to make him commit these crimes.

And of course there is the grit of after-hours Los Angeles alongside the privilege and glitter of Century Center and Bristol. And academia and hard-edged police work and trying to work through personal relationships to humanize the main characters.