What Are We Reading And Reviewing in June 2020?

While Sherlock investigates...tell us what you are going to be reading in June.

They're just waiting for a bedtime story.

📌 - ★
Carol's Bedtime Stories 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★
📌A Dangerous Man Robert Crais - 3.5★ (Pick A Winner)
📌All That Remains - Patricia Cornwell -3 ★
📌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- 4.5★
📌The Guest Cat - Takashi Hiraide - 4★
📌Cardiff By the Sea - Joyce Carol Oats - 3★
📌All Through The Night - Suzanne Brockmann - ★ (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★

>2 Carol420: Not too long finished A Dangerous Man by Robert Crais and thoroughly enjoyed it.

>3 ColinMichaelFelix: I have always liked Robert Crais's books. Saw this one and thought that I had read it but can't remember anything about it. I guess with "memory loss" it will seem to me to be new anyway:) Glad that you enjoyed it. I like it when someone else says it was good or bad.

Lynda and Oliver's June Reading List

Bees - Laline Paull
Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - Kim Michele Richardson
Bound by Duty - Cora Reilley
Breath of Snow and Ashes - Diana Gabaldon
Descent - Tim Johnston
Drifter - Christine Lennon
Eight Perfect Murders - Peter Swanson
Flashpoint - Suzanne Brockmann
Gone Too Far - Suzanne Brockmann
In the Heart of the Canyon - Elizabeth Hyde
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover - Sarah McLean
Trophy Hunt - C. J. Box
Walk the Wire - David Baldacci

>1 Carol420: - I love Crusoe! He wears the cutest outfits.

>6 Olivermagnus: I thought he was adorable.

>2 Carol420: Deception Point is my favorite book by Dan Brown

>8 ColinMichaelFelix: I haven't read much Dan Brown but this one sounded interesting. Your recommendation was very much welcome. Thank you.

Wrecked by Carol Higgins Clark
3*

Regan and Jack Reilly decide to go to Cape Cod to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. They are staying at Jack's parents' vacation home. Unfortunately, the weather is terribly stormy. Elderly neighbors had a tree limb crash through a window, so they run over to where the Reilly's are staying. Then the young caretaker of the Reilly property finds the body of another neighbor at the bottom of the outdoor stairs to the beach. He runs to Jack and Regan for help. The surf is so high, that the neighbor appears to have washed out into the ocean. Regan and Jack's plans for a nice quiet private anniversary also seem to have become a victim to the storm. I did not like some of the characters who were incredibly stupid, emotional, gossipy, and simply unlikeable. It was an ok book, but nothing special.

I used to be so good at creating reading lists back in the Shelfari days. Now, I have no plans. I just grab something randomly and read it.

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie
3.5 ★

Well-written cozy mystery with Scotland Yard Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. There was an interesting mix of characters all found at the time-share resort where the murders took place and Kincaid was trying to enjoy a vacation. This was a solid story and I look forward to reading more in the series.

6/9/20: Re-read for a book club. Didn't remember it all from 8 years ago. Same rating and still an enjoyable, light mystery. I have read more by this author and enjoyed those too.

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.

Hi Everyone. Apologies been AWOL recently, the past two weeks have been the busiest I have ever none as we try to prepare the school to re-open Post COvID, and change every procedure In school.

My library has now bought a copy of Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci and can start it whenever we are ready. Can you please let me know if you have access to the book.
Thanks 😊

>24 Andrew-theQM: My copy is ready and waiting

Walk the Wire - David Baldacci - 3.5 Stars

Amos Decker and his FBI partner Alex Jamison are sent to the oil fracking town of London, North Dakota to investigate the brutal death of a young woman. Amos wonders why two FBI agents were assigned to look into the killing when it should have really fallen into the jurisdiction of the local police..

There’s a mysterious Air Force base that is operational near London for some reason. Also, a cult has leased some farmland from the base. Oh, and Decker's brother in law is working as one if the fracking engineer. They haven't seen or talked to each other in years and it appears Stan and Decker's sister are getting divorced. There are several different plot lines, and none of them could be considered riveting. Baldacci has been careful to craft Decker as a unique character, but this Decker had absolutely no personality. As usual, Jamison plays the junior role, always telling Decker he is a brilliant detective.

On the plus side, we get a co-starring appearance from two of my favorite characters, government assassins Will Robie and Jessica Reel. I hope it's an indication that Baldacci is not done with that series.

A solution to the puzzle of Irene’s death will be found, but by the time the reader reaches that point, interest in the story has vastly diminished. This book reads as though the author spent little time creating the story, structuring it in an interesting way, developing his characters and putting it an interesting setting. I was disappointed in this one.

>24 Andrew-theQM: I have it.

>24 Andrew-theQM: I own a copy of Hell's Corner too.

Do people feel ready to make a start on Sunday?

>29 Andrew-theQM: Yes I can start on Sunday.

Schedule for Group read of Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci

Sunday 14th June : Chapter 1 - 17
Monday 15th June : Chapter 18 - 35
Tuesday 16th June : Chapter 36 - 52
Wednesday 17th June : Chapter 53 - 70
Thursday 18th June : Chapter 71 - 87
Friday 19th June : Chapter 88 - 103

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ballad 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.

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.

>32 Carol420: You should also read Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. I read them both back to back around the time they first came out and thoroughly enjoyed them. I wish he would get back to that type of material.

>40 ColinMichaelFelix: Thanks. I can get it from the library or on line...so I'm looking forward to it. Tanks again.

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.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean
3.5 ★

Susan Orlean re-opens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to the beloved institution of libraries.

This was a non-fiction book that was an interesting mix of an arson crime and the suspected arsonist, history of the Los Angeles library and Los Angeles, library operations, and the employees and patrons of the library. The arson crime is a very small part of the book that threads it’s way through everything else. I love libraries and I enjoyed reading about this one.

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.

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 brought her back:)

Miss Kopp just won't Quit by Amy Stewart
3 1/2 *

This is the third entry into a series about Constance Kopp, the first female Under Sheriff in the U.S. It is based upon real characters and incidents, but fictionalized. Deputy Kopp is facing changes as Sheriff Heath, ty he man who hired her, was running for Congress since his tenure as sheriff was about over. The man running for sheriff is a prosecuting attorney with no experience in law enforcement. He also had no use for a female deputy. Constance's younger sister (actually Constance's daughter) works as a seamstress designing costumes for movies. The older sister Norma runs the family farm and is obsessed with carrier pigeons. This story was slow paced and did not hold my attention well. I'm not sure if I eill read the next installment.

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.

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.

>47 Carol420: That sounds like a fun read! If you like weird carnival/circus stories, take a gander at The Dreaming Jewels by Theodore Sturgeon. If you can find a copy, it's a short, creepy stand-alone with memorable characters - although it might be a little darker than the Darren Shan books.

>49 ScoLgo: Ohh! Thank you for that recommendation. I am the Queen of Weird:) The Darren Shane books are designed for 6th & 7th graders...so I didn't expect much darkness.

>50 Carol420: You're welcome! I just checked my library listings and was surprised to find The Dreaming Jewels available via Overdrive. Happy to see it back in print, so to speak. It really is a wonderful little book - although some of the subject matter is not really YA, it still would probably be classified as such today. I hope you can find it and that you enjoy it!

>51 ScoLgo: I found it and I have it for 2 weeks. Thanks again.

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.

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.

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.

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.

>56 Carol420: It's good to read that you liked this one! I always worry about recommending books/movies because people's tastes are so different. My reading tastes don't align much with any of my IRL friends. Thankfully, there are a few online friends that share my odd literary leanings!

I didn't know that about the alternate title... thanks for mentioning it!

>57 ScoLgo: It get coming up as the alternate title. That's why I had a hard time finding it at first. They shouldn't try to fool us like that:)

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:)

The Other Daughter by Lisa Gardner
4 *

A serial child murderer was put to death in Texas 25 years ago. His death started a cascade of of events that rippled far into the future. Melanie Stokes had a secret, one that even she was not sure of. She was an orphan, adopted by the wealthy Beacon Hill Stokes family. Her father was a renowned cardiac surgeon, her mother a socialite, and her brother also a doctor. She began having flashes of memories and terrible migraines. It all seemed to be bits and pieces of her unknown past. Who was Melanie? Was she just a Jane Doe orphan adopted by the Stokes family five years after their daughter had been kidnapped and murdered? And why is the FBI circling around her fsmily?

I hadn't read a real murder mystery in some time. This was one of author Lisa Gardner's earlier works, but it held together quite well 20 years later. It was a nice taut thriller and mystery. It kept me turning the pages until the very end.

The Empty Bed by Nina Sadowsky
3 ★

Londoners Eva Lombard and her husband Pete are in Hong Kong for a romantic getaway when Pete wakes up in their hotel room to an empty bed, and his wife gone without a trace. He calls on the CEO of his investment firm, Forrest "Holly" Holcomb, who enlists the help of his ex-flame, Catherine, the enigmatic operator behind the darknet witness protection program known as The Burial Society. As a favor to Holly, Catherine sends her team of highly trained Society members on a dangerous chase through Hong Kong to find Eva--while she takes care of pressing business at home.

I thought the premise of the story was intriguing but I didn’t find any of the characters to be interesting or appealing. Although there were some exciting moments, overall the story was only so-so to me.