Hope's 21 in '21

Hope's 21 in '21 - Setting the Bar Low - again!

This is where I will outline and post my personal reading. I'm setting the bar low in 2021, since the past few years haven't been too productive. I'm hoping to do better in 2021 - especially after May!

Helpful Hints:

How to force a touchstone:
Left square bracket + title + comma + author last name + right square bracket will usually get you close to the correct (if not correct) touchstone.

The Library, Stewart = The Library, Stewart

If it still isn't the correct touchstone you can look to the right of the "add a message" box where the touchstones display, click (Others), scroll for the correct touchstone, click the link, and ta-da...correct touchstone.

Last way to get correct touchstone: left square bracket + work number + colon + colon + title + right square bracket.

The Library = The Library

To Make a Checkmark: = & # 1 0 0 0 4

To Make a Star: = & # 9 7 3 3

Other helpful "how-to's": http://www.librarything.com/topic/59470#

To insert a cover or other image: img src = "URL_HERE" (take out space around = sign an put in html brackets)

2017 Reading Pyramid - https://www.librarything.com/topic/244325

2018 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/279502

2019 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/300982

2020 Readings - https://www.librarything.com/topic/314462

Hope's 21 in '21

1. Published in 1958: For the Good Times – Kris Kristofferson
2. Literary Fiction: Can’t Get It Out of My Head – Jeff Lynne / ELO
3. Rereads: Time after Time – Robert Hyman / Cyndi Lauper
4. Picture Books: Back When – Jeff Stevens / Tim McGraw
5. YA: If I Could Turn Back Time – Diane Warren / Cher
6. Historical Fiction: Remember When the Music - Harry Chapin
7. Science Fiction/Fantasy/Steampunk: Come take a trip in my airship – G. Evans / Natalie Merchant
8. Classics: Unforgettable – Gordon Irving / Nat King Cole
9. Historical Romance: My Love for You – Les Pouliot / Gordon Lightfoot
10. Contemporary Romance: Piece of my Heart – Jerry Ragovoy / Janis Joplin
11. Western: My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys – S. Rice / Willie Nelson
12. Nonfiction: Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Bennie Benjamin / The Animals
13. Mystery / Crime: I shot the sheriff – Bob Marley / Eric Clapton
14. Psychological Suspense: Silent Running Michael Rutherford / Mike + the Mechanics
15. Set in Iowa: Who Says You Can’t Go Home – Richie Sambora / Jon Bon Jovi
16. Set Outside the US: From a Distance – Julie Gold / Bette Midler
17. Elderly Main Character: Remember Me If I Forget – Charlie Parr
18. Memoir/Biography: Go Your Own Way - Lindsay Buckingham / Fleetwood Mac
19. Poetry: Rhymes and Reasons – John Denver
20. Short Stories: To Make a Long Story Short – Ray Price
21. Coffee Table Books: What a Wonderful World - Thiele and Weiss / Louis Armstrong

1. Published in 1958: For the Good Times – Kris Kristofferson

2. Literary Fiction: Can’t Get It Out of My Head – Jeff Lynne / ELO

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian - 356 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

The Lake House by Kate Morton - 495 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Let Him Go by Larry Watson - 282 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Fruit of Stone by Mark Spragg - 287 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

3. Rereads: Time after Time – Robert Hyman / Cyndi Lauper

* See #9: My Lord Monleigh by Jan Cox Speas

* See #9: The Lieutenant's Lady by Bess Streeter Aldrich

* See #13: A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

4. Picture Books: Back When – Jeff Stevens / Tim McGraw

Giddy-Up, Buckaroos by Shanda Trent

Go, Pack, Go! by Aimee Aryal

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Emma Garcia

5. YA: If I Could Turn Back Time – Diane Warren / Cher

Father's Arcane Daughter by E.L. Konigsburg - 118 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

6. Historical Fiction: Remember When the Music - Harry Chapin

News of the World by Paulette Jiles - 224 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

7. Science Fiction/Fantasy/Steampunk: Come take a trip in my airship – G. Evans / Natalie Merchant

8. Classics: Unforgettable – Gordon Irving / Nat King Cole

*See #13: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 247 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

9. Historical Romance: My Love for You – Les Pouliot / Gordon Lightfoot

My Lord Monleigh by Jan Cox Speas

The Season by Sarah MacLean - 343 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

The Lieutenant's Lady by Bess Streeter Aldrich - 275 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare - 385 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean - 320 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

10. Contemporary Romance: Piece of my Heart – Jerry Ragovoy / Janis Joplin

The Baby Bargain by Jennifer Apodaca - 194 p. ★ ★ ★ 1/2

More Than Anything by Natasha Anders - 359 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Nothing But This by Natasha Anders - 391 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

The Reluctant Father - Diana Palmer - 149 p. ★

Her Temporary Hero - Jennifer Apodaca - 240 pages - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

The Best Next Thing - Natasha Anders - 286 pages - ★ ★ ★

When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - 368 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

11. Western: My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys – S. Rice / Willie Nelson

12. Nonfiction: Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Bennie Benjamin / The Animals

The Happy Teacher Habits by Michael Linsin - 134 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

When the Astors Owned New York: Blue Bloods and Grand Hotels in a Gilded Age by Justin Kaplan - 181 p. - ★ ★ ★

13. Mystery / Crime: I shot the sheriff – Bob Marley / Eric Clapton

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 247 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton - 215 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf - 332 p.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave - 306 p.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - 355 p. ★ ★ ★ ★

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay - 282 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Murder of a Stacked Librarian by Denise Swenson - 352 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

14. Psychological Suspense: Silent Running Michael Rutherford / Mike + the Mechanics

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman - 342 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

15. Set in Iowa: Who Says You Can’t Go Home – Richie Sambora / Jon Bon Jovi

* This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf - 332 p.

16. Set Outside the US: From a Distance – Julie Gold / Bette Midler

* See 10. More Than Anything by Natasha Anders - 359 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

17. Elderly Main Character: Remember Me If I Forget – Charlie Parr

*The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - 355 p. ★ ★ ★ ★

18. Memoir/Biography: Go Your Own Way - Lindsay Buckingham / Fleetwood Mac

As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling by Anne Serling - 296 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

19. Poetry: Rhymes and Reasons – John Denver

20. Short Stories: To Make a Long Story Short – Ray Price

21. Coffee Table Books: What a Wonderful World - Thiele and Weiss / Louis Armstrong

Pick a Winner; Make a Friend - 2021

*1. The Other Typist by Susan Rindell
2. Feesters in the Lake and Other Stories by Bob Leman
✔ 3. When the Astors Owned New York by Justin Kaplan
4. Alice by Stacy Cordery
5. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
* 6. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin Substituted with The Season by Sarah MacLean
* 7. English Creek by Ivan Doig
✔ 8. The Lake House by Kate Morton
9. Severed by Larson(?) (I think that's the author - I need to dig through my closet and find it)
10. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson / Substituted with The Flight Attendant
* 11. The Guest Book - Sarah Blake
* 12. Perfect Crime - Israel Zangwill

Substitutions (because I thought I knew where all of my books were, but apparently I really don't):
✔ The Flight Attendant by Bohjalian
An Elderly Lady Up to No Good by Tursten
✔ The Season by Sarah MacLean

Books by Rating

5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My Lord Monleigh - Jan Cox Speas
Let Him Go by Larry Watson - 282 p.

4 ½ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The Lake House by Kate Morton - 495 p.
News of the World by Paulette Jiles - 224 p.

4 ★ ★ ★ ★
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian - 356 p.
The Happy Teacher Habits by Michael Linsin - 134 p.
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman - 342 p.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 247 p.
When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - 368 p.
The Lieutenant's Lady by Bess Streeter Aldrich - 275 p.
The Fruit of Stone by Mark Spragg - 287 p.
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton - 215 p.
This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf - 332 p.
The Governess Game by Tessa Dare - 385 p.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave - 306 p.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - 355 p.
As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling by Anne Serling - 296 p.

3 ½ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The Baby Bargain by Jennifer Apodaca
More Than Anything by Natasha Anders - 359 p.
Nothing But This by Natasha Anders - 391 p.
Her Temporary Hero - Jennifer Apodaca - 240 pages -
The Season by Sarah MacLean - 343 p. -
Father's Arcane Daughter by E.L. Konigsburg - 118 p.
Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay - 282 p.
Murder of a Stacked Librarian by Denise Swenson - 352 p.
Bombshell by Sarah MacLean - 320 p.

3 ★ ★ ★
When the Astors Owned New York: Blue Bloods and Grand Hotels in a Gilded Age by Justin Kaplan - 181 p. -
The Best Next Thing - Natasha Anders - 286 pages -

2 1/2 ★ ★ 1/2

2 ★ ★

1 ★
The Reluctant Father - Diana Palmer - 149 p.

Did Not Finish

Add to the TBR (Carried over from the past two years!)

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay
Insight by Tasha Eurich
Missoula by Krakauer
The Child by Fiona Burton
Gone without a trace by Mary Torjussen
A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin
Deadliest Sea by Thompson
Abandon All Hope by Schiller
Losing It by Carmack
Terms of Surrender by Janet Dailey
Killer of the Flower Moon
Sisterhood Everlasting - Anne Brashares
Finding Rebecca
Dennis LeHane - title?
What the dead leave behind
Then she was gone by Lisa Jewell
A Prayer Before Dawn by Billy Moore
Hank and Jim: The Fifty-Year Friendship of Henry Fonda and James Stewart by Scott Eyman.
*Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman
The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith
The End of Everything by Megan Abbott
The Great Typo Hunt / Jeff Deck, Benjamin D. Henson
*Mary Oliver poems
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
The Five Families by Raab
To sleep with ? By Cowan
Summer Hours at the Robbers Library - Halpern
The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark by Meryl Gordon
Lies of the Heart - Michelle Boyajian
Inside the O'Briens - Lisa Genova
In a Dark, Dark Wood - Ruth Ware
To Sleep With the Angels: The Story of a Fire - David Cowan, John Kuenster
The Downstairs Girl by Lee
*Furious Hours (Harper Lee and the trial inspiring TKM)
Simply Dead by Kuhns
The Murmer of Bees
John Grisham
Edgar Sawtell
Words of Silk by Sandra Brown
Border Bride by Arnette Lamb
Waiting for Deliverance
Fortune is a Woman - Adler
The Most Fun We Ever Had - Claire Lombardo
Song for the Missing - Stewart O'Nan
Women Talking - Toews
The Winter Men - Kold
*A Killer's Mind - Mike Omer
A Prayer for Travelers
Drive your plow over the bones
She's leaving home
Playing House - Lang
Dead Zone - Stephen King
Highway of Tears - Macdarmuid?
28 1/2 Wishes (Rec by Janene)
The Flying Circus (Rec by Donna)
The Gown by Robson
The Roanoke Girls - Amy Engle
The Ruthless – David Putnam
Love and Other Consolation Prizes - Jamie Ford
The Night Swim - Megan Goldin
The Woman Outside My Door / Rachel Ryan
Every Secret Thing Laura Lippman
Sold on a Monday - Krista McMorris
Yellow Wife
Before We Were Yours - Wingate
The Professor and the Madman
You Should Have Known
Boys Life - McCammon
L.A. Witt - Bad Behavior series
Julie Mulhurn books
Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey (true crime memoir)
We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper (True crime memoir)
Charlie Adhara - Big Bad Wolf series
Nana - Brandon Massey
Perfect Family - Robyn Harding
On the way to Birdland - Marelli
Hotel - Alex Hailey
Grand Hotel - V.Baum?
Martin Dressler - Millhauser
The Aster Orphan - Aldrich
Mad about the Marquess
A Promise of Spring
A Compromised Lady
Seducing Charlotte
Temporary Wife
Once upon a Marquess
Gone so Long - Andre Dubas III
Conversations with RBG
Honestly, We Meant Well - Grant Grinder
Be More RBG
Electric hotel - Dominic Smith
Local Woman Missing - Mary Kubrica
Grange House - Sarah Blake
This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger
Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
Housekeeping - Robinson
We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It - Tom Phelan
Twenty-one Truths about Love - Matthew Dicks
This is How I Lied - Heather Gudenkauf
Irena's Children - Tilar J. Mazzeo
Suzanne's Children - Anne Nelson
GI Brides - Duncan Barrett
Grayson - Lynne Cox
Army Wives - Midge Gillies
Hidden Valley Road - Robert Koelker
The Dinner List - Rebecca Searle
Ethel Rosenberg - Anne Sebba
Battle for the Bigtop - Les Standiford
Your Brain is always listening - Daniel Amen
My Name is Selma - Selma Van de Verre
Obit by Victoria Chang
Crying in H Mart - Zauner
On Earth We're briefly Gorgeous - Vuong
Cider with Rosie - Laurie Lee
Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
A Country of Strangers by Conrad Richter
Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penny
Every Man Dies Alone
The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers
Prodigal by TA Moore
The son - Phillip Meyer
Wall of Silence - Tracy Buchanan
One of Us Is Lying
One of Us Is Next
The Cousins - mcManus
The Shootist - Swarthout
The Last Ride - Tom Eidson
Her Final Words - Brianna Labuskes
The Trauma Cleaner - Sarah Krasnostein
How to Disappear - Roat
When We Were Mermaids
Mary - A tale of the Old West - Janis Hoffman
Lost Children Archive
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost
Rural Rebellion by Benes
Playing Nice by J. Delaney
Shuggie Bain by Stuart

Authors:
Jo Nesbo
Henning Mankell
Donald Harstad
Shari LaPena
Jane Harper
Lisa Wingate
Karin Slaughter
Helene Thursten
Simone St. James
Lucia St. Clair Robson

Comments, Musings, and Other Ideas . . .
Landmark Childhood of Famous Americans series
Sunfire Series - Jessica by Mary Francis Shura
The Forest of Coubron - painted by Jean-Baptistie-Camille Carot - The art hanging on our wall!

Mosser Jennifer miniature glassware

What a list and what a great way to start off 2021! I especially like your musical references ;)

>28 threadnsong: I'm running out of song titles! I'm starting to re-use them. And I'm totally lost on anything after the early '90's!

>29 Hope_H: I totally get it! I kinda stopped paying attention to individual bands by the time of Nirvana. Prog Rock is my favorite era though I still liked popular bands from the 70s, as long as their songs were a bit different from one track to the next.

The Baby Bargain by Jennifer Apodaca
194 p. ★ ★ ★ 1/2

I needed brain candy, and seemed to fill the need!
Megan, a veterinarian involved in the custody dispute of a prize dog, gets involved with her ex-boyfriend Adam, a former Marine with emotional issues. Megan is hiding a secret from Adam - their 2-year-old son.

Not too badly written and fairly well-edited. I liked it enough that I bought the two sequels.

The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
356 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

Cassie Bowden, in her late 30's, is a flight attendant and a drunk. She wakes up in a Dubai hotel room next to a dead man. She isn't sure what happened, but she's pretty sure she just needs to get out of there. Meanwhile, the killer realizes Cassie should have been eliminated, also.

The last 75 pages were so hard to put down. But the first 100 pages - really hard to get into. Cassie was unlikeable and hard to get to know. But she grew on me, and by the end, I really liked her. A good story of psychological suspense.

The Happy Teacher Habits by Michael Linsin
134 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

In a chatty, friendly format, Linsin talks about the eleven habits that really good teachers employ: Narrow, Decline, Tidy, Inspire, Improvise, Bridge, Envision, Shift, Sway, Listen, and Seize.

I'm not quite sure why I'm reading this so late in my career . . . it's a little late to start practicing any new habits, but for someone early in their career, it is a nice resource.

When the Astors Owned New York: Blue Bloods and Grand Hotels in a Gilded Age by Justin Kaplan
181 p. - ★ ★ ★

I'm not sure what I expected when I saw this and picked it up (free in the teachers' lounge one day) but I don't think it met the vague expectation.

Starting with John Jacob Astor, it traces the properties owned by the Astor men, and particularly the hotels owned by the Astor men. The book wasn't nearly as fascinating as that should sound.

Astor women were rarely mentioned; Caroline probably gets the most coverage, since she was the force behind society's "Four Hundred." Astor daughters may get a mention - or they may not.

Familiarity with New York City would be helpful. The addresses given were supposed to mean something - implied snobbery, but meant little to me.

The other problem - the Astors used only a few names, so careful attention to the numbers after the name - and the family tree on page I - was necessary.

More Than Anything by Natasha Anders - 359 p.
★ ★ ★ 1/2

Ten years ago, at age 18, Tina goes all the way with her crush Harris Chapman. She comes to believe that this was a set up, done only to win a bet. She is crushed, and she wants nothing more to do with him, in spite of the friendship between their two families. Now, to help her best friend, she must confront her feelings about that night and the subsequent events.

Not a bad story - the big secret isn't really a secret. I like Anders' work. Nice to see a few old friends dropping by in this story.

Nothing But This by Natasha Anders
391 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

The second book in Anders' Broken Pieces series, this explores the relationship between Libby Lawson and Greyson Chapman. This book is parallel (sort of) to the first one, and we see some of the same events through another character's eyes.

The book could have been shortened up some - a lot of dithering, especially toward the end. And, good grief - have these people never heard of autism or Asperger's??

The Reluctant Father - Diana Palmer
149 p. ★

This was the second-stupidest book I've ever read. I now remember why I really dislike most Diana Palmer books. The hero is a jerk and is TSTL and the heroine is a doormat and TSTL.

I wanted a quick read for the weekend. This was not a good choice.

Her Temporary Hero - Jennifer Apodaca
240 pages - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

More brain candy. She needed to hide from the abusive ex-boyfriend baby daddy; he needed a wife in order to inherit the land he wanted from his controlling father.

Not too bad - nothing exceptional, but better than most simple romances

The Best Next Thing - Natasha Anders
286 pages - ★ ★ ★

Charity Cole, housekeeper for self-made millionaire Miles Hollingworth's Garden Gate house, is hiding a secret. Miles, having narrowly escaped a brush with death, realizes that he is unhappy and tries to live a more authentic life. In visiting his Garden Gate house and realizing that Mrs. Cole is a dynamic young woman, he starts to come out of his shell.

Not fantastic, but not horrible, either.

The Lake House by Kate Morton
495 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

I love the complexity of Kate Morton's works, but I find the coincidences mildly annoying. That's what kept this one from being a five-star read.

Sadie Sparrow is on leave from her job as a detective with the Met. She went to a reporter claiming a woman is missing and endangered, rather than just abandoning her child. She is staying with her grandfather, who recently moved to Cornwall. In addition to finding the abandoned girl, Sadie has also received letters from the daughter she gave up for adoption at birth. While exploring the countryside, she finds an abandoned manor house - Loeanneth.

Loeanneth is the lake house, where the Edevane family had lived. In exploring the local history of the house, she uncovers a mystery - what happened to little Theo Edevane? Theo was a toddler who went missing during a party at the home. We meet his mother Eleanor, who has gone to great lengths to keep promises she has made. We meet his older sister Alice, who went on to become an award-winning mystery writer, living with one piece of the puzzle of what happened that night.

I loved this story. Very rich and complex. What I didn't love is what is in all of Morton's novels - everything wrapped up neatly because of coincidence. Overall, though, a very satisfying read!

>37 Hope_H: What does TSTL mean, Hope? I'm thinking "Too Stupid to Live" given the genre, but also wanted to check with the expert!

>41 threadnsong: I believe that is what it means...but Hope may have other ideas:)

>41 threadnsong: >42 Carol420: Yep! That's exactly what it means, although it can also mean "Too Stupid to Love." Typically, it applies to the heroine, but in this case, it applied to both of the main characters. It probably applied to several of the secondary characters in that novel, as well!

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
342 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

Erin is documentary film maker and her husband is an unemployed investment banker. She is working on a film about three prisoners who will soon be released. Erin and Mark go to Bora Bora for their honeymoon. One night, there is a severe storm, and next day, they find a bag floating in the water. They tried to give it to the divemaster, but a miscommunication sends the bag to their room. Out of curiosity, they open it up, and find it filled with cash, diamonds, a cell phone, and a flash drive. They know they should turn the contents in . . . but the money would afford them financial freedom. What would be the price of that freedom?

I started this book over a year ago and struggled to complete it. In fact, I returned it to the library before I finished it. I finally figured out that if I don't find anything redeemable or likeable about the main characters, I have a hard time reading the book. That's where I was with this one. And then my friend/public librarian Janene selected this book for our book club. So I tried reading it again. I picked up a little before where I had left off earlier. I will say that the last third of the book flew and was really engaging - it just took a while to get there. I'm not sure it is a four-star read, but I think it is higher than a three-and-a-half star read.

One other small piece I had a problem with: I loved the line about "how long does it take to dig a grave" but I think the author underestimated the time. Erin dug the grave in something like two hours. If I were digging the grave, it would take me all freaking day!

News of the World by Paulette Jiles
224 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

1870. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd supports himself traveling to Texas towns and reading from newspapers to audiences hungry for news of the world. The Captain, a survivor of three wars and a former printer, is tasked with delivering an orphan girl to her relatives near San Antonio. Johanna has spent the past four years living with the Kiowa after they killed her family. She has forgotten everything about living as a child of European decent and wants to return to her Native family. As the pair travel the 400 miles to San Antonio, they begin to trust each other and form a remarkable bond.

This was a beautiful book. I loved it. Kidd was thoughtful, intelligent, and introspective, and Johanna was a delight.

>45 Hope_H: I loved that book!

>46 JulieLill: Jiles has a companion book out - Simon the Fiddler, about Simon and Doris. I'm going to have to see if the library will get it!

>47 Hope_H: I'll add that to my never ending book list!!

The Season by Sarah MacLean
343 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

I started this one a LONG time ago and only managed to get one chapter in. When reading historicals, I really want a historical character - not a modern character put in historical setting and costume. This one started out as that. It did get better as it went on, but still! (This was MacLean's first novel. While I like everything she has written, I think most of her novels have this problem.)

It's 1815, and Lady Alexandra Stafford and her best friends Vivi and Ella are having their debuts this season. None of them are looking forward to this and are they are doing their best to avoid balls and other events. Alex is drawn to her brothers' best friend and neighbor, though - Gavin, the Earl of Blackmoor. His father had died in a freak accident six months before, and Gavin believes his father's death may not have been entirely accidental. This, along with some overheard whispers and suspected spying and collusion with the French, have the youth involved with mystery and romance.

Let Him Go by Larry Watson
282 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Margaret and George Blackledge lost their son James a few years ago, and now they've lost their grandson Jimmy when his mother, Lorna, marries the abusive Donnie Weboy. George reluctantly goes along with Martha when she plans to get Jimmy back. Tracking them to Gladstone, Montana, they soon find that they have taken on the entire violent Weboy clan.

I love Larry Watson's work. His writing is spare, and his storytelling is magnificent.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
247 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

Ten people are invited to Soldier Island, presumably by U.N. Owen. Each person has a past, usually involving a not-so-accidental death. In each bedroom, there is a copy of the poem "Ten Little Soldiers," and on the dining room table, there are statuettes depicting each soldier. As the nursery rhyme counts down, so does the number of attendees as one-by-one, they begin to die, leaving the survivors to figure out whom to trust.

I read this classic mystery for my book club. To be fair, I had read a portion of the play "Ten Little Indians" back when I was in high school, so I thought I remembered the plot twist and the guilty party. Even so, I enjoyed the mystery. Written in 1940, there are a few problematic lines.

Father's Arcane Daughter by E.L. Konigsburg
118 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Told from the viewpoint of Winston Elliott Charmichael, the novel tells the story of a mysterious woman claiming to be Winston's older half-sister who was kidnapped as a late teen. Father believes the woman is truly his daughter Caroline, but Winston's mother has her doubts. Caroline has appeared in time to inherit her late mother's trust fund. Caroline sets the household on edge, refusing to cater to Heidi, Winston's handicapped younger sister. Is Caroline the long-lost daughter, or is she a clever imposter?

I have wanted to read this ever since I watched the TV movie Caroline? (starring Stephanie Zimbalist) back in 1990. Very well-written and a quick read. There's a slight twist at the end that I hadn't expected!

When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
368 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

The latest in in SEP's Chicago Stars series has opera star Olivia Shore and Chicago Stars back up QB Thad Owens on a publicity tour for a luxury brand watch. Starting out with misconceptions about the other, they eventually start opening up and forming a friendship and then eventually falling in love. Olivia is hiding a secret - she's getting threatening letters following her former fiance's suicide, causing her to lose her singing voice. Thad wants to jump in to protect her, but Olivia isn't having that.

I liked the characters, although Thad was a little over the top with all of his side ventures. A nice addition to the rest of the series.

The Lieutenant's Lady by Bess Streeter Aldrich
275 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

The story: Linnie Colsworth, an adventurous young woman of 1867, was visiting her relatives in Omaha. Her cousin Cynthia is torn between the soldier Norman Stafford and the humorous George Hemming. She accepts Norman's offer of marriage and when he leaves for Fort Berthold, Cynthia stays in Omaha working on her trousseau. When she doesn't hear from Norman for a few months, she elopes with George. Cynthia asks Linnie to let Norman know. Linnie takes the steamboat ticket Norman had sent Cynthia and sets off for Fort Berthold. This decision has some consequences: There is no place for her to stay and Norman's troops are expecting him to marry a Miss Colsworth. What starts as a marriage of convenience matures into a deep love. This is threatened, though, when the couple returns to Omaha and see the newly-widowed Cynthia.

Thoughts: Basically, a good story. Linnie is a three-dimensional character, with Norman less so. Aldrich has a habit of putting in comments like "If she had only know that ten years from now, the fort would be abandoned . . . " (She does this in some of her other books, too.) Linnie is fun, intelligent, and thoughtful. If she were a real person, I probably would have liked her.

However - there are some problems with the book. It was written in 1942. (My copy actually has a little ad for buying war bonds and stamps on the back. The price printed inside the front cover is $2.00.) It was based on an actual diary of one Aldrich's relatives. Parts of it now seem quite racist, especially in regard to attitudes toward Indigenous people. (For that reason, I kind of want to give the book a two-star rating, but I also know that those attitudes were common-place in the 1860's, and I'm not sure they should be buried. They probably need to be examined and discussed in the broader context of the Westward Movement in American history.)

I will also add that I started reading Bess Streeter Aldrich's works way back when I was in 7th grade. She was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and attended what was then ISTC - Iowa State Teachers' College - and is now the University of Northern Iowa. Cedar Falls is about 30 miles from my home.

The Fruit of Stone by Mark Spragg
287 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

This is a story of the lifelong friendship between two men and the woman they both love. Told partially in flashback, part dream, and partially in the present, Gretchen is married to Bennett, McEban's best friend. She married him at nineteen, when she was pregnant with McEban's child. McEban was headed off to college and didn't know about the pregnancy or the marriage. Twenty years later, Gretchen leaves Bennett, telling him she will write to him in Boise. Bennett and McEban follow her across the West, picking up Rita and Paul (a young woman and her little brother) along the way. Love, loyalty, friendship, and family are all examined on the road trip.

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
215 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Reread - Read for book club

The first Kinsey Millhone novel! I originally read this in the '80's and then eagerly awaited the next one in the series.

Kinsey Millhone is a private investigator in Santa Theresa, California. A young woman who served eight years in prison for her husband's murder hires Kinsey to find out who really killed her husband. Re-opening old wounds causes the body count to edge higher as Kinsey narrows down the list of suspects.

I did not remember much about this mystery - except for the very end! I think it aged fairly well. There were a few comments that I think the recent Kinsey would find sexist, but over all, a satisfying read. And thank goodness, unlike the early '80's, we now have cell phones!

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf
332 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★
Read for book club

Maggie Kennedy O'Keefe, one of two detectives in Grotto, Iowa, obtains new evidence in the 25-year-old murder of her best friend Eve. One problem - Maggie knows a lot more about what happened than she ever let on. Unbeknownst to Maggie, so does Eve's creepy younger sister Nora. And Nora wants to make someone pay for Eve's death. Other characters of importance include Nick (Eve's popular but abusive boyfriend) and Cam Harper (the neighbor man who preys on young girls.)

A good book with a layered mystery. Told from multiple viewpoints and jumping between the past and present was effective. I had multiple suspects as the story went on.

However, I have rants: 1. Gudenkauf picks horrible names for the towns in her novels. "Grotto" is really Maquoketa, detailing the Maquoketa caves. Why not just call it Maquoketa? Every time I read "Grotto," I had to remind myself it WASN'T the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend. 2. Iowa doesn't really have ranches. Especially eastern Iowa. Just call them farms like they really are - not ranches and ranchers. Sigh. 3. Maggie was getting crank phone calls and had their phone number changed. Um - hello Caller ID? When you own a business out of your home as her husband did, you don't just change your number because of a few crank phone calls.

The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
385 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

Alexandra Mountbatten is desperate for a job. She's made a career for herself as a timekeeper, but in jumping from a boat in a bout of fear, she lost her tools. Chase Reynaud is desperate for a governess. He has two wards - ten-year-old Rosamund and seven-year-old Daisy. They have scared away every governess they've had. Alex cracks through their veneers and sees their vulnerabilities. She does the same to Chase, against a backdrop of pirates, comets, and books.

I enjoyed this one. The heroine was intelligent and stood up for herself. The hero did not know all and was not overly suave. There was a lot of humor, and the children were great! The doll funerals each morning were something.

This apparently is the second book in the series, so I will go back and read the first one!

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
306 p. ★ ★ ★ ★

Owen Michaels' company is in big trouble with the SEC. He disappears, leaving behind Hannah - his wife of eighteen months and his sixteen-year-old daughter Bailey, who barely tolerates Hannah in her life. Owen sends one message to Hannah: "Protect her." Hannah knows that "her" is Bailey. Bailey's mother died when Bailey was young and the girl sees Hannah as an interloper. As both the FBI and the US Marshalls descend on the family's Sausalito home, Hannah begins to realize that Owen was not who he said he was. She and Bailey take off to try to figure out who he really was and how they can proceed.

An excellent story. Hannah did a very good job of piecing together Owen's story. I thought the conclusion was a bit unrealistic, so it is a four star read instead of a five star read. I'll be looking for more of Dave's work.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
355 p. ★ ★ ★ ★

In a not-so-quiet English retirement community, four people gather in the Jigsaw Room each week to discuss unsolved crimes. They call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. There's Ron, a former union organizer; Ibrahim, a former psychiatrist; Joyce, a former nurse (and the newest member of the group) who would like to find a nice older gentleman with whom she could have fun; and Elizabeth, a shrewd woman with a lot of secrets. (Maybe CIA or the British equivalent?) When a local developer is found dead, the Thursday Murder Club finds themselves with a real mystery on which to work.

I really liked this one and have already asked the local library to get the sequel! A lot of fun, and I want to read more about these four!

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
282 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Read for Book Club

Lindsay is the new library director in Briar Creek. When a visiting children's book editor from a New York publishing company vacations in the small town, Lindsay arranges for her friend and co-worker Beth to show the editor the book Beth has written. Beth's boyfriend, a Caldecott award-winning author tries to stop her, and they break up. After meeting with the editor, Beth and Lindsay figure out why Rick didn't want them to meet the editor. When they try to confront Rick, they discover that someone has murdered him. The local police chief likes Beth for the deed, and Lindsay tries to discover what really happened to Rick and keep her children's librarian out of jail.

Not a bad book. I kept thinking I was in Cabot Cove, Maine, which is Jessica Fletcher's stomping ground. This cozy mystery features a small town (but with a large library staff!) with assorted colorful characters and a potential love interest for Lindsay. I like my mysteries a bit more raw than cozy, but I could read the sequels.

Murder of a Stacked Librarian by Denise Swenson
352 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Read for book club

Skye Dennison is the school psychologist in Scumble River. She also consults with the police department. She is engaged to Wally Boyd, the Scumble River police chief. Their wedding is a week away. When the town's assistant librarian is murdered, Skye and Wally get to work trying to solve the murder before they leave on their honeymoon.

Not a bad book. It appears it is the 16th one in the series, and I wonder if I would have liked it better if I had read the first 15 before reading this one. It may have explained some of the family issues. Also, I'm not sure our school psych would have felt comfortable sitting in on police interrogations and leading an investigation, so I think that was a little bit of a stretch for the main character.

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean
320 p. - ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Sesily Talbot, the remaining "Dangerous Daughter" of the Earl of Wight, not only embraces her reputation, but uses it, as well. She and her partners in crime work to keep women of all social classes safe. Very few people realize this. Caleb Calhoun is one who does. An American who is hiding a secret, Caleb has walked out on Sesily, thinking he would keep her and his loved ones safe. Safety is the last thing on Sesily's mind, though!

Not a bad book, but it could have been better. MacLean chose to bring back characters from almost every one of her previous novels, which I found annoying and strained any credibility there was. With as many "do-gooder" groups MacLean has created for her Covent Garden settings, it should have been the safest area in London. I probably need to start thinking of these as "historical fantasy" novels! But, I like MacLean's books, and I will buy the next one!

As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling by Anne Serling
296 p. - ★ ★ ★ ★

From Amazon: In this deeply intimate and soulful memoir about her father, Anne Serling reveals the fun-loving dad and family man behind the serious figure the public saw hosting The Twilight Zone each week. In 1975, Rod Serling's untimely death at 50 years old left 20-year-old Anne stunned and reeling. But through talking to his friends, poring over old letters, and recounting her childhood memories, Anne not only navigated her profound grief, but gained a deeper understanding of this remarkable man both as her father and as a dynamic writer. Now she shares her journey, along with personal photos, letters, scenes of her dad's youth, his service in WWII, and her family's time together. As I Knew Him is at once a portrait of a father and daughter, and a tribute to Rod Serling's legacy as a visionary, storyteller, and humanist.

A quote from this book found its way into my FaceBook feed. I found it intriguing, and thought I would explore this further. I have been a fan of The Twilight Zone for many, many years. While I never thought of him as macabre, I did not realize what a family man he was and what a sense of humor he had. While it started out slow, it picked up as it went on.

>64 Hope_H: I read the Serling book a few years ago and enjoyed it!