What Are We Reading And Reviewing in June 2020?
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2Carol420
📌 - ★
Carol's Reads for June
📌Hell's Corner - David Baldacci - 4★ (Group read)
📌The Year The Swallows Came Early - Kathryn Fitzmaurice - 4★
📌The Shack - William R. Young - 2★
📌Knots In My Yo-Yo String - Jerry Spinelli - 5★
📌All That Remains - Patricia Cornwell -3 ★
📌A Dangerous Man Robert Crais - 3.5★ (Pick A Winner)
📌Murder The March Hare - H. Lyall - 3.5★ (Early Reviewers)
📌Deception Point - Dan Brown - 5★
📌The Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly - 4★
📌The Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertali - 4★
📌Face of A Stranger - Anne Perry - 4★
📌Point of Impact - Stephen Hunter - 4★
📌The Sun Down Motel - Simone St. James - 5★
📌The Visitor - Amanda Stevens - 5★ (Reread)
📌We Speak In Storms -Natalie Lund - 5★
📌And The Trees Crept In - Dawn Kurtagich - 3★
📌Panic - Lauren Oliver - 4★
📌The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters - Amy Lane - 4.5★
📌A Living Nightmare - Darren Shan- 4★
📌The Guest Cat - Takashi Hiraide - 4★
📌Cardiff By the Sea - Joyce Carol Oats - 3★
📌All Through The Night - Suzanne Brockmann - 5★ (Reread)
📌North of Nowhere - Liz Kessler - 4★
📌Walk The Wire - David Baldacci - 4★
📌When Ghosts Speak - Mary Ann Winkowski - 3.5★
📌Breaking Point - N.R. Walker - 5★
📌Clarity of Lines - N.R. Walker - 4.5★
📌The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald - Frederick Stonehouse - 5★
📌Home For The Haunting - Juliet Blackwell - 3★
📌How To Speak Chicken - Melissa Caughey - 4★
📌The Dreaming Jewels - Theodore Sturgeon - 4★
📌Cover of Snow - Jenny Milchman - 4.5★
📌Human Remains - Elizabeth Haynes - 2.5★
3threadnsong
Thinking back to the Biographies, Autobiographies, Memoirs group on (sigh!) Shelfari, I pulled three from my shelves:
A Tale of Two Maidens by Anne Echols
Dinner with DiMaggio by Dr. Rock Positano (because, baseball)
Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
I'm also finishing (I hope!) The Image of the King. It's quite good and depicts the rule of Charles I/Cromwell/Charles II through the paintings of the two monarchs. And it's a period of British history with which I'm not terribly familiar.
And The Bear and the Nightingale showed up in my mailbox as a gift (the entire trilogy was sent) and this is a great read.
Maybe if I get around to it I'll start The Two Towers. It's been a year since I finished "Fellowship" so I should probably make sure the plot continues as I remember it!
A Tale of Two Maidens by Anne Echols
Dinner with DiMaggio by Dr. Rock Positano (because, baseball)
Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
I'm also finishing (I hope!) The Image of the King. It's quite good and depicts the rule of Charles I/Cromwell/Charles II through the paintings of the two monarchs. And it's a period of British history with which I'm not terribly familiar.
And The Bear and the Nightingale showed up in my mailbox as a gift (the entire trilogy was sent) and this is a great read.
Maybe if I get around to it I'll start The Two Towers. It's been a year since I finished "Fellowship" so I should probably make sure the plot continues as I remember it!
4Carol420
All Through The Night - Suzanne Brockmann
Troubleshooter series Book #12
5★
It's Christmastime in Boston, and this year the silver bells will be wedding bells as FBI agent Jules Cassidy ties the knot with the man of his dreams, Hollywood heartthrob Robin Chadwick. The pair plan a quiet, intimate ceremony, to be witnessed by family and close friends from the FBI, SEAL Team Sixteen, and Troubleshooters, Incorporated, including Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke. But the holiday season brings more to the happy couple than they expect. But nothing will stop Jules and Robin from getting their happy ending, because along with a guest list featuring the most elite counterterrorism force in the world, they have their own secret weapon-true love
I have been a huge fan of this series for more years that I care to remember…but this book and these two characters have, through the years, remained my absolutely favorites. I have read and re-read this book at least a dozen times or more. Nearly all of the Troubleshooter gang makes an appearance to celebrate the upcoming marriage of their friends, Jules and Robin. It’s a romance…it has many comical situations and expressions… it’s a story about true love in the time where few states allowed a group of people to legally express that love with marriage. It's an entertaining read, like all of Suzanne Brockmann's books. On a personal note: I have two very dear friends who married only a few years ago but thankfully that didn’t stop them from having and raising a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent son together with both of them being “Dad” to him. I never read this book without thinking of what a welcome and positive message and tribute it presented to my two dear and wonderful friends and to what they have shared over their many years together when parts of the world tried to say they couldn’t.
5Carol420
And The Trees Crept In - Dawn Kurtagich
3★
When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?
This would have made a better movie… but since it’s a book…I have to say that it’s a lot to be taken in. I love horror movies and ghost stories as most of you know. The fun thing for me about reading rather than watching is being able to put my own mental movie together with the help of the author’s words…this one was difficult to do that with. I have to give it high marks for being creepy and it had the ability to give the reader the feeling of “wrongness” long after the final page. The main thing that was “wrong” about it at least for me… was the lack of real development of the characters. So much went into the development of the “Creeper Man”, who was a great character…that the girls and their aunt became “second class citizens” of the storyline. The actions of the girls made them seem so much younger than they were supposed to be and the ending was…well, just an ending. The way it was done was almost nonsensical. I don’t think anyone that is a true horror fan is going to be enthralled with it...However If you just want a few hours of being scared…this will do that for you.
6Carol420
Knots In My Yo-Yo- String - Jerry Spinelli
5★
"A master of those embarrassing, gloppy, painful, and suddenly wonderful things that happen on the razor's edge between childhood and full-fledged adolescence" (The Washington Post), From first memories through high school, including first kiss, first punch, first trip to the principal's office, and first humiliating sports experience, this is not merely an account of a highly unusual childhood. Rather, like Spinelli's fiction, its appeal lies in the accessibility and universality of his life.
Memories are precious things. I can’t image how bleak the world would be if we suddenly lost the ability to return to happy, simpler times that we all have. This little book allows most of us…at least those of us over thirty… to take a trip back in 148 pages of pure bliss. The author is just a few years older than I am… but we share a lot of those same memories. For me it was a time when summer never seemed to end…Saturdays were taken up with Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy reruns, Leave It to Beaver and Sky King…all in black & white pre-techno glory…everyone I knew lived in a house with only one bathroom and one telephone, which was plugged into the wall somewhere…one TV that maybe got 3 channels clearly if you were lucky…and only one car…not per person but for the entire family. However did we survive? I revisited those memories with every chapter. Chapters, by the way that are short….some really short. It’s just a book about growing up and the fun and disappointments, and mistakes, of being a kid. Teachers will find it perfect for their classes from 3rd grade up…and teachers beware: if you can relate to any of it…you can count yourself a part of history not to mention that your class will know just how old you really are :)
7LibraryCin
Escape to the Wild: A Family's Return to Simplicity / Abrea HJejlskov
3.75 stars
This Danish author and her husband decided to take their family and live off the grid in the forest in Sweden for one year. Though it doesn’t say it in the book, the back cover says it has turned into six years. This included four children – 15-year old twins, an 11-year old, and a something(11?)-month old.
I love the idea of it, of anyone who is able to do this. It was really hard (no surprise, really). They had some help from another guy who’d done it once before and decided to “join” them (a little ways away) and do it again. Others came by, as well, as the author did write a blog, so people knew what they were doing (though she didn’t mention it often, nor mention how she was posting, how often, etc – though eventually she did mention having a generator that was rarely used; it died in the fall, anyway). Boy, those two sure did have some anger issues, though. There was a lot of fighting between them. I imagine it was incredibly stressful, but I certainly didn’t expect all the anger. The author did address this later in the book – that she had focused more on the conflict and not the things they enjoyed.
3.75 stars
This Danish author and her husband decided to take their family and live off the grid in the forest in Sweden for one year. Though it doesn’t say it in the book, the back cover says it has turned into six years. This included four children – 15-year old twins, an 11-year old, and a something(11?)-month old.
I love the idea of it, of anyone who is able to do this. It was really hard (no surprise, really). They had some help from another guy who’d done it once before and decided to “join” them (a little ways away) and do it again. Others came by, as well, as the author did write a blog, so people knew what they were doing (though she didn’t mention it often, nor mention how she was posting, how often, etc – though eventually she did mention having a generator that was rarely used; it died in the fall, anyway). Boy, those two sure did have some anger issues, though. There was a lot of fighting between them. I imagine it was incredibly stressful, but I certainly didn’t expect all the anger. The author did address this later in the book – that she had focused more on the conflict and not the things they enjoyed.
8LibraryCin
7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga / David Alexander Robertson, Scott B. Henderson (ill.)
4.5 stars
In this graphic novel, Edwin learns from his mother the history, going back seven generations, of their family and his people, the First Nations Cree. We learn about fighting between the Cree and Blackfoot, then when smallpox hit, then the residential schools in the 1960s, where Edwin’s father and uncle attended.
Wow, this started off with a very powerful chapter, as Edwin tries to kill himself as his mother rushes to him in the hospital. Particularly powerful, again, with Edwin’s father and uncle at the residential school. It was a story of Edwin not only learning about the past, but having to come to terms with all of it and to forgive his father. It is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel, in colour.
4.5 stars
In this graphic novel, Edwin learns from his mother the history, going back seven generations, of their family and his people, the First Nations Cree. We learn about fighting between the Cree and Blackfoot, then when smallpox hit, then the residential schools in the 1960s, where Edwin’s father and uncle attended.
Wow, this started off with a very powerful chapter, as Edwin tries to kill himself as his mother rushes to him in the hospital. Particularly powerful, again, with Edwin’s father and uncle at the residential school. It was a story of Edwin not only learning about the past, but having to come to terms with all of it and to forgive his father. It is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel, in colour.
9Carol420
The Year The Swallows Came Early - Kathryn Fritzmaurice
4★
"Expect the unexpected." That's what Eleanor "Groovy" Robinson's horoscope says the morning everything begins to change. Suddenly, her father is in jail, her plans to attend culinary school when she grows up fall apart, and it feels like maybe nothing will ever be right again. But the swallows that return to her coastal town every year bring a message of hope with them that even Groovy can't ignore. Can she forgive the failings of someone she loves in order to bring her family back together again?
I really liked the character of Groovy and her story of coming to terms with the betrayal within her own family. What I really had a difficult time with was figuring out the passage of time between scenes and the time of year it was supposed to be. The story was very well told with a good plot. Groovy was a very mature young lady, that despite her hardships and the faults and challenges her parents presented, she loved both of them very much and remained a loyal and faithful daughter. The ending was great filled with forgiveness and love. Good first book Ms. Fritzmaurice.
10BookConcierge
Odds Against – Dick Francis
Audiobook performed by Geoffrey Howard
3.5***
From the book jacket: Steeplechase jockey Sid Halley was forced to retire when a devastating accident crippled his left hand. Now he spends his days working for a detective agency. Recently separated from his wife, he struggled to adjust not only to his new single life out of racing but also to his handicap. On a routine stakeout, he walks straight into a bullet and his life is changed – again. Halley searched for the man who shot him. The trail leads back to the racetracks, and points to a wicked conspiracy. Halley is the only one who can stop it, and the odds are against him….
My reactions:
I’ve read a couple of Dick Francis mysteries, but this is the first in a series, starring Sid Halley. I really liked how Francis gave us Halley’s background and set up potential continuing relationships for future books in the series.
I would classify this plot less as a traditional mystery, and more of a thriller. Halley (and the reader) know pretty quickly who’s behind the nefarious doings at the track, though there’s a bit of a question as to why and how, and not all the accomplices are known immediately. Halley is tenacious, intelligent, a quick-thinker, and a realist. I like the way he thinks.
The plot moves quickly and there’s enough action and intrigue to keep me interested.
Geoffrey Howard does a fine job performing the audiobook. I like his pacing and the way he voices the characters, particularly Sid and his sidekick, Chico. There are several audio editions with different narrators
11LibraryCin
The Third Chimpanzee / Jared Diamond
4 stars
This one looks at humans as animals and compares them to our wild counterparts. It looks at evolution, culture, genocide, language, sex, art, and more. It also looks at how we are affecting the planet and other species.
This might be my favourite Diamond book. I think the closer look at other species is what did that for me. I listened to the audio.
4 stars
This one looks at humans as animals and compares them to our wild counterparts. It looks at evolution, culture, genocide, language, sex, art, and more. It also looks at how we are affecting the planet and other species.
This might be my favourite Diamond book. I think the closer look at other species is what did that for me. I listened to the audio.
12Carol420
When Ghosts Speak - Mary Ann Winkowski
3.5★
Lights flicker on and off for no good reason. You feel drained and inexplicably irritable. Your four-year-old is scared to enter her bedroom. Tell these things to Mary Ann Winkowski, and she'll tell you that you have a ghost. A happily married, devout Catholic, suburban mother and full-time paranormal investigator, Mary Ann Winkowski has been able to see earthbound spirits, spirits that are trapped on earth and haven't "crossed over," since she was a little girl. Mary Ann works with these spirits to help them make peace with what keeps them here - whether it be people they can't let go of or homes they love. In When Ghosts Speak, Mary Ann will tell the amazing story of growing up with this gift, and will share tips on how to recognize when you're not alone, and what to do if you are in the presence of a ghost.
Nothing personal Ms. Winkowski but as much as I love ghost stories and the idea of them...I really don't care to have afternoon tea with one...and I probably would question the sanity of someone that reported that they have tea with their very own personal ghost on a daily basis. As Stephen King once wrote.."sometimes dead is better". The book is interesting and highly entertaining rather you believe in ghosts or not...Ms. Winkowski obviously does and so do the people that ask for her advise. The thing that has always bothered me about the people that actively invite them to come into their lives...the ghost hunters...the mediums and so forth...is that they are really dealing with an huge unknown quality and it's odd that no supposed haunting is really ever the same. If this is possible...and I say a big "IF"...it seems that what you have encouraged may not be your sweet old aunt...your loving child...or anything you would would really want to entertain and may not be able to send back.
13JulieLill
Blade Runner aka Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K. Dick
3/5 stars
In the future (which is 1992 in the book), Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tracks down human replicants who are no longer allowed on Earth. However, life on Earth is no bed of roses. People are obsessed with owning real animals because there are so few left. Deckard’s new assignment is to track down 6 androids that have returned to Earth from Mars and kill them. It has been awhile since I have seen the film but the film really strays from the book IMO. However, I thought this was an interesting look at a possible dark future for Earth.
Philip K. Dick
3/5 stars
In the future (which is 1992 in the book), Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tracks down human replicants who are no longer allowed on Earth. However, life on Earth is no bed of roses. People are obsessed with owning real animals because there are so few left. Deckard’s new assignment is to track down 6 androids that have returned to Earth from Mars and kill them. It has been awhile since I have seen the film but the film really strays from the book IMO. However, I thought this was an interesting look at a possible dark future for Earth.
14LibraryCin
Seven Lies / Elizabeth Kay
4 stars
Jane and Marnie have been best friends since they were 11-years old. They’ve done everything together. As adults, though, Jane is now confessing (to the reader) that she told Marnie seven (big) lies; the first one was a lie that she liked Marnie’s boyfriend, Charles.
It’s not fast-paced, but I wanted to know what would happen. It’s one of those potentially unreliable narrators, as you wonder if Jane is telling the truth, or what really happened. I’m not sure I really liked any of the characters, but that didn’t change that it was still compelling reading for me.
4 stars
Jane and Marnie have been best friends since they were 11-years old. They’ve done everything together. As adults, though, Jane is now confessing (to the reader) that she told Marnie seven (big) lies; the first one was a lie that she liked Marnie’s boyfriend, Charles.
It’s not fast-paced, but I wanted to know what would happen. It’s one of those potentially unreliable narrators, as you wonder if Jane is telling the truth, or what really happened. I’m not sure I really liked any of the characters, but that didn’t change that it was still compelling reading for me.
15Carol420
The Visitor - Amanda Stevens
The Graveyard Queen series Book #4
5★
Restoring lost and abandoned cemeteries is my profession, but I'm starting to believe that my true calling is deciphering the riddles of the dead. Legend has it that Kroll Cemetery is a puzzle no one has ever been able to solve. For over half a century, the answer has remained hidden within the strange headstone inscriptions and intricate engravings. Because uncovering the mystery of that tiny, remote graveyard may come at a terrible price. Years after their mass death, Ezra Kroll's disciples lie unquiet, their tormented souls trapped within the walls of Kroll Cemetery, waiting to be released by someone strong and clever enough to solve the puzzle. For whatever reason, I'm being summoned to that graveyard by both the living and the dead. Every lead I follow, every clue I unravel brings me closer to an unlikely killer and to a destiny that will threaten my sanity and a future with my love, John Devlin.
I started reading this series about eight of nine years ago and couldn't get enough. Since this is book #4 I know that I have read it before but after several thousand books... (that may be a slight exaggeration...or maybe not), I had forgotten a lot...so rereading was like visiting a friend you haven't seen in many years. There was a long wait for awhile there and I feared that something had "got" The Graveyard Queen and we had seen the last of her, but hoping that Amanda Stevens wouldn't do that to us. Amelia is a wonderful and believable character whose presence dominates the pages. The series is a plethora of chilling ghost stories. I love these stories and the entire idea of a cemetery restorer with a little something extra. Stevens creates vivid imagery that allows the reader to form their own "visions". A ghost story "movie" in your own head. Her career and passion of restoring old cemeteries seems to be...at least to me...the most interesting "job" in the entire world.
16LibraryCin
Fire in the Turtle House / Osha Gray Davidson
4 stars
Beginning in the late 1970s, green sea turtles were appearing in very high numbers with tumors on them. Turtles in Hawaii, Florida and the Caribbean, independently. There weren’t many, but there were a few, who wanted to find out what was causing this.
Sea turtles (or any turtles) are one animal I’ve not read much about. Although, this was more about digging to find what was causing the tumors. (I’ll give you two (broad) guesses and the first one doesn’t count.) This book was published in 2001; I can’t imagine things have gotten better in the meantime. This has been on my tbr for ages – I have no idea why it took me so long to read it.
4 stars
Beginning in the late 1970s, green sea turtles were appearing in very high numbers with tumors on them. Turtles in Hawaii, Florida and the Caribbean, independently. There weren’t many, but there were a few, who wanted to find out what was causing this.
Sea turtles (or any turtles) are one animal I’ve not read much about. Although, this was more about digging to find what was causing the tumors. (I’ll give you two (broad) guesses and the first one doesn’t count.) This book was published in 2001; I can’t imagine things have gotten better in the meantime. This has been on my tbr for ages – I have no idea why it took me so long to read it.
17Carol420
>16 LibraryCin: I was very interested in your review of this book. During my 28 years with the zoo I was fortunate that the zoo paid for myself and a co-worker to attend an event call "Turtle Watch" that was run by the different conservation departments to aid the green sea turtle. We made over the years 5 different trips. We watched...(literally) the turtles come on shore and dig the nest and lay the eggs and then we guarded them against the birds and poachers. We were only on site for two weeks and then some other team took over and saw to the hatching and the movement of the baby turtles to the water. We wrote and set back tons of reports so there wasn't a lot of outside sightseeing but this was a group of biologist and conservation educators so we were in 7th Heaven. It was fascinating.. plus I got to visit Hawaii, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Aruba and The British Virgin Islands. I'm telling you...I had the best job in the whole world.
18JulieLill
The First Phone Call from Heaven
Mitch Albom
3.5/5 stars
Coldwater, Michigan is the site of a very small town but unbeknownst to its citizens, it will soon be the gathering place of thousands of people when word gets out that citizens are receiving phone calls from relatives who have died. Is this a hoax? Sully Harding believes so and sets out to prove that the town’s people are getting the wool pulled over their eyes. I thought was a sweet novel about faith and really enjoyed it.
Mitch Albom
3.5/5 stars
Coldwater, Michigan is the site of a very small town but unbeknownst to its citizens, it will soon be the gathering place of thousands of people when word gets out that citizens are receiving phone calls from relatives who have died. Is this a hoax? Sully Harding believes so and sets out to prove that the town’s people are getting the wool pulled over their eyes. I thought was a sweet novel about faith and really enjoyed it.
19Carol420
>18 JulieLill: I believe this is also on DVD. I remember watching a couple of his books on DVD with by mother. I know that The five People you Meet in Heaven is on DVD.
20Carol420
The Tea Rose - Jennifer Donnelly
Tea Rose Series Book #1
4★
East London…1888…a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores, and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night, where bright hopes meet the darkest truths. Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, a bright and defiant young woman dares to dream of a life beyond tumbledown wharves, gas lit alleys, and the grim and crumbling dwellings of the poor. Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams. But Fiona's dreams are shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything-and everyone-she holds dear. Fearing her own death at the dark man's hands, she is forced to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit-and the ghosts of her past-propel her rise from a modest west side shop front to the top of Manhattan's tea trade.
Jennifer Donnelly is an author that I've never read before. The book was well done and I especially liked the way the author could make you hear the characters accents by the way she structured her sentences, making it a fascinating historical saga. She also gave the reader characters that you could care about and create some attachment to. Joe and Fiona quickly become a part of the readers “family” and made you hope that things were going to turn out for these two in spite of the hardships their lives had become. Throwing Jack the Ripper into the mix was a bit of over indulgence and the story could have moved along without it. Overall a good read but 772 pages make the book overly long.
21LibraryCin
>17 Carol420: Oh, wow! That sounds amazing!
I feel like I didn't do a great review, but it's something you might find interesting.
I feel like I didn't do a great review, but it's something you might find interesting.
22LibraryCin
The Rosie Project / Graeme Simsion
4.33 stars (average over 3 reads)
2015 read: Don is a professor and has only three friends. He is extremely socially awkward. He decides to start “The Wife Project” and comes up with a questionnaire to filter out any unsuitable candidates. His friend Gene goes over some of the applicants to help Don out and sends over Rosie. Don can't figure out why Rosie, as she is completely unsuitable!
I loved this! Don and his never-ending quirks... It's a fun, humourous, happy read. I did feel badly for Gene's wife, though.
2016 reread: The first time I read this, I gave it 5 stars. I think I felt similarly as the first time throughout most of it and last time, maybe upped my star rating for the ending. This time around I’m leaving my rating, overall, at 4 stars. It was still enjoyable and still humourous, and to be honest, I’d forgotten most of what happened in the book, which was nice for a reread. This time around, though, I do think the 5 stars was a bit too much.
2020 reread: This is my 3rd time reading this (the 2nd and 3rd times for different book clubs). I gave it 5 stars the first time around, and I suspect that was mostly due to the ending. The 2nd time and this time around, it’s a 4 star read. It is quite enjoyable and amusing. I listened to the audio this time, for something a bit different, and thought the narrator was quite good.
4.33 stars (average over 3 reads)
2015 read: Don is a professor and has only three friends. He is extremely socially awkward. He decides to start “The Wife Project” and comes up with a questionnaire to filter out any unsuitable candidates. His friend Gene goes over some of the applicants to help Don out and sends over Rosie. Don can't figure out why Rosie, as she is completely unsuitable!
I loved this! Don and his never-ending quirks... It's a fun, humourous, happy read. I did feel badly for Gene's wife, though.
2016 reread: The first time I read this, I gave it 5 stars. I think I felt similarly as the first time throughout most of it and last time, maybe upped my star rating for the ending. This time around I’m leaving my rating, overall, at 4 stars. It was still enjoyable and still humourous, and to be honest, I’d forgotten most of what happened in the book, which was nice for a reread. This time around, though, I do think the 5 stars was a bit too much.
2020 reread: This is my 3rd time reading this (the 2nd and 3rd times for different book clubs). I gave it 5 stars the first time around, and I suspect that was mostly due to the ending. The 2nd time and this time around, it’s a 4 star read. It is quite enjoyable and amusing. I listened to the audio this time, for something a bit different, and thought the narrator was quite good.
23Carol420
The Shack - William Young
2★
Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.
I can only describe the story as overly religious with a supposedly positive message that in the end only leaves you wondering…about a lot of things. I realize that the father had lost his child…didn’t know if she was dead or alive…but God writing notes and spending time with this man in a shack???? I couldn’t even decide what rating I wanted to give the book….so with the roll of the dice (figuratively, not actually)…it got a 2. In all fairness the book is not intended to be about theology. I believe the biggest turn off for me was the genre of the book was less than truthful from the start. It claimed to be a true story…but turns out that was more than likely not the case at all…it reads as fiction. I have read and enjoyed this author's work in the past so was very surprised by this one. Must have been that some editor thought that the "true story" claim would generate more sales.
24JulieLill
>19 Carol420: According to IMDB The First Phone Call from Heaven is still in development but The Five People You Meet In Heaven is in my library system.
25Carol420
>24 JulieLill: You are right. Wonder how long it's going to take???
26JulieLill
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle
4/5 stars
This is the first book in L’Engle’s series about the Murry family whose husband and father goes missing on a space mission. Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin O’Keefe go looking for him with the help of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit. I had read this book decades ago but never read the entire series. So I thought it was about time that I did and I thoroughly enjoyed this first book and look forward to the rest of the series.
Madeleine L'Engle
4/5 stars
This is the first book in L’Engle’s series about the Murry family whose husband and father goes missing on a space mission. Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace and friend Calvin O’Keefe go looking for him with the help of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit. I had read this book decades ago but never read the entire series. So I thought it was about time that I did and I thoroughly enjoyed this first book and look forward to the rest of the series.
27Carol420
All That Remains
Kay Scarpetta series Book #3
3★
In Richmond, Virginia, young lovers are dying. So far, four couples in the area have disappeared, only to be found months later as mutilated corpses. When the daughter of the president's newest drug czar vanishes along with her boyfriend, Dr. Kay Scarpetta knows time is short. Following a macabre trail of evidence that ties the present homicides to a grisly crime in the past, Kay must draw upon her own personal resources to track down a murderer who is as skilled at eliminating clues as Kay is at finding them.
Another reread for me but it’s been so long since I read it was almost new again. Politics plays a big role in this book and the author explores the effects of it on people's lives…which I found didn’t add very much to the story. Politics tends to make things convoluted and talk about views and positions on issues is not something I really want or need in my fiction. It seems that this author… and this series… is one that you either really like or one that you really don’t. Book #3 still presents a fairly good story without all the baggage that comes in later books.
28BookConcierge
An Echo In the Bone – Diana Gabaldon
Audible audio performed by Davina Porter
3.5****
NOTE: If you have NOT read the previous books, you’ll find some spoilers for those works herein.
Book # 7 in the incredibly addictive (for good reason) Outlander series, continues the saga of Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser as the American Revolution gears up and Jamie is caught between an oath to support the King and his knowledge that the Americans will win (no spoiler here, I hope). His main concern, however, is avoiding having to face his son, who is now a lieutenant in the British army, on the battlefield.
Meanwhile … forward in time to 1969, Brianna and Roger MacKenzie have settled in Scotland and have discovered a treasure-trove of letters left to them by Claire and Roger.
I really enjoy the historical inferences in these books. I’ve been to Fort Ticonderoga, and reading those chapters were intensely vivid for me because I’ve walked those grounds and seen the battle stations (not to mention the stunning views). Gabaldon peoples this volume with more real historical figures, including Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold. The dangers were real and the author does a fine job of putting Jamie, Claire and Ian right into the action. I also appreciated the expanded roles of Sir John Gray and Ian MacKenzie.
On the other hand … I thought I was done with Brianna’s drama, but no. She’s fighting for her rights as a woman engineer against an entrenched male-dominated workforce. Roger is struggling to find his path, still suffering from the after-effects of
In addition to being tired of Brianna, the thing that I disliked is that Gabaldon could not help but go back to the time travel aspect. And it’s a doozy! Finally, she ends this book with several cliff-hangers, and that’s a pet peeve of mine. Trust your readers to want to read your next book, don’t “force” them to do so.
So I would have rated this 4**** save for that cliff-hanger (multiple story-lines need to be resolved) ending.
As for the audio…. Davina Porter gets 5***** and a ❤ for her outstanding performance of these works. She does an amazing job. I could listen to her for hours (and I did).
29LibraryCin
Kingdom Under Glass / Jay Kirk
3.5 stars
Carl Akeley (1864-1926) was a famous taxidermist, most notable for setting up dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History. He spent much time in Africa with this two successive wives, on hunting safaris, looking for the perfect specimens for scientific posterity.
I had a bit of a hard time with this. It’s an interesting story and he had an interesting life (he also invented a few things, one of them highlighted in the book being a video camera to take nature videos), but I had a really hard time with the hunting – in my mind, it was just glorified trophy hunting. So wasteful – he would kill animals, but not even use them because they were not exactly what he was looking for for his imagined displays for the museum. He later did help start a sanctuary for gorillas, but only after he’d killed the ones he wanted, and he continued to kill other animals after. It did read like fiction, but the author has notes at the end to explain where he got much of his information and where he “expanded” and how he came to decide on telling it that way.
3.5 stars
Carl Akeley (1864-1926) was a famous taxidermist, most notable for setting up dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History. He spent much time in Africa with this two successive wives, on hunting safaris, looking for the perfect specimens for scientific posterity.
I had a bit of a hard time with this. It’s an interesting story and he had an interesting life (he also invented a few things, one of them highlighted in the book being a video camera to take nature videos), but I had a really hard time with the hunting – in my mind, it was just glorified trophy hunting. So wasteful – he would kill animals, but not even use them because they were not exactly what he was looking for for his imagined displays for the museum. He later did help start a sanctuary for gorillas, but only after he’d killed the ones he wanted, and he continued to kill other animals after. It did read like fiction, but the author has notes at the end to explain where he got much of his information and where he “expanded” and how he came to decide on telling it that way.
30Carol420
North of Nowhere -Liz Kessler
4★
A captivating adventure about family, friendship, and the bonds that bridge time. In a sleepy seaside village, Mia’s grandad has vanished, and Mia’s new friend, Dee, leaves notes, but never manages to meet Mia in person. Will Mia be able to solve the mystery of where—and when—her grandfather and friend might be before time and tide forever wash away their futures?
At first I didn’t quiet “get” why the disappearance of the grandfather didn’t produce more trauma than it appeared to…then “DAH”… I read that the book is written for 9-12 year olds… then it began to make a lot more sense and I started to read it as I would have if I was 12 years olds. Believe me folks…that nearly qualifies for ancient history:) Mia was a wonderful character. I’ve never read this author before but was impressed with her making the writing like it had been penned by a real kid. Mia’s relationship with her grandma starts off on a rather strained note…but they soon grow closer as they are both worried about grandpa. The theme of time travel was also done very well. Since no one has ever done it except in books like this there are usually some questions the reader will have about the logic…but I could find no real glaring holes or contradictions …but then if I was 12 years old I probably wouldn’t be looking for this. Good book and well worth the time to read. I’m not going to tell you how the missing grandpa mystery turns out. That would ruin the whole adventure for you if you choose to take a trip through time.
31Carol420
The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters - Amy Lane
Granby Knitting series Book#1
4.5★
Rance Crawford is an alpaca rancher, fiber mill owner, and self-proclaimed grumpy bastard. When sweet, charming tenderfoot Ben McCutcheon moves onto Crawford’s rural road, Rance is very aware that Ben makes it a grand total of two gay men in their tiny town, and even though he is instantly, painfully smitten, any move he makes could be simply chalked up to being hard up. Using his best weapon and favorite skill, Crawford launches an awkward, wordless effort to make sure Ben is kept warm during the cold Colorado winter, every last piece of him—especially his heart.
Truthfully...I picked up this book because 1. I loved the cover (bad reason to choose a book I know...but... and 2. I needed the story setting for...yes...another challenge. (sigh) Actually I became engrossed in the story and Rance's efforts...that most of the time went completely over Ben's head. I know little and care nothing at all about yarn or knitting even though I come from along line of knitters. Now the animals were a different story...give me animals that are cared for and loved in any story...any day. I loved the characters. The grumpy Rance Crawford who hoped to win Ben's heart by knitting him countless warm gifts. Ben who was just a "fish out of water."..but lovable and sometimes clueless. I also liked how Rance said what he meant and made no apologies for who he was. It was a nice to see that they became friends before they became lovers.
32JulieLill
A Wind in the Door
Madeleine L'Engle|
4/5 stars
This is the second book in the series about the Murry family. Charles Wallace Murray, who for the young age of 6 is already a genius, but he is now very sick. His mother fears it has something to do with his mitochondria. Meg, his sister, is determined to do something about it and with the help of her friend, Calvin O’Keefe she travels inside Charles’ body to fight an evil force that may kill him. L’Engle weaves such a tale of imagination that it is hard to put down.
Madeleine L'Engle|
4/5 stars
This is the second book in the series about the Murry family. Charles Wallace Murray, who for the young age of 6 is already a genius, but he is now very sick. His mother fears it has something to do with his mitochondria. Meg, his sister, is determined to do something about it and with the help of her friend, Calvin O’Keefe she travels inside Charles’ body to fight an evil force that may kill him. L’Engle weaves such a tale of imagination that it is hard to put down.
33LibraryCin
Revolution for Dummies / Bassem Youssef
4 stars
Bassem Youssef was a doctor before the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt in 2011. After that, he started doing short satirical/political videos on youtube, and from there, he started a tv show, and he became known as the Egyptian Jon Stewart. This book chronicles Youssef’s experience at this time in Egypt, and his escape from his home country in 2014.
This was very good. I learned at lot, and of course, it has a nice dose of humour to go along with it. There are some parallels with our Western/North American society, as well, some of which he mentions specifically, and some that just popped into my head. He did eventually come to the US, so he can see what’s happening there now (or at the time of writing). This was published in 2017, so still fairly recent.
4 stars
Bassem Youssef was a doctor before the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt in 2011. After that, he started doing short satirical/political videos on youtube, and from there, he started a tv show, and he became known as the Egyptian Jon Stewart. This book chronicles Youssef’s experience at this time in Egypt, and his escape from his home country in 2014.
This was very good. I learned at lot, and of course, it has a nice dose of humour to go along with it. There are some parallels with our Western/North American society, as well, some of which he mentions specifically, and some that just popped into my head. He did eventually come to the US, so he can see what’s happening there now (or at the time of writing). This was published in 2017, so still fairly recent.
34LibraryCin
Missing / Frances Itani
4 stars
In France, Luc was 12-years old in 1917 when he saw an air battle between one British and two German planes. The British plane came crashing down and Luc ran towards where the pilot landed. He was only able to notice/discover a few things before Germans shoo-ed him away, but enough to find out the pilot’s name, nationality (Canadian), and to collect a few souvenirs before heading home. Back in Nova Scotia, Jack Greenway’s parents are worried for their only son who went off to be a pilot in this war.
This is a very good short story. I would have loved for it to be longer, still, to be able to put more detail into the story. This was based on true events. Itani is a very good writer of war stories.
4 stars
In France, Luc was 12-years old in 1917 when he saw an air battle between one British and two German planes. The British plane came crashing down and Luc ran towards where the pilot landed. He was only able to notice/discover a few things before Germans shoo-ed him away, but enough to find out the pilot’s name, nationality (Canadian), and to collect a few souvenirs before heading home. Back in Nova Scotia, Jack Greenway’s parents are worried for their only son who went off to be a pilot in this war.
This is a very good short story. I would have loved for it to be longer, still, to be able to put more detail into the story. This was based on true events. Itani is a very good writer of war stories.
35BookConcierge
The Art Of Travel – Alain de Botton
4****
Any travel guide will tell us where we should travel and what we should see when we get there. Alain de Botton tries to tell us WHY we should travel.
In various chapters he expounds on what it is that travel offers us. From new experiences to wonders (small and large), from expanding our cultural references, to finding the familiar in a completely foreign location. He waxes poetic on the anticipation of arriving at a new location, the marvels of modes of transportation, on “country” vs “city,” on finding beauty – in the familiar as well as the exotic.
Sprinkled throughout are numerous references to previous travelers: Gustave Flaubert, William Wordsworth, Vincent Van Gogh, etc; as well as illustrations that support his text (both photographs and paintings).
I think he has opened my eyes and I will feel more open about all experiences henceforth, whether just the comfort of my own bedroom, the promise of Spring outside my window, or the excitement of a location that is completely new to me.
I picked up this book because it was a selection for a book club discussion run by a local university. Alas, COVID19 cancelled that meeting. I hope they will put it on the agenda again in the future.
36JulieLill
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer
Fredrik Backman
5/5 stars
This story revolves around the time shared between a grandfather and his grandson as they discuss their wife/grandmother and evolves as they both age and take each other’s role in their lives. Backman’s doesn’t disappoint in this wonderful tale. Keep some tissues handy!
Fredrik Backman
5/5 stars
This story revolves around the time shared between a grandfather and his grandson as they discuss their wife/grandmother and evolves as they both age and take each other’s role in their lives. Backman’s doesn’t disappoint in this wonderful tale. Keep some tissues handy!
37Carol420
Deception Point - Dan Brown
5★
A shocking scientific discovery. A conspiracy of staggering brilliance. A thriller unlike any you've ever read....When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory -- a victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity of the find, the White House calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar Michael Tolland, Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery -- a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But before she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assassins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.
I liked the story. Along with ghost stories…stories about ”things from the far deep, corners of outer space” also get a second and third glance from me and usually end up on my reading shelf. Welcome aboard Deception Point! Readers may find the start of the story to drag a bit… but just keep reading…it will pick up. At the outset of the story…Rachel, who is a senator’s daughter and a member of the National Reconnaissance Office, whose job it is to digest information into reports used by the White House… is whisked off to a spot somewhere near the Arctic Circle where NASA is trying to recover a meteor with what looks like fossils of extraterrestrial life on it from underneath two hundred feet of ice. Of course things aren’t quite what they seem. We find a small band of Delta Force soldiers secretly watching the NASA encampment. The more that Rachel learns about the meteor…with the help of popular scientist Michael Tolland and a NASA techie by the name of Corky…the less sense things make. Dan Brown…as usual… knows his material and how to make the “do -hicky gadgetry” more believable than the some of the characters… point in evidence, the Delta Force soldiers’ guns that create bullets out of snow…really cool… but not easily believable. Not saying it's impossible...but... As I said, I liked the story enough to give it 5 stars but it could have done well without all the government shenanigans and secret plots.
38Carol420
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Simon series Book #1
4★
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.
The book will inspire all the human emotions to make an appearance. You will feel sorry for Simon...applause his courage...laugh many times with him and cry with him...above all you will cheer for him. You will also love and cheer for Simon's family and the way they handled their beloved son encouraging him to take caution but diffident steps for his life-time of happiness and confidence.
39Carol420
Face of A Stranger - Anne Perry
William Monk series Book #1
4★
His name, they tell him, is William Monk, and he is a London police detective. But the accident that felled him has left him with only half a life; his memory and his entire past have vanished. As he tries to hide the truth, Monk returns to work and is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a Crimean War hero and man about town. Which makes Monk's efforts doubly difficult, since he's forgotten his professional skills along with everything else.
This was one of my mother's favorite series. I had never read any of it..don't know why I hadn't...but while going through some of her books to keep and to donate...I found that she had 20 of the 24 books in this series. So instead of finishing this task I sat down to read. I became captivated with the character of William Monk who William Monk looks in the mirror, and doesn't know the man looking back at him. A horrible injury has erased his memory of most things but he does remember that he is a London police detective, and a not very popular one with his superior, who can't wait to show him the back side of the door. Monk's personality is questionable at best but as the layers are peeled away a smart and gifted investigator is revealed. Monk finds that he doesn't like some of what he learns about himself, like the fact that he has very few friends outside or inside of his work place and even fewer of his superiors who would go out of their way to aid him. The ending is emotional as this man learns that even he doesn't much care for the man in the mirror. I see why my mother loved this series. I will certainly make use of the other 19 that I now own.
40Carol420
Point of Impact - Steve Perry
Bob Lee Swagger series Book #1
4★
He was one the best Marine snipers in Vietnam. Today, twenty years later, disgruntled hero of an unheroic war, all Bob Lee Swagger wants to be left alone and to leave the killing behind. But with consummate psychological skill, a shadowy military organization seduces Bob into leaving his beloved Arkansas hills for one last mission for his country, unaware until too late that the game is rigged. The assassination plot is executed to perfection—until Bob Lee Swagger, alleged lone gunman, comes out of the operation alive, the target of a nationwide manhunt, his only allies a woman he just met and a discredited FBI agent. Now Bob Lee Swagger is on the run, using his lethal skills once more—but this time to track down the men who set him up and to break a dark conspiracy aimed at the very heart of America.
This is on DVD under the title "The Shooter". I own it and watch it often and I would give this movie a 5 star plus rating any day. it's exciting with more action than than you can imagine. Maybe this is why the book for me only got a 4 star rating...that excitement and action just didn't come off the page like it did on the screen...still it is a good read about a hero that got a raw deal from the people that he went to war for. It is based around a complex plot but it doesn't matter if you read the book or watch the DVD...it is a fantastic story that will bring tears to your eyes and goose-bumps to your flesh.
41BookConcierge
Tyrannosaur Canyon – Douglas Preston
Book on CD performed by Scott Sowers
4****
From the book jacket: A moon rock missing for thirty years … Five buckets of blood-soaked sand found in a New Mexico canyon … A scientist with ambition enough to kill … A monk who will redeem the world … A dark agency with a deadly mission … The greatest scientific discovery of all time… What fire bolt from the galactic dark shattered the Earth eons ago, and now hides in that remote cleft in the southwest United States known as Tyrannosaur Canyon?
My reactions:
This was one wild ride of a thriller! I was all set to follow independently wealth veterinarian Tom Broadbent not just through this novel, but any future ones. He has all the markings of a major series hero – wealth, good looks, a noble heart, the confidence and admiration of the community, and a wife who is both smart and beautiful. He’s also tenacious and does not suffer fools gladly, even when those fools are the police who seem to suspect HIM rather than listen to his story of the murdered prospector he found in the desert.
Tom’s got his work cut out for him in trying to find out the identity of the murdered man. He’s also determined to find out what the old man was up to. He recalls a visit to a monastery to treat their sheep and meeting a monk who had some experience with codes, so he decides to ask for the monk’s help in deciphering the dead man’s notebook.
The monk is an ex-CIA operative now living a life of contemplation in a remote monastery, and he is the character who steals the show. And then I realized that the series title is: Wyman Ford.
Plenty of action, more villains that you can shake a stick at, twists and turns and danger to keep the reader turning pages and trying (in vain, in my case at least) to guess where this is going. And I loved that the T-rex gets a few chapters of her own to “narrate.” I will say this, for all the testosterone on the pages, Preston’s women are no shrinking violets. They give as good (or better) than they get – smart, determined, strong in mind and body!
Scott Sowers does an excellent job reading the audiobook. He sets a good pace and has the skill to give the many characters sufficiently distinct voices. As a bonus, there is an interview with the author at the end of the audiobook. I found it fascinating to learn a little more of Preston’s background, including his years working for the American Museum of Natural History.
42LibraryCin
Kiss of the Fur Queen / Tomson Highway
3 stars
Champion (later Jeremiah) and Gabriel are Cree, living in northern Manitoba. When they are young, in the ‘60s, they are sent away to a residential school. This book follows them beyond the residential school as they grow into adults.
There was some magical realism in the book, which I’m not a fan of. It didn’t make sense to me. The book skipped ahead – skipped years in their lives – quite a bit. That is, we’d get a very brief time at their age, then suddenly (without any real indication beyond a new chapter or part), we would have advanced years. Some of it was good and held my interest, but much of it was also very vague, and you had to figure out what was going on... it wasn’t clear. I hate that. Despite this mostly negative-sounding review, I am rating the book “ok”, for the parts that I liked.
3 stars
Champion (later Jeremiah) and Gabriel are Cree, living in northern Manitoba. When they are young, in the ‘60s, they are sent away to a residential school. This book follows them beyond the residential school as they grow into adults.
There was some magical realism in the book, which I’m not a fan of. It didn’t make sense to me. The book skipped ahead – skipped years in their lives – quite a bit. That is, we’d get a very brief time at their age, then suddenly (without any real indication beyond a new chapter or part), we would have advanced years. Some of it was good and held my interest, but much of it was also very vague, and you had to figure out what was going on... it wasn’t clear. I hate that. Despite this mostly negative-sounding review, I am rating the book “ok”, for the parts that I liked.
43BookConcierge
The Mockingbird Next Door – Marja Mills
Audiobook narrated by Amy Lynn Stewart
3.5***
Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills was sent to Monroeville Alabama on an assignment – the Chicago Public Library had picked To Kill a Mockingbird for it’s “One Book, One Chicago” project and her editor wanted some background. She had no real hope of interviewing Harper Lee, but decided she had to at least try. So she went to the Lee sisters’ home and rang the doorbell. She met Alice who graciously invited her in and spoke at length and on the record for the newspaper article. The next day Alice gave Mills more time and introduced her to their long-time friend and minister. And then the unexpected happened… Nelle Harper Lee called Mills and suggested they meet.
Over time Mills became friends with the sisters. A health crisis required her to take a bit of a sabbatical, and a warmer climate and gentler lifestyle were recommended, so she decided to rent a house in Monroeville. And that house was right next door to the Lees. In this book, Mills tries to chronicle her experiences over several years of shared meals, drives in the country, trips to the cemetery, and Scotch on the front porch, and what she learned from the sisters about the South, religion, faith, family and justice.
I found it engaging and interesting, though at time repetitive. I’m aware of the controversy that surrounded its publication, but that did nothing to diminish my enjoyment of this book.
Amy Lynn Stewart does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. There were times when I felt that Nelle or Alice was speaking directly to me, relating a story about their parents or a cousin’s automobile mishap.
44JulieLill
The Rosie Result
Graeme Simsion
4/5 stars
Simsion returns with another novel revolving around Don Tillman who despite being autistic continues to learn and grow as a father and husband. This book focuses on the story of his son Hudson and his difficulties at school and making friends especially after the family moves to live in Australia when Rosie is offered a job there. Is Hudson autistic or just having difficulties with the move? How will the family deal with this new issue? I enjoy this series and was delighted to see what was in store for them!
Graeme Simsion
4/5 stars
Simsion returns with another novel revolving around Don Tillman who despite being autistic continues to learn and grow as a father and husband. This book focuses on the story of his son Hudson and his difficulties at school and making friends especially after the family moves to live in Australia when Rosie is offered a job there. Is Hudson autistic or just having difficulties with the move? How will the family deal with this new issue? I enjoy this series and was delighted to see what was in store for them!
45Carol420
The Guest Cat Takashi Hiraide
4★
A wonderful sui generis novel about a visiting cat who brings joy into a couple’s life in Tokyo
As an animal person...(anything except spiders)...and having been owned by several cats...I was interested in this little gem. I really expected there to be more story to the story...but what there was was touching. It's an account of how a little cat entered the hearts of a Japanese couple and brightened up their sterile lives. The cat chose to spend half its life with them and when it died they realized how much it had impacted them. If you've been owned by a cat ever in your life you can relate to how typical this is of these independent little creatures. We make them part of our families but never doubt for a moment that they are the ones who chose you and allowed you to be a part of their lives. All in all...it's a light and "fluffy" little book that's quick and easy to read.
46threadnsong
A Tale of Two Maidens by Anne Echols
5*****
During the Hundred Years' War, England seizes vast lands from France, even Paris itself. Mercenary soldiers called Scorchers ravage the countryside and terrified peasants flee to cities. . . . Meanwhile in Troyes, a town that lies on Jeanne's path to the coronation, two sisters play chess on a cold winter's night. for long stretches of the year, Ameline and Felise are on their own since their mother is dead and their father is a long-distance merchant. Because of his debts, the girls rely on Ameline's income as a dressmaker to put food on the table. Felise, an apprentice scribe, looks forward to the day she too can earn money by her own hand.
What a truly amazing, engrossing book! I had seen it mentioned on an earlier book site and Joan of Arc is one of my heroines. This book does her legend and her tribulations justice and lends life to her legend. As Ameline and Felise play chess one night, their world turns upside down, just as the book jacket says. Their sister, Charlotte, looks on.
When the events of this night occur, suddenly, Felise must then decide how she will take care of herself and Charlotte in what is, truly, a man's world. She is an apprentice scribe, not yet ready to earn her way in the world, and this skill does come into play in several places in the book. Most notably, she sees how Jeanne's factions are playing against her in the words that she is forced to record among the principals, although Felise does "edit" her work.
Medicine, warfare, starving soldiers, medieval towns, factions for and against the Dauphin, all are described and brought to life from the observations of a courageous, smart young woman.
5*****
During the Hundred Years' War, England seizes vast lands from France, even Paris itself. Mercenary soldiers called Scorchers ravage the countryside and terrified peasants flee to cities. . . . Meanwhile in Troyes, a town that lies on Jeanne's path to the coronation, two sisters play chess on a cold winter's night. for long stretches of the year, Ameline and Felise are on their own since their mother is dead and their father is a long-distance merchant. Because of his debts, the girls rely on Ameline's income as a dressmaker to put food on the table. Felise, an apprentice scribe, looks forward to the day she too can earn money by her own hand.
What a truly amazing, engrossing book! I had seen it mentioned on an earlier book site and Joan of Arc is one of my heroines. This book does her legend and her tribulations justice and lends life to her legend. As Ameline and Felise play chess one night, their world turns upside down, just as the book jacket says. Their sister, Charlotte, looks on.
When the events of this night occur, suddenly, Felise must then decide how she will take care of herself and Charlotte in what is, truly, a man's world. She is an apprentice scribe, not yet ready to earn her way in the world, and this skill does come into play in several places in the book. Most notably, she sees how Jeanne's factions are playing against her in the words that she is forced to record among the principals, although Felise does "edit" her work.
Medicine, warfare, starving soldiers, medieval towns, factions for and against the Dauphin, all are described and brought to life from the observations of a courageous, smart young woman.
47LibraryCin
Little Women / Louisa May Alcott
3.5 stars
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are sisters. Their father is away fighting in the Civil War. They don’t have a lot of money, but they are very loved. The make friends with the neighbour-boy next door, Laurie. They are all quite different personality-wise. This follows them as they grow from teenagers into adulthood.
This was good. I read it when I was much younger and did a reread via an audio book for my book club. My mind did travel a bit while listening but mostly it held my attention. I did remember most of it, I think, though more due to the movie from the ‘90s.
3.5 stars
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are sisters. Their father is away fighting in the Civil War. They don’t have a lot of money, but they are very loved. The make friends with the neighbour-boy next door, Laurie. They are all quite different personality-wise. This follows them as they grow from teenagers into adulthood.
This was good. I read it when I was much younger and did a reread via an audio book for my book club. My mind did travel a bit while listening but mostly it held my attention. I did remember most of it, I think, though more due to the movie from the ‘90s.
48Carol420
We Speak in Storms - Natalie Lund
5★
It's been more than 50 years since a tornado tore through a drive-in movie theater in tiny Mercer, Illinois, leaving dozens of teens -- a whole generation of Mercerites -- dead in its wake. So when another tornado touches down in the exact same spot on the anniversary of this small-town tragedy, the town is shaken. For Brenna Ortiz, Joshua Calloway, and Callie Keller, the apprehension is more than just a feeling. Though they seem to share nothing more than a struggle to belong, the teens' paths continue to intersect, bringing them together when they least expect it, and perhaps, when they need it most. Both the living and the dead have secrets and unresolved problems, but they may be able to find peace and move forward--if only they work together.
A beautifully written story of how important it is to not only find yourself..but even more important to find friends worth fighting for. The book was filled with very descriptive text that easily let the reader form pictures of a small mid-west town...a deadly tornado... three very different and diverse main characters...ghosts...bonds of friendship... grief, and regret. I know without a doubt that this book will reach and touch teen readers but it also has the ability to appeal to the adults in the reading world.
49BookConcierge
The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine – Alexander McCall Smith
Digital audiobook performed by Liset Lecat
3.5***
Book sixteen in the immensely popular – and equally enjoyable – series starring Mma Precious Ramotswe and other residents of Gabaron, Botswana. In this episode Mma Ramotswe is persuaded by Mma Grace Matekoni Radiputi to take a well-deserved vacation. Except that cases still come her way: from a troubled young boy to a politician whose reputation is being sullied.
I love this series for the gentle “mysteries of daily life” and for the wonderful way that Precious arrives at the truth and solves her cases. There are no gristly murders here, though there are mysteries of human behavior. There are lessons to be learned about relationships: with husbands, children, friends, colleagues. And Precious learns something about herself as well.
Spending time with the characters of these novels is like enjoying an afternoon libation on a patio in the sunshine. May we ALL walk in sunshine!
Liset Lecat is simply marvelous as the narrator of the series’ audiobooks. She brings these characters to life.
50Carol420
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Frederick Stonehouse
5★
The Edmund Fitzgerald, a colossal ore carrier, had been fighting her way through a pounding November storm on Lake Superior. Then the ships radar went out, and she started to take on water. Despite gale-force winds and thirty-foot seas, there was no reason to think the Fitzgerald wouldn’t find safe harbor at Whitefish Point, Michigan. The last words from the captain, Ernest McSorley, were “We are holding our own.” By all indications, the crew had no idea they were in mortal danger before they plunged to Lake Superior’s bottom with no chance to call for help.
As a “transplanted” citizen to Michigan I was…like most people that view these colossal lakes for the first time…literally speechless. Huge, gigantic, and all other adjectives that people strive to come up with to express their amazement are so inadequate. After I was here a few years and had visited and traveled all 5 of these “monster” waterways…the 4 within the borders of the U.S. and the one within Canadian waters…I took a real interest in the freighters that hauled their loads up and down these waterways…especially those that were unfortunate enough to rest on the BOTTOMS of these lakes with their cargo and sadly most or all of their crews. Shipwreck Museums are almost as popular with me as libraries. The Edmund Fitzgerald has always been one of my favorites and the author… that for more than half a century now… has told their stories was my source of accurate information. It seems unbelievable that this 729-foot…13,000 ton legend could have gone down in mere seconds taking all 29 members of her crew to 530 ft of frigid Canadian waters of the unpredictable, Lake Superior... but that is indeed what happened. The captain was in contact with another freighter…The Anderson…that had left Wisconsin loading docks at the same time as him, on November 10, 1975. The Coast Guard report indicated that their belief was that it either took on water in the long row of hatches where it’s load of iron ore pellets were stored or it hit a shoal and punctured it’s hull. 45 foot waves had been breaking her deck…a part of this November storm that has gone down as one of the worse in Lake Superior history. Whatever had happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald…and what happened to her crew… has never been really known only sumised based on what little facts they had. Mr. Stonehouse says that singer and song writer Gordon Lightfoot’s song The Ballad of The Edmund Fitzgerald is very close to what probably did happened. One of my biggest thrills was seeing the bell that has been since recovered and is housed at The Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Bay, Michigan.
51LibraryCin
Cat & Mouse / James Patterson
4 stars
Serial killer, Gary Soneji, is out of jail and looking for revenge on detective Alex Cross. He wants to kill Cross and his entire family. But, before doing so, he is leading up to it with other killings and taunting Cross. Meantime, Cross is attracted to his kids’ principal, but she is hesitant to date someone with his job.
I really liked this one. I remember the name Soneji, but don’t really remember details of him in the other books (this is 4th in the series), but it’s not necessary to remember anything about him to enjoy this one. If there was anything from the previous book(s) I needed to know, I was reminded of it. I liked the potential relationship between Alex and Christine.
4 stars
Serial killer, Gary Soneji, is out of jail and looking for revenge on detective Alex Cross. He wants to kill Cross and his entire family. But, before doing so, he is leading up to it with other killings and taunting Cross. Meantime, Cross is attracted to his kids’ principal, but she is hesitant to date someone with his job.
I really liked this one. I remember the name Soneji, but don’t really remember details of him in the other books (this is 4th in the series), but it’s not necessary to remember anything about him to enjoy this one. If there was anything from the previous book(s) I needed to know, I was reminded of it. I liked the potential relationship between Alex and Christine.
52Carol420
>51 LibraryCin: Alex Cross was one of the best characters that Patterson ever created. My mother wasn't a huge "detective" series fan but she loved the Alex Cross series. Are you starting over to read them or just read this one because you needed something for a challenge? I do that all the time and then find myself getting the next one and the next one...
53Carol420
Walk The Wire - David Baldacci
Amos Decker (Memory Man) series Book #6
4★
Decker and Jamison are ordered to investigate the death of a young woman named Irene Cramer, whose body was expertly autopsied and then dumped in the open -- which is only the beginning of the oddities surrounding the case. As Decker and Jamison dig into Irene's life, they are shocked to discover that the woman who walked the streets by night as a prostitute was a teacher for a local religious sect by day -- a sect operating on land once owned by a mysterious government facility that looms over the entire community. When other murders occur, Decker will need all of his extraordinary memory and detective skills, and the assistance of a surprising ally, to root out a killer and the forces behind Cramer's death. . . before the boom town explodes.
David Baldacci is one of my favorite authors but the poor man...for some reason...can't seem to count past 6. He creates these great characters and sets them about their jobs and makes we the reader, care about them and really like them...then there is no more. I was pleasantly surprised when Will Robie and Jessica Reel showed up to help Amos and Alex. I see that they show up again in the 2014 novella in the Camel Club series...Bullseye. This book...Walk The Wire, had an interesting and way different plot than the others in this series. Along with the murders...and there were a lot of them for such a small town...we have a large government conspiracy that threatened to take the entire little town off the map. There was a lot of information about fracking that most folks will gladly skip over. The book took too long to get to what most of us read this series for...to watch Amos use that amazing memory of his and catch the bad guy, Rest in peace Amos Decker...maybe you'll get to star in another series.
54LibraryCin
>52 Carol420: I'm reading them in order and this is my first time reading them. But, I can take 2-3 years between books in a series, so I may never finish! LOL! When I started, I also started the Women's Murder Club series (shoot! The new series touchstone isn't working!) at the same time, and initially liked it better, but now I'm not so sure.
55Carol420
>54 LibraryCin: I tried watching the Women's Murder Club series on DVD and didn't like it at all. Angie Harmon was terrible and the supporting cast was just silly. I didn't even try to read the books. The Michael Bennett series is good and so is the Private series. If you're reading the Patterson books one every 2-3 years you'll need to plan to live to be at least 500 years old:)
56BookConcierge
Auntie Mame – Patrick Dennis
4****
Subtitle: An Irreverent Escapade
Oh, what an absolute delight! I love Mame … she’s outrageous, convivial, adventurous, kind, a bon vivant, prone to exaggeration, unable to resist, unabashedly lacking in marketable skills, and yet full of confidence. She’s also completely and utterly devoted to her nephew, Patrick, who’s been orphaned and placed in her care at the tender age of nine. Oh, what an education he gets!
What started as a few essays in periodicals has been framed into this novel “memoir.” It’s funny and tender, horrifying and enthralling. I was appalled at some of Mame’s escapades, but enthralled by others, and always I was in her corner, cheering her on.
I’ve wanted to read this for years, ever since I had seen the marvelous movie starring Rosalind Russell, and I admit to picturing her throughout the novel.
57Carol420
Panic - Lauren Oliver
4★
Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.
Panic is a secret game that pits player against player in mental and physical challenges designed to push them to the breaking point. Heather Nill never planned or dreamed that she would play...but felling she had nothing to loose and everything to gain... she’s in. Nothing is going to keep her from walking away with enough money to get away from this small town with an evil at it's heart. Impossible to think that anyone or anything could even conceive of a game like this. The story grabs you early on, and even though all the time you think.."how ridiculous this is that anyone would even do this for any amount of money"...you find you are caught up in the game until the very last page.
58BookConcierge
The Hideaway – Lauren K Denton
Digital audio read by Karthi Masters
2.5**
From the book jacket: After her last remaining family member dies, Sara Jenkins goes home to The Hideaway, her grandmother Mags’s ramshackle B&B in Sweet Bay, Alabama. She intends to quickly tie up loose ends then return to her busy life and thriving antique shop in New Orleans. Instead, she learns Mags has willed The Hideaway to her and charged her with renovating it—no small task considering her grandmother’s best friends, a motley crew of senior citizens, still live there.
My reactions
I wasn’t expecting great literature, and I didn’t get it. The writing is simple. The plot is rather predictable. The cast of characters, typically eccentric. There are secrets to be unearthed and solved. There’s one villainous developer with designs on the property. And, of course, a conveniently handsome and eligible love interest. There’s also the ubiquitous dual timeline, with present-day Sara unearthing bits and pieces of her grandmother’s story.
Sara is conflicted about what she wants. She has a thriving business in New Orleans and likes the hustle and bustle of that city. Sweet Bay is a far cry from bustling. But there is a certain charm to the place, not to mention the handsome contractor she hires to do the renovations. You can guess the rest.
It was a fast read and moderately entertaining. But I’ve already forgotten it
I listened to the audio read by Karthi Masters. She does a fine job, with a good pace and sufficient skill as a voice artist to differentiate the many characters.
59BookConcierge
Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories – Jennifer Morales
4****
From the book jacket: An urban neighborhood must find ways to bridge divisions between black and white, gay and straight, old and young. … In nine stories Morales captures a Rust Belt city’s struggle to establish a common ground and a collective vision of the future.
My reactions:
I love short stories and was expecting that format. But this is really a novel told from nine different viewpoints. It begins when a black teenager, Johnquell, goes to help the elderly Polish widow who lives next door move a bookcase. He is a high school senior facing a bright future, having gotten into a good university. But a tragic accident ends that dream. The subsequent stories reveal more about Johnqell, his family and friends, as well as about Mrs Czernicki and her friends and relations.
It’s an engaging and interesting look at an urban struggle that is all too familiar. Morales explores how one’s opinions might be changed (or at least softened) by more contact, by listening and being open to other people’s stories and viewpoints. She also shows how difficult it is to move from that entrenched position, and how rewarding it is to “meet in the middle.”
This was to have been my F2F book club’s April selection, but that’s been put off to October now. The author is going to join us and I’m very much looking forward to that discussion.
60LibraryCin
Lady of Sherwood / Jennifer Roberson
4 stars
King Richard the Lionheart has died and his brother John is now king. The Sheriff of Nottingham is desperate to be sure he is still employed. Robin Hood and his friends, once pardoned by King Richard, are now outlaws once again, and must hide in Sherwood Forest. The Sheriff is upset with Marian and wants revenge. Robin’s father is not healthy, but the two don’t see eye-to-eye on anything.
I liked this much better than the first one. It took a short bit at the start to get “into” it, but once I did, I really liked this one.
4 stars
King Richard the Lionheart has died and his brother John is now king. The Sheriff of Nottingham is desperate to be sure he is still employed. Robin Hood and his friends, once pardoned by King Richard, are now outlaws once again, and must hide in Sherwood Forest. The Sheriff is upset with Marian and wants revenge. Robin’s father is not healthy, but the two don’t see eye-to-eye on anything.
I liked this much better than the first one. It took a short bit at the start to get “into” it, but once I did, I really liked this one.
61Carol420
Hell's Corner - David Baldacci
The Camel Club Series Book #5
4★
John Carr, aka Oliver Stone-once the most skilled assassin his country ever had-stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House. Inside, the British prime minister is being honored at a state dinner. Then, just as the prime minister's motorcade leaves, a bomb explodes in the park, and in the chaotic aftermath Stone is given an urgent assignment: find those responsible. British MI-6 agent Mary Chapman becomes his partner in the search for the unknown attackers. But their opponents are elusive, skilled, and increasingly lethal. Worst of all, the park bombing may have been only the opening salvo in their plan. With nowhere else to turn, Stone enlists the help of the only people he knows he can trust: the Camel Club.
First let me clarify that David Baldacci is incapable of writing a "bad" or mediocre book...but some are just more compressive and easier to get involved in than others. This book had so many possible bad guys and so many alphabet government agencies going after poor Oliver Stone and MI6 agent Mary Chapman that it became a muddle attempt to keep up with it all. There were some very exciting parts...the characters were excellent and well drawn...even the minor ones. The thing that was rather disappointing about the entire story was that Oliver's friends that comprise "The Camel Club" and had helped him throughout the other 4 books, were nearly absent until almost the very end of this one. These people are what made this series so good should have been treated better in this last book of the series. Still worthy of 4 star rating but if I had never read any of the other books I don't believe I could have given it this rating.
62threadnsong
>50 Carol420: Oooh, what a cool book! I had seen a documentary about the wreck several years ago, and it struck me as astounding that such a huge ship was worked by only 29 crew members! Did they ever find the last resting place of the Edmund Fitzgerald
>60 LibraryCin: What was the first book in this series, LibraryCin?
>60 LibraryCin: What was the first book in this series, LibraryCin?
63threadnsong
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
5*****
Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse's airy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.
What a fantastic gem of a book! It takes place in the frozen, snowy depths of Russian in the time long before the Revolution, when Czars were jockeying for position and each land-holder was in charge of his own lands and his own people. Into this land comes a young woman who does not quite fit into the Royal Court and who instead finds deep, passionate love with Pyotr and travels to his home.
They have several children, and before she dies she gives birth to her youngest, Vasya, who has her mother's magic in her eyes. As Vasya grows she confers with the household dieties: the domovoi who lives in the giant oven that also serves as the family bed; the vazila, who lives in the stable and sees to the health of the horses; and the sly rusalka who lures unwary men to their watery deaths.
Into this family comes Anna from the Court, Pyotr's new wife, who also sees spirits but sees them as demons, and Konstantin, the overpious Priest from Moscow. Their conflict with Vasya's Sight, and their own demons that they invoke, play against a Russian fairy tale of the Winter King and his brother, the One-Eyed Bear. When the Bear gains domination, fear grips the heart; when Konstantin prays against demons, the people of the village stop feeding their little spirits of their household and instead whisper against Vasya and her magics.
I will admit to worrying over and over about Vasya's fate, to the point where I snuck a peek at the end of the book. But where her story takes her is beyond anything I could have dreamed, and is completely absorbing in its intensity.
5*****
Winter lasts most of the year at the edge of the Russian wilderness, and in the long nights, Vasilisa and her siblings love to gather by the fire to listen to their nurse's airy tales. Above all, Vasya loves the story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon. Wise Russians fear him, for he claims unwary souls, and they honor the spirits that protect their homes from evil.
What a fantastic gem of a book! It takes place in the frozen, snowy depths of Russian in the time long before the Revolution, when Czars were jockeying for position and each land-holder was in charge of his own lands and his own people. Into this land comes a young woman who does not quite fit into the Royal Court and who instead finds deep, passionate love with Pyotr and travels to his home.
They have several children, and before she dies she gives birth to her youngest, Vasya, who has her mother's magic in her eyes. As Vasya grows she confers with the household dieties: the domovoi who lives in the giant oven that also serves as the family bed; the vazila, who lives in the stable and sees to the health of the horses; and the sly rusalka who lures unwary men to their watery deaths.
Into this family comes Anna from the Court, Pyotr's new wife, who also sees spirits but sees them as demons, and Konstantin, the overpious Priest from Moscow. Their conflict with Vasya's Sight, and their own demons that they invoke, play against a Russian fairy tale of the Winter King and his brother, the One-Eyed Bear. When the Bear gains domination, fear grips the heart; when Konstantin prays against demons, the people of the village stop feeding their little spirits of their household and instead whisper against Vasya and her magics.
I will admit to worrying over and over about Vasya's fate, to the point where I snuck a peek at the end of the book. But where her story takes her is beyond anything I could have dreamed, and is completely absorbing in its intensity.
64Hope_H
Sitting in the Club Car Drinking Rum and Karma-Kola by Paulette Jiles
108 p. - ★ ★ ★
Pick a Winner; Make a Friend Challenge
Our Heroine (never named) is on the lam, having charged over $50,000 on fraudulently acquired credit cards. She slips from Seattle to Vancouver and boards a train, having reserved one of the four rooms in the club car. Our Hero (also never named) gets on the train in China Bar. He is a skip-tracer and figures out right away that she is his target. He did not expect to fall for her, nor she for him.
I really wanted to love this book. I love the title. I love the short format - sometimes one paragraph per "chapter." I didn't love the book. I thought it was weird. I had a hard time figuring out when it took place, and I don't like books when I can't figure that out. Too much implied and not much happening - although there is a rather clever twist at the end, so only a three star read for me.
108 p. - ★ ★ ★
Pick a Winner; Make a Friend Challenge
Our Heroine (never named) is on the lam, having charged over $50,000 on fraudulently acquired credit cards. She slips from Seattle to Vancouver and boards a train, having reserved one of the four rooms in the club car. Our Hero (also never named) gets on the train in China Bar. He is a skip-tracer and figures out right away that she is his target. He did not expect to fall for her, nor she for him.
I really wanted to love this book. I love the title. I love the short format - sometimes one paragraph per "chapter." I didn't love the book. I thought it was weird. I had a hard time figuring out when it took place, and I don't like books when I can't figure that out. Too much implied and not much happening - although there is a rather clever twist at the end, so only a three star read for me.
65threadnsong
Dinner with DiMaggio by Dr. Rock Positano
5*****
In 1990 Positano, a foot and ankle specialist at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, was awed to meet a new patient, Joe DiMaggio. Botched surgery on DiMaggio's right heel had contributed to his early retirement, and that heel had continued to bother him for decades. After Positano successfully treated DiMaggio, the relationship between the two men deepened beyond doctor and patient. Both from working-class Italian families, the men shared similar values and greatly respected each other's work ethic.
An engrossing book, full of vignettes of a look at the great Joe DiMaggio, famed Yankee center fielder, through the eyes of one of his latest friends. Dr. Rock Positano was a new, young podiatrist in New York City who believed in non-surgical treatments for foot problems. Joe DiMaggio had his Major League career cut short from a botched operation to remove a heel spur. They met, and over a period of a few years became good friends. And then great friends.
They dined whenever DiMaggio was in NYC, and Dr. Positano's growing knowledge of this famous man is captured around Italian restaurant tables in New York. Of course, these dinners did not come about without sacrifice: Dr. Positano had to put his life and his practice on hold when he got that call, but he learned about the many secrets and twists that made this man known and beloved by millions.
For fans of baseball, or New York City, or even those who wonder how fame changes one (and how to cope when it does), this is a must-read book. The chapters start with a bit out of DiMaggio's personal journals and while they are not necessarily in chronological order, the dinners do grow in depth and understanding of how these two men formed a strong and worthwhile friendship.
5*****
In 1990 Positano, a foot and ankle specialist at New York's Hospital for Special Surgery, was awed to meet a new patient, Joe DiMaggio. Botched surgery on DiMaggio's right heel had contributed to his early retirement, and that heel had continued to bother him for decades. After Positano successfully treated DiMaggio, the relationship between the two men deepened beyond doctor and patient. Both from working-class Italian families, the men shared similar values and greatly respected each other's work ethic.
An engrossing book, full of vignettes of a look at the great Joe DiMaggio, famed Yankee center fielder, through the eyes of one of his latest friends. Dr. Rock Positano was a new, young podiatrist in New York City who believed in non-surgical treatments for foot problems. Joe DiMaggio had his Major League career cut short from a botched operation to remove a heel spur. They met, and over a period of a few years became good friends. And then great friends.
They dined whenever DiMaggio was in NYC, and Dr. Positano's growing knowledge of this famous man is captured around Italian restaurant tables in New York. Of course, these dinners did not come about without sacrifice: Dr. Positano had to put his life and his practice on hold when he got that call, but he learned about the many secrets and twists that made this man known and beloved by millions.
For fans of baseball, or New York City, or even those who wonder how fame changes one (and how to cope when it does), this is a must-read book. The chapters start with a bit out of DiMaggio's personal journals and while they are not necessarily in chronological order, the dinners do grow in depth and understanding of how these two men formed a strong and worthwhile friendship.
66LibraryCin
>62 threadnsong: The first one is called Lady of the Forest. I think it was 800ish pages! Way longer than the second one!
67LibraryCin
A Gift of Magic / Lois Duncan
3.5 stars
Teen twins, Kirby and Nancy, and their younger brother Brendan, move to Florida with their mom, and learn that their parents are getting a divorce. Nancy seems to have a harder time of it then either of her siblings. At school, she discovers that she has a bit of “magic” in her in the form of ESP. Her sister has a talent for dancing and brother a talent for music. They all try to come to terms with their parents’ divorce while Nancy tries to figure out how best to deal with her “gift”.
I listened to the audio. It was a quick YA read, and things moved quickly, but likely due to being YA. I enjoyed it. I’m not sure any of the kids were particularly likeable, but they’re teenagers (at least the girls are), so...
3.5 stars
Teen twins, Kirby and Nancy, and their younger brother Brendan, move to Florida with their mom, and learn that their parents are getting a divorce. Nancy seems to have a harder time of it then either of her siblings. At school, she discovers that she has a bit of “magic” in her in the form of ESP. Her sister has a talent for dancing and brother a talent for music. They all try to come to terms with their parents’ divorce while Nancy tries to figure out how best to deal with her “gift”.
I listened to the audio. It was a quick YA read, and things moved quickly, but likely due to being YA. I enjoyed it. I’m not sure any of the kids were particularly likeable, but they’re teenagers (at least the girls are), so...
68Carol420
>62 threadnsong: They know where the Edmund Fitzgerald lies. It's in over 500 ft of Canadian waters but they don't know what happened to the crew...no bodies were ever found but you have to understand that the ship broke completely in half as if went down and the nature of those lakes are treacherous at any depth and it happened in mere seconds in a horrible..major storm, so the bodies could, and probably were, miles away in any direction before the sun came up. None ever washed ashore but they know none of them were capable of using the lifeboats as the lifeboats were all found crushed like egg shells. several years ago they brought the bell up and put a plaque with the crew's names on the part of the ship that was above the mud on the bottom of Lake Superior.
69Carol420
A Dangerous Man - Robert Crais
Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series Book #18
3.5★
Joe Pike didn't expect to rescue a woman that day. He went to the bank same as anyone goes to the bank, and returned to his Jeep. So when Isabel Roland, the lonely young teller who helped him, steps out of the bank on her way to lunch, Joe is on hand when two men abduct her. Joe chases them down, and the two men are arrested. But instead of putting the drama to bed, the arrests are only the beginning of the trouble for Joe and Izzy.
I'm a big Robert Crais fan...or actually I'm a big Elvis and Joe fan...but something happened to my two guys...they've undergone a personality change. Izzy was "dizzy". She giggled, she Tweeted constantly and, she was a squealer...basically she was not a good match for Joe unless he's into 13 year olds. Elvis was nearly absent from the story. Can't say it was anywhere near the best that I have read in this series but I was glad to see another book come along. Maybe Joe can drop Izzy off at the senior prom and get back to doing what he and Elvis do best...solve cases. Why the 3.5 rating?...for old times sake and I do have hope. If Joe had just waited I believe the kidnappers would have gladly brought her back:)
70Darth-Heather
>63 threadnsong: I loved this one too - one of my most favorite reads of the past year. I just recently finished the trilogy, and loved every minute of all three books. It ends really well.
71LibraryCin
To Kill a Kingdom / Alexandra Christo
4 stars
Elian is a prince and a pirate. He is not interested in taking over his father’s kingdom, and much prefers the pirate life. Mostly, he hunts sirens. Lira is a siren and the princess of the ocean, and will one day rule the sea (if her mother, the Sea Queen, doesn’t manage to find a way out of Lira doing it – this is putting it mildly). When Lira is punished so that she is turned human and left in the water to die, Elian’s ship comes along and rescues her, not knowing what she really is.
I really enjoyed this. It’s a darker twist on The Little Mermaid. I also enjoyed the banter between the secondary characters (the crew on Elian’s ship).
4 stars
Elian is a prince and a pirate. He is not interested in taking over his father’s kingdom, and much prefers the pirate life. Mostly, he hunts sirens. Lira is a siren and the princess of the ocean, and will one day rule the sea (if her mother, the Sea Queen, doesn’t manage to find a way out of Lira doing it – this is putting it mildly). When Lira is punished so that she is turned human and left in the water to die, Elian’s ship comes along and rescues her, not knowing what she really is.
I really enjoyed this. It’s a darker twist on The Little Mermaid. I also enjoyed the banter between the secondary characters (the crew on Elian’s ship).
72Carol420
Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare - Darren Shan
The Saga of Darren Shan Book #1
4.5★
Cirque du Freak is the first title in the popular Saga of Darren Shan series. Darren Shan and his best friend, Steve, get tickets to the Cirque du Freak, a wonderfully gothic freak show featuring weird, frightening half human/half animals who interact terrifyingly with the audience. In the midst of the excitement, true terror raises its head when Steve recognizes that one of the performers - Mr. Crepsley - is a vampire! Steve confronts the vampire after the show finishes - but his motives are surprising! In the shadows of a crumbling theater, a horrified Darren eavesdrops on his friend and the vampire, and is witness to a monstrous, disturbing plea. As if by destiny, Darren is pulled to Mr. Crepsley and what follows is his horrifying descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires.
This was an unbelievably fun book. It has been compared to Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes and Stephen King's Salem's Lot...both of which are on my all-time favorite, "read over and over again" list. The book is classed as YA (middle school kids will love it)...however it's story is ageless...especially if you are a horror fan. The characters are so alive...even those that really aren't. I'm not a spider fan in any way, but I loved Mr. Crepsley's trained...and very poisonous spider, Madame Octa. I understand there is a movie of this first book and will have to look for it.
73Carol420
The Sun Down Motel Simone St. James
5★
Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary. Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982. And she soon finds herself ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed her aunt.
I have loved this author since I first read her book, The Haunting of Maddy Clare. This one was one exciting read! I enjoyed and found similarities between both the Viv and Carly's characters..who were aunt and niece....but 35 years apart. The book switched in each chapter from 1982 to 2017...and while I usually don't care for this transition...it was amazingly easy to follow. These women were both strong and determined and fearless in their shared quest to find out what was happening at this strange, out of the way, rundown, motel. The story was packed with mystery and suspense. If you have seen, or were ever a fan of the TV show "Stranger Things" you will like this book as it shares a similar format of bouncing into parallel universes causing Carly to experience the same events and situations as her Aunt Viv did 35 years prior. It's a ghost story... it's a mystery...it presents a crime to be solved and it's all wrapped up into one magnificent, spellbinding package! Another great one from Simone St. James.
74BookConcierge
The Women in the Castle – Jessica Shattuck
Book on CD narrated by Cassandra Campbell
3***
Three German widows are brought together shortly after World War II ends. Marianne von Lingenfels returns to her deceased husband’s ancestral castle – now in ruins. He had conspired with other resisters to assassinate Hitler and was himself murdered. But Marianne had promised her husband’s conspirators to find their families and help them, so that is what she sets out to do. First she rescues Martin, the young son of her childhood friend, from a Nazi re-education camp. They then find Martin’s mother, Betina, a beautiful but naïve, young woman. Finally, Marianne locates Ania, a quiet, resourceful and determined mother of two boys who have been in one of the many refugee camps that house the many citizens displaced by the war.
I liked the idea of this novel’s story more than I liked the actual book.
Make no mistake, there are some interesting and thought-provoking themes here. How does one move on after enduring such traumatic events? How do we recognize the ways we may be complicit – by willful ignorance, by standing by, by NOT making waves – and atone for that? Can we “allow” someone else to find happiness (let alone celebrate it), when we are so angry, hurt, fearful, ashamed? Can we allow future generations to NOT carry the burden?
However, on the whole I found the novel completely forgettable. I’m sure this is ME and not the novel. I’ve only just now looked at the back cover with all the blurbs by authors I love, singing Shattuck’s praises. And, of course, many people whose opinions I trust have rated the book highly. Perhaps I’m just completely over the desire to read about WWII and its aftermath.
Cassandra Campbell did a marvelous job performing the audiobook. She’s a gifted voice artist and has become one of my favorite audiobook narrators.
75threadnsong
>70 Darth-Heather: Thanks for the encouragement! I have all 3 and was not familiar with them until now. I really enjoyed the different look at the world: Rus' is very different from other lands, and the creatures who inhabit farms and homes are like and yet unlike the ones from Celtic folk tales. And glad to hear it ends well; I was quite worried part way through the first.
76threadnsong
>68 Carol420: Ah, OK. Glad that that mystery is solved, and what happened to the mighty ship. What a horrifying night for the crew, and I think the song expresses it well. I cannot imagine. Just. Cannot.
77Carol420
>76 threadnsong: I just can't imagine it either. They think that it went down in mere seconds so hopefullly it was over for them quickly. My almost 42 years in Michigan has given a diffident respect for these beautiful bodies of water.
78Carol420
How To Speak Chicken: - Melissa Caughey
4★
Melissa Caughey knows that backyard chickens are like any favorite pet — fun to spend time with and fascinating to observe. Her hours among the flock have resulted in this quirky, irresistible guide packed with firsthand insights into how chickens communicate and interact, use their senses to understand the world around them, and establish pecking order and roles within the flock. Combining her up-close observations with scientific findings and interviews with other chicken enthusiasts, Caughey answers unexpected questions such as Do chickens have names for each other? How do their eyes work? and How do chickens learn?
My neighbor found this book in a bag of books she bought at her church auction and knowing that I'll take up with anything "animal" she brought it to me. I don't know if she read it or not but she obviously thought that I was weird enough to appreciate it. My husband kept looking at me funny..funnier than usual...and shaking his head. But I learned that I might want to be careful what i say to the next chicken that I meet...outside of a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken that is. I learned in 144 pages that chickens are both amusing and practical as well as intelligent communicators ... if you are willing to learn their language. The author raises chickens so she probably has more insight into them than I ever could. Along with the host of animals that I grew up with as a kid was several dozen chickens ...complete with names. I believe that this author spends more time with her chickens that I did with mine since she diffidently has an understanding of the mind and brain of a chicken. She's studied their behavior both as an individual and a member of the flock and how they process the world around them as well as the emotions they show with one another. Interesting little book...not a best seller by any means but oddly attractive and will count in my 300 books that I said I would read this year on GoodReads. I didn't learn the answers to some of the questions that the description suggested might be offered but I was highly entertained... as was my husband. I'm finished with the book but he's still looking at me funny.
79Carol420
Home For The Haunting - Juliet Blackwell
3★
No good deed goes unpunished. San Francisco contractor Mel Turner is leading a volunteer home renovation project, and while she expects lots of questions from her inexperienced crew, she can’t help asking a few of her own—especially about the haunted house next door…the place local kids call the Murder House. But when volunteers discover a body while cleaning out a shed, questions pile up faster than discarded lumber. Mel notices signs of ghostly activity next door and she wonders: Are the Murder House ghosts reaching out to her for help, or has the house claimed another victim?
It appealed to me more than most cozies do simply because it had ghosts...although relatively tame ghosts. The combination of the ghost story...the historical house...and a quirky female contractor made the book an enjoyable read even for someone like me that would like a bit more spunk in their ghosts.
80BookConcierge
O Pioneers!– Willa Cather
4****
Cather’s first novel follows one family over decades as they settle the great plains of Nebraska. The heroine is Alexandra Bergson, who comes to the prairie near Hanover, NE, as the only girl in a family of brothers. Yet it is Alexandra who grows up to take over the farm from her father and ensure the family’s prosperity.
I loved Alexandra, despite her blind spots. This is a strong woman! Her love of the land is evident, but she is no romantic. Her eyes are wide open to potential disasters, but her shrewd instinct and even handedness in the way she husbands resources and manages both the land and the farm workers help her avoid disaster and recover from set-backs.
In addition, Alexandra is also completely dedicated to her family and to helping her younger brother, in particular, achieve his dreams. Her devotion, however, comes with a price, and she foregoes more than one chance at her own personal happiness. And yet, the story encompasses triumph as well as tragedy.
Cather’s writing is gloriously descriptive. I can smell the scent of freshly turned earth, hear the animals, feel the dusty grit. Her work evokes in me a kind of nostalgia for a simpler time, and at the same time, great relief that I do not have to perform that hard work today.
81LibraryCin
Murder at the Vicarage / Agatha Christie
3.5 stars
When Colonel Prothero is murdered at the vicarage, two people come forward to confess. Meantime, in this small town, where Miss Marple lives next door to the vicarage, people are trying to figure out what happened.
This is (kind of) a reread. I have already listened to the BBC dramatization, but this time I actually read it. I believe I rated the dramatization 4 stars, so this one not quite as high. It was good. This was Miss Marple’s introduction, but through most of it, she seemed a very secondary character. The main character, the first person “I”, was the vicar, who found the murdered Prothero, so the story was from his point of view.
3.5 stars
When Colonel Prothero is murdered at the vicarage, two people come forward to confess. Meantime, in this small town, where Miss Marple lives next door to the vicarage, people are trying to figure out what happened.
This is (kind of) a reread. I have already listened to the BBC dramatization, but this time I actually read it. I believe I rated the dramatization 4 stars, so this one not quite as high. It was good. This was Miss Marple’s introduction, but through most of it, she seemed a very secondary character. The main character, the first person “I”, was the vicar, who found the murdered Prothero, so the story was from his point of view.
82Carol420
Murder The March Hare - H. Lyall
3.5★
Cosmo knows he’s crazy, his homicidal squirrel tells him so every day. Not that Bandit has to, he just likes reminding him of the facts of the situation. After living at Wellspring Hospital for the last two years not much has changed for Cosmo. His pills are still rainbow coloured, therapy is still a bore, and above all he isn’t getting better. Bandit’s trying to help too, but the dead body he brought in seems to be causing problems. In an attempt to understand what’s going on behind the secure walls a band of misfits come together in the search for a murderer. However, it’s easier said than done when you don’t know what’s real. Maybe it’s easier? Maybe, just maybe, the only people who can find the truth are those that have to question everything.
I wouldn't really call it a "mystery or a suspense" book....although there was that dead body. Of all the characters I liked the idea of the homicidal squirrel the most. He was the only one that really seemed to know what was going on...but then he was probably "nuts" anyway. It was an interesting plot and an entirely different type of book than I would usually read and in all honesty I probably would have completely overlooked it if I had not received a copy from Early Reviewers. I have to say "thank you" to them for giving me the opportunity. I think this author will produce more interesting books along this line and I will certainly try another one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from crystal Peake Publisher in exchange for an honest opinion. The views expressed in this review are entirely my own.
83BookConcierge
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek – Kim Michelle Richardson
Digital audio performed by Katie Schorr.
4****
Deep in the Appalachia Mountains of Kentucky is the community of Troublesome Creek. Life is difficult here in the best of times, during the Great Depression it is particularly challenging. But thanks to Franklin D Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library project, Cussy Mary Carter has a job as a librarian, delivering books and magazines to the most remote homesteads of the area. Cussy is also unique in that she is the last of the “blue people,” having inherited a medical condition that results in a blue tint to her skin. In addition to the dangers of the terrain, she also faces the prejudice against her kind – and the Jim Crow laws that oppress all “colored people.”
I love reading historical fiction, particularly when it focuses on an element of history about which I know little. I had heard of the pack-horse librarians before. (In fact, at least 10 years ago, I wrote a letter to another author suggesting she explore this part of history for a book – to my knowledge, she never did.) So, I was immediately interested in this story. The added element of Cussy’s medical condition was new to me, and I was intrigued. And the author’s use of vernacular dialect helped to transport me to a different time and place.
Cussy is a marvelous lead character. Strong – both physically and mentally. A kind and compassionate woman who stands up for herself, whether against her father’s insistence that she marry or those residents who would harm her for nothing more than her skin color, she’s dedicated to her work and brings more than just books to the remote homesteads on her route. She also champions the cause of other oppressed people, as her father toils in the mines that provide a livelihood while stealing one’s health. Despite multiple setbacks, Cussy perseveres.
Katie Schorr does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. She brings these characters to life, and truly transported me to a different time and place.
The text version, which I also had handy, includes Author’s notes on the history behind the novel, as well as photographs and an interview with the author.
84JulieLill
Beartown
Fredrik Backman
3.5/5 stars
Set in a rural area where hockey is king, the author explores the dynamics of small town life and the importance of hockey to everyone in town. The junior hockey team is going to compete in the national semi-finals. However, a young girl is assaulted by a hockey player and this pits the hockey community against the people who believe her. Well written and hard to put down.
Fredrik Backman
3.5/5 stars
Set in a rural area where hockey is king, the author explores the dynamics of small town life and the importance of hockey to everyone in town. The junior hockey team is going to compete in the national semi-finals. However, a young girl is assaulted by a hockey player and this pits the hockey community against the people who believe her. Well written and hard to put down.
85LibraryCin
Killer Within / S.E. Green
3.5 stars
This is a sequel to “Killer Instinct”. Lane was the “famous” vigilante, the “Masked Avenger” they called her.
******SPOILER for book 1******
With the serial killer, the Decapitator, gone, Lane is getting antsy.
******END SPOILER*******
She’s finding unworthy people to go after, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Also, there seems to be a copycat out there, bringing vigilante justice under her (Masked Avenger) name! Plus, someone has put up a fan website. She never wanted to publicly “celebrate” in this way. Who is running the site and who is the copycat?
I listened to the audio (I did for the first one, as well). This was good, but not quite as good as the first one. There were tense moments, but also a couple of people whom I missed the introduction to, so when mentioned again, I couldn’t place who they were. If there later comes a 3rd book in the series (and I find out), I will read it.
3.5 stars
This is a sequel to “Killer Instinct”. Lane was the “famous” vigilante, the “Masked Avenger” they called her.
With the serial killer, the Decapitator, gone, Lane is getting antsy.
******END SPOILER*******
She’s finding unworthy people to go after, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Also, there seems to be a copycat out there, bringing vigilante justice under her (Masked Avenger) name! Plus, someone has put up a fan website. She never wanted to publicly “celebrate” in this way. Who is running the site and who is the copycat?
I listened to the audio (I did for the first one, as well). This was good, but not quite as good as the first one. There were tense moments, but also a couple of people whom I missed the introduction to, so when mentioned again, I couldn’t place who they were. If there later comes a 3rd book in the series (and I find out), I will read it.
86Carol420
The Dreaming Jewels - Theodore Sturgeon
4★
Eight-year-old Horty Bluett has never known love. His adoptive parents are violent; his classmates are cruel. So he runs away from home and joins a carnival. Performing alongside the fireaters, snakemen, and "little people," Horty is finally accepted. But he is not safe. For when he loses three fingers in an accident and they grow back, it becomes clear that Horty is not like other boys - and this "difference" is something that some people might want to use. Now Horty knows that his difference is a risk not only to his own life, but to the lives of the outcasts who have provided him with a place to call home.
The Dreaming Jewels also published as The Synthetic Man .... just won't allow itself to be slotted into just one category...but I can describe it as a horrifically dark science fiction tale with a dash of humor...with a pinch of humanity and a large helping of social commentary. The characters are not your average, everyday characters. There is absolutely nothing "normal" about them. Add them into the ingredients...mix with a little suspended disbelief and you have a tale that will appeal to most any Sci-fi fan. I thank my friend "ScoLgo" for the recommendation.
87BookConcierge
Peach Pies And Alibis – Ellery Adams
Digital audio read by C.S.E. Cooney
3***
Book two in the Charmed Pie Shoppe series, starring Ella Mae LeFaye, who discovered her magical powers in book one of the series. In this outing she’s been hired to cater a wedding, and she’s experimenting with her new craft, trying to understand how she got these powers and getting tutored by her mother, her aunts and her protector and pie-shop partner, Reba. She’s also warming up to handsome Hugh Dylan. But when a prominent citizen dies and a wedding guest gets ill, her business is suspect, and she feels she must investigate.
I like this installment much better than the first or third book. I was more entertained by the cozy mystery aspect, and as Ella Mae is learning about her family’s magical history, this reader is beginning to understand some of the relationships. I did find out how it came to be that her mother
It’s not great literature, but I did find it entertaining (if predictable). The text version includes some interesting recipes for various pies – both savory and dessert.
C.S.E. Cooney does a reasonable job on the audio. I think her accents are a bit over-the-top (especially for Reba), but she sets a good pace and has clear diction.
88mnleona
OF Mutts And Men by Spencer Quinn
From the back of the book:
When Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction" (Boston Globe), and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the desert-based Little Detective Agency, arrive to a meeting with hydrologist Wendell Nero, they are in for a shocking sight--Wendell has come to a violent and mysterious end. What did the hydrologist want to see them about? Is his death a random robbery, or something more? Chet and Bernie, working for nothing more than an eight-pack of Slim Jims, are on the case.
Bernie might be the only one who thinks the police have arrested the wrong man, including the perp's own defense attorney. Chet and Bernie begin to look into Wendell's work, a search that leads to a struggling winemaker who has received an offer he can't refuse. Meanwhile, Chet is smelling water where there is no water, and soon Chet and Bernie are in danger like never before.
Leona's Review:
In this book, Chet the dog and his partner Bernie Little are investigating the death of Wendell Nero. They were supposed to meet him at his trailer and found him dead.
Chet is the narrator of the book and some of his remarks are really great. "...a very messy house, the kitchen, as so often in messy houses, being the messy part. Just for one example, there was an open pizza box on the counter with a single slice remaining. Sausage and pepperoni if you're interested". Another one I liked is "Next morning we hit the road, Bernie behind the wheel and me riding shotgun, our usual setup'".
A great mystery book to read and I will read the others in the series. These would make wonderful gifts for the dog lovers in your family or your friends.
Some "f" words but as I recall Chet and Bernie did not use bad language.
I won copy of this book. The opinions are my own.
I gave it a 5 star rating.
Spencer Quinn and Chet can be reached at chetthedog.com, Facebook.com/chetthedog, and Twitter@ChetTheDog
From the back of the book:
When Chet the dog, "the most lovable narrator in all of crime fiction" (Boston Globe), and his partner, PI Bernie Little of the desert-based Little Detective Agency, arrive to a meeting with hydrologist Wendell Nero, they are in for a shocking sight--Wendell has come to a violent and mysterious end. What did the hydrologist want to see them about? Is his death a random robbery, or something more? Chet and Bernie, working for nothing more than an eight-pack of Slim Jims, are on the case.
Bernie might be the only one who thinks the police have arrested the wrong man, including the perp's own defense attorney. Chet and Bernie begin to look into Wendell's work, a search that leads to a struggling winemaker who has received an offer he can't refuse. Meanwhile, Chet is smelling water where there is no water, and soon Chet and Bernie are in danger like never before.
Leona's Review:
In this book, Chet the dog and his partner Bernie Little are investigating the death of Wendell Nero. They were supposed to meet him at his trailer and found him dead.
Chet is the narrator of the book and some of his remarks are really great. "...a very messy house, the kitchen, as so often in messy houses, being the messy part. Just for one example, there was an open pizza box on the counter with a single slice remaining. Sausage and pepperoni if you're interested". Another one I liked is "Next morning we hit the road, Bernie behind the wheel and me riding shotgun, our usual setup'".
A great mystery book to read and I will read the others in the series. These would make wonderful gifts for the dog lovers in your family or your friends.
Some "f" words but as I recall Chet and Bernie did not use bad language.
I won copy of this book. The opinions are my own.
I gave it a 5 star rating.
Spencer Quinn and Chet can be reached at chetthedog.com, Facebook.com/chetthedog, and Twitter@ChetTheDog
89Carol420
Cover of Snow - Jenny Milchman
4.5★
Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide. Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer.
This is one of those novels that you can't stop reading. It isn't particularly exciting or something that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats...but it does grab your curiosity and insist that you read just one more chapter since you Just have to find out what was going to happen to Nora next. Would the "good guys" win? Who exactly are the "good guys? Are they maybe the same as the "bad guys" with secrets that they have been willing to kill to protect for over 80 years. It's a mystery without the usual blood and guts that I usually read...but it was a really nice change of pace with a captivating story line. Bring your coat and boots there is LOTS of snow:)
90mnleona
The Celebration An Amish Cooking Class by Wanda E. Brunstetter.
It gets emotional but a good read.
Heidi is Amish and teaching young children how to cook and bake. It is my second time to read it and one I won a few years ago.
There are problems with the families of each of the children who have come to the class. Heidi and her husband, Lyle, have two foster children, a brother and a sister whose parents died in a car crash. Heidi is unable to have children but she and her husband want to adopt them.
She has six classes and the reader can read and watch the children and parents grown and learn.
After each class, the children take home the recipes that that have a BIble verse on each one.
There are chickens also in the book that are part of learning or as the Amish call them, hinkel.
The book is about God, prayers love, caring, friendship, family, death, heartbreaks, learning, and taking care of others.
I gave it a 5 star rating.
The opinions are my own.
One recipe I want to make this week:
"Surprise Muffins
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Strawberry or blueberry jam
Grease bottom of 12 muffin cups or use paper baking cups. In medium bowl, beat egg with fork. Stir in milk and oil. Blend flour and other dry ingredients until mixture is moistened. Batter may be a bit lumpy. Do not overmix. Fill muffin cups half full of batter. Drop scant teaspoon of jam in center of batter in each muffin cup. Add more batter to fill cup so it's two-thirds full. Bake at 400* (F) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Muffins will have gently rounded and pebbled tops. Loosen from pan immediately and remove with spatula. Serve warm or cold. Makes 12 muffins. Discovering the jelly inside the baked muffin is the surprise."
Leona Olson
It gets emotional but a good read.
Heidi is Amish and teaching young children how to cook and bake. It is my second time to read it and one I won a few years ago.
There are problems with the families of each of the children who have come to the class. Heidi and her husband, Lyle, have two foster children, a brother and a sister whose parents died in a car crash. Heidi is unable to have children but she and her husband want to adopt them.
She has six classes and the reader can read and watch the children and parents grown and learn.
After each class, the children take home the recipes that that have a BIble verse on each one.
There are chickens also in the book that are part of learning or as the Amish call them, hinkel.
The book is about God, prayers love, caring, friendship, family, death, heartbreaks, learning, and taking care of others.
I gave it a 5 star rating.
The opinions are my own.
One recipe I want to make this week:
"Surprise Muffins
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Strawberry or blueberry jam
Grease bottom of 12 muffin cups or use paper baking cups. In medium bowl, beat egg with fork. Stir in milk and oil. Blend flour and other dry ingredients until mixture is moistened. Batter may be a bit lumpy. Do not overmix. Fill muffin cups half full of batter. Drop scant teaspoon of jam in center of batter in each muffin cup. Add more batter to fill cup so it's two-thirds full. Bake at 400* (F) for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Muffins will have gently rounded and pebbled tops. Loosen from pan immediately and remove with spatula. Serve warm or cold. Makes 12 muffins. Discovering the jelly inside the baked muffin is the surprise."
Leona Olson
91JulieLill
Your Movie Sucks
Roger Ebert
3.5/5 stars
Ebert reviews some of his most hated films with humor and disdain. I laughed through a majority of the remarks and it made me miss him and his reviews. Not for everyone but if you are a film buff you might enjoy it!
Roger Ebert
3.5/5 stars
Ebert reviews some of his most hated films with humor and disdain. I laughed through a majority of the remarks and it made me miss him and his reviews. Not for everyone but if you are a film buff you might enjoy it!
92mnleona
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
My first read by Virginia Woolf and I was not impressed. Mrs. Dalloway is preparing for a party. The book keeps slipping back into remembering people and the past. It seems to me the characters were worried about growing old and impressing people. The book is based on one day of her preparing for the party.
I may re-read it since I have a copy but not on the top of my list.
I will give it a 2 star rating.
All books are not for all people.
My first read by Virginia Woolf and I was not impressed. Mrs. Dalloway is preparing for a party. The book keeps slipping back into remembering people and the past. It seems to me the characters were worried about growing old and impressing people. The book is based on one day of her preparing for the party.
I may re-read it since I have a copy but not on the top of my list.
I will give it a 2 star rating.
All books are not for all people.
93Carol420
Human Remains - Elizabeth Hayes
2.5★
A story that explores our darkest fears, showing how vulnerable we are—and how easily ordinary lives can fall apart when no one is watching. Annabel, a police analyst, is shocked when she discovers her neighbor’s decomposing body in the house next door. And she’s appalled to think that no one noticed her absence. Back at work, she sets out on her own to investigate, and finds that such cases are frighteningly common in her hometown. A hymn to all the lonely and compelling characters that haunt our lives.
I liked part of the book... but it took a long time to get to it. After the body was found...we just met individual characters over and over. To make matters worse the individual characters didn't even tell a part of the story. The whole thing became very hum-drum and you had to wonder why they were even there. I really expected much more for this book from the description. Oh well...you can't win them all.
94BookConcierge
The Remains of the Day– Kazuo Ishiguro
Audiobook performed by Simon Prebble
4****
A proper English butler, known only by his last name: Stevens, reflects on his life’s work. Stevens has been butler and one of the great houses, Darlington Hall. He has taken great pride in serving Lord Darlington, though now the house has been bought by an American, whose style of life is quite different.
I love the way that Ishiguro reveals Stevens’ character through his musings on his journey to the Western part of England. He has convinced himself that a letter from his former colleague indicates her interest in returning to the estate as housekeeper, and he uses the time spent traveling to remember his past experiences. But as he recalls the glory days of house parties that welcomed the bright and influential people to Darlington Hall, Stevens reveals how he allowed his sense of duty and devotion to being butler in a great house to blind himself to what was really happening – both in the world at large and on a more personal level.
Because Stevens has surrendered himself to his occupational persona. He has adopted the reserved, unobtrusive, dignified ideal butler and set aside any of his own personal thoughts or opinions in favor of the character he has become. His personal relationships – with his father, with Miss Kenton – have suffered as a result. This slow realization is what makes this book so poignant and thought-provoking. The missed chances, and yet … perhaps it’s not too late to still enjoy life, to find a more satisfying path in what remains of the day.
I’ve never seen the movie, but I love both Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, and imagine it’s a wonderful experience.
Simon Prebble does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He has the proper British enunciation that perfectly captures the essence of Stevens’ reserved personality.
95LibraryCin
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 / Stephen Puleo
3.75 stars
In 1915, a giant tower meant to store molasses was built in Boston, near the water, near the train tracks, right beside a poor and crowded area of the city. In January 1919, the molasses burst from the tower, creating a wave that eventually left 21 dead and many more injured.
In addition to info on the tower and the disaster, the book included information on politics at the time and other happenings (the war, the Spanish flu). It followed a few families who were affected or who had some “doings” with the tower, who later testified in court. It had information about anarchists at the time (the company that owned the tower blamed anarchists for dropping a bomb in the tower causing the flood).
I found the parts about the families, the people involved, the flood itself, and the trial after to be quite interesting. Where I lost interest (and the book lost a quarter star) was in the political discussion and the anarchists. I read the ebook, which apparently came from the slightly later paperback edition, which included an additional afterword. This was interesting, as the author described letters he received from descendants of many of the people involved.
3.75 stars
In 1915, a giant tower meant to store molasses was built in Boston, near the water, near the train tracks, right beside a poor and crowded area of the city. In January 1919, the molasses burst from the tower, creating a wave that eventually left 21 dead and many more injured.
In addition to info on the tower and the disaster, the book included information on politics at the time and other happenings (the war, the Spanish flu). It followed a few families who were affected or who had some “doings” with the tower, who later testified in court. It had information about anarchists at the time (the company that owned the tower blamed anarchists for dropping a bomb in the tower causing the flood).
I found the parts about the families, the people involved, the flood itself, and the trial after to be quite interesting. Where I lost interest (and the book lost a quarter star) was in the political discussion and the anarchists. I read the ebook, which apparently came from the slightly later paperback edition, which included an additional afterword. This was interesting, as the author described letters he received from descendants of many of the people involved.
96threadnsong
>90 mnleona: Mmmm. That sounds like a really good recipe, Leona. My blueberries have ripened and sometimes I like to make something other than blueberry muffins.
Oh, and the book sounds intriguing, too!
Oh, and the book sounds intriguing, too!
97JulieLill
Charles Web
1939-2020
Author of The Graduate
https://www.ksl.com/article/46770072/charles-webb-author-of-the-graduate-dies-in...
Fascinating obit and he did write a sequel to The Graduate called Home School.
1939-2020
Author of The Graduate
https://www.ksl.com/article/46770072/charles-webb-author-of-the-graduate-dies-in...
Fascinating obit and he did write a sequel to The Graduate called Home School.
98JulieLill
Positively Pippa
Sarah Hegger
3/5 stars
Pippa had a makeover show on TV but when her ex and another member on the show sabotaged her job, she goes home to stay with her grandmother and runs into Matt. Matt is the gorgeous hunk who works on her grandmother’s house and Pippa has trouble keeping her distance from him while she tries to re-establish her career. I enjoyed this funny, romantic novel.
Sarah Hegger
3/5 stars
Pippa had a makeover show on TV but when her ex and another member on the show sabotaged her job, she goes home to stay with her grandmother and runs into Matt. Matt is the gorgeous hunk who works on her grandmother’s house and Pippa has trouble keeping her distance from him while she tries to re-establish her career. I enjoyed this funny, romantic novel.