What Are We Reading and Reviewing in August 2021?

What do you plan to read in the month of August?

Carol's August Reads

📌 - ★
Carol's Hangs Out & Reads In August

📌Why Some Animals Eat Their Young: A Survivor's Guide to Motherhood - Dallas Louis - 4★ ( Early reviews)
📌The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌The Soldier’s Scoundrel - Cat Sebastian - 4★
📌Wall of Silence - Tracy Buchanan -4.5★
📌The Witch of Willow Hall - Hester Fox - 5★
📌Be With Me - Maya Banks - 1★
📌Murder Most Lovely- Hank Edwards - 4★
📌Murder Most Deserving - Hank Edwards – 4.5★
📌Fogland Point - David Burgess – 5★
📌The Rising - Morgan Brice – 5★
📌Inside Darkness - Hudson Lin - 4★
📌Loose Ends - Morgan Brice -5★
📌Lucky Town Badlands - Morgan Brice - 5★
📌Close To Home - Cara Hunter - 3.5★
📌Her Final Words - Brianna Labuskes - 4.5★
📌White Out - Danielle Girard -2.5★
📌Stalker - Lars Kepler - 3★
📌The Most Dangerous Place on Earth - Lindsay Lee Johnson - 2.5★
📌Come Unto These Yellow Sands - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Dark Blood - Stuart McBride - 4.5★
📌Flame and Ash - Morgan Brice - 5★
📌Look What You Made Me Do - Elaine Murphy - 5★
📌Dark Rivers - Morgan Brice - 5★
📌Unholy (Witchbane #5 - Morgan Brice - 5★
📌Past Caring - Robert Goddard - 5★
📌The Silent Girls - Eric Rickstad - 3.5★
📌Treasure Trail - Brice Morgan - 5★
📌Ghost Tree - Christina Henry - 3★
📌The Night Wolf - Parker Williams - 5★
📌Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Williams - 5★
📌My Partner, The Wolf - Hollis Shiloh - 4.5★
📌My Partner and Me - Hollis Shiloh - 4★
📌Badlands- Morgan Brice -5★ (reread)
📌Mine - Courtney Cole 2★
📌The Loop - Jeremy Robert Johnson- 5★
📌Burn- Morgan Brice - 5★ (reread)
📌The Names Of Dead Girls - Eric Rickstad - 4★

Wall of Silence - Tracy Buchanan - (England)
4.5★
Her children have a deadly secret. Can she uncover it before the police do? Melissa Byatt’s life in Forest Grove seems as perfect as can be: a doting husband, three loving children and a beautiful house in a close-knit community. But appearances can be deceiving. One evening, Melissa arrives home to the unimaginable: her husband lies stabbed on the kitchen floor, their children standing calmly around him…With horror, she realizes that one of them is to blame. But which one? And why would they attack their own father? Her loyalties torn; in a split second she decides to protect her children at all costs―even if that means lying to the police. But when someone in the neighborhood claims to know more than they should, Melissa discovers that some secrets are beyond her control…Can she find out the truth of what happened before the rumors spread? And can the family unite to escape the spotlight of scandal―or are none of them as innocent as Melissa insists?

This book had everything that a mystery and suspense fan would ever want. It was an incredible, page turner with a perfect amount of background story to make the reader feel emerged into the character’s lives but also keeping you on your toes and guessing. The author managed to put a new take on the twists and turns of complicated family relationships and the bonds that hold families together. Don’t be fooled. You think that the whole thing is going to be explained in just a few chapters...but guess again. I can almost guarantee you will have trouble putting it down and closing the cover and you will not in your wildest imagination guess the ending.

A Long Petal Of the Sea – Isabel Allende
Book on CD performed by Edoardo Ballerini
4****

A family epic covering six decades of history from 1930s Spanish Civil War to 1990s in Chile.

This is the kind of historical fiction at which Allende excels. She seamlessly weaves the real historical events into the story line, while giving the reader characters that come alive on the page and about which we come to care.

She begins with Part 1: War and Exodus, set in the late 1930s in Spain, which is gripped by Civil War. The Dalmau family’s two sons, Guilem and Victor, are both serving at the front – Guilem as a soldier, Victor as a “doctor” (though he doesn’t yet have his degree). Meanwhile, back in Barcelona, Professor Dalmau has opened their home to Roser Bruguera, a young woman with remarkable musical ability and no family ties.

The story follows the Dalmaus as they flee Spain for France, and ultimately sail to Chile to start anew. It is on this voyage to Chile that they encounter the del Solars, a wealthy, influential family. Felipe, the eldest son, and Ofelia, their headstrong daughter will become intimately connected to the Dalmaus.

Among the characters are real-life figures: Salvador Allende, General Augusto Pinochet and Pablo Neruda. The title comes from Neruda’s description of his homeland; he defined Chile as a “long petal of sea and wine and snow…with a belt of black and white foam”.

Central to this work, as to all of Allende’s novels, are the strong women. Roser and Ofelia certainly take center stage. But the older women – Carme, Laura and Juana – are equally strong, resilient, intelligent and determined.

There are a few elements of magical realism, a literary device for which Allende is well-known. But this is not a central focus of the work, and I wouldn’t classify the book, as a whole, as magical realism.

Edoardo Ballerini does a marvelous job performing the audio version. He has a gift for language and for making each character uniquely recognizable. 5***** for his narration.

The Witch of Willow Hall - Hester Fox - (Massachusetts)
5★
New Oldbury, 1821 The house holds its breath, trying to outlast me…Something has awakened in Willow Hall. Eighteen-year-old Lydia Montrose can feel it. But she has no idea what it is. Rocked by rumor and scandal, Lydia, her parents, and her sisters, Catherine and Emeline, fled their sparkling life in Boston for the sleepy country estate. But bone-chilling noises in the night have Lydia convinced their idyllic new home wasn’t exactly vacant when they arrived. The Salem witch trials cast a long shadow over the Montrose family as the cloying heat of summer in Massachusetts mingles with something sinister in the air. The sprawling history of Willow Hall is no stranger to secrets, and its dark past soon calls to Lydia, igniting ancient magic she never knew she possessed. But with menacing forces unwilling to rest, threatening to tear her family apart, Lydia must learn to harness her newly discovered power or risk losing everyone she holds dear.

It’s not a story filled with witches...witchcraft...spell casting...or broomstick riding hags... and not a black cat in sight. Almost from the very first it is filled with quiet, unsettling terror. I actually found myself holding my breath at times....and very few things in books or movies scare me anymore. If your horror includes authors like Simone St. James and Kate Morton, and early Stephen King...when child eating clowns lived in the sewers...you might be adding Hester Fox to that list when you finish this one. It’s a gothic mystery mixed with a bit of romance and horror. A tragedy with lies...loss... and love... but most importantly...it’s one woman’s tale of discovering that there’s more to herself than she could ever have known. I just wished that Lynda had learned sooner that you can’t save them all.

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax
Liz Jensen
4/5 stars
After a picnic with his parents, Louis, a smart young boy, falls off a cliff and ends up in a coma in a hospital. The father is missing and he has only his mother left. Dr. Danachett is his doctor who becomes attracted to Louis’ mother but something is just not right and Danachett probes into the incident about what really happened on that trip while trying to help Louis. Very compelling and was later made into a film.

The Soldier’s Scoundrel - Cat Sebastian -(England)
4★
A scoundrel who lives in the shadows; Jack Turner grew up in the darkness of London’s slums, born into a life of crime and willing to do anything to keep his belly full and his siblings safe. Now he uses the tricks and schemes of the underworld to help those who need the kind of assistance only a scoundrel can provide. His distrust of the nobility runs deep and his services do not extend to the gorgeous high-born soldier who personifies everything Jack will never be. A soldier untarnished by vice: After the chaos of war, Oliver Rivington craves the safe predictability of a gentleman’s life—one that doesn’t include sparring with a ne’er-do-well who flouts the law at every turn. But Jack tempts Oliver like no other man has before. Soon his yearning for the unapologetic criminal is only matched by Jack’s pleasure in watching his genteel polish crumble every time they’re together.

Sweet and prim Oliver and Jack, the rogue, will quickly win the hearts of the reader. Unfortunately, they didn’t win the hearts of the society or the time period they were a part of. In this time period gay people could expect to face anything from the pillory to the noose. But fiction can have any outcome it wishes so the author has every right to give the reader their expected “happily ever after”. Jack and Oliver couldn’t be more different...but yet I could easily see how and why they were drawn to each other. I wasn’t entirely convinced by certain aspects of the ending and just how these two planned to get away with staying together...but none the less I still enjoyed seeing them reach that point.

The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon -(California)
Adrien English Mystery Series Book #5
5★
Like recovering from heart surgery beneath the gaze of his over-protective family isn't exasperating enough, someone keeps trying to break into Adrien English's bookstore. What is this determined midnight intruder searching for? When a half-century old skeleton is discovered beneath the floorboards during the renovation of Cloak and Dagger Bookstore, Adrien turns to hot and handsome ex-lover Jake Riordan -- now out-of-the closet and working as a private detective. Jake is only too happy to have reason to stay in close contact with Adrien, but there are more surprises in Adrien's past than either one of them expects -- and one of them may prove hazardous to Jake's own heart.

This is one series that really should/must be read in order since one book picks up and carries on the story from the last book. The book was about much more than the relationship between Adrien and Jake. As in all of this authors books the mystery was front and center...and as always...it was another good one that kept me guessing and the pages turning. It also was a fitting finale to “The Adrien English Mysteries” series, but I really am not ready to say goodbye. On further checking there seems to be one more story left and perhaps a novella... so maybe Ms. Lanyon isn’t ready to say goodbye either.

The Night Wolf - Parker Williams
Wolves of Lydon series Book #1
5★
The night wolf is a legend told to scare children into obeying their parents. It is said that to control a night wolf is to harness limitless power…. Gareth Blackthorn has been Alpha of the prosperous Lydon pack for nearly two decades. Breaking with tradition, Gareth doesn’t take over other packs by challenge. Instead, he lets wolves come to him and petition for admittance. He’s had his pick of the best, the brightest, and the most talented. Until now. A power-hungry Alpha desires Omega Sean Adler’s talent… and his submission, whether given freely or not. He’s been on the run since he was fourteen, surviving any way he could, until one night, he knows he’ll finally succumb to the injuries from his latest attack—and he’s ready to go. That’s when Gareth finds him, and Gareth’s wolf insists on claiming Sean as his mate. But there’s something mysterious about Sean, something tied to the mark on his shoulder…. Now Gareth must decide...Will he keep Sean despite the dangers that will arise, or will he throw the young man back to the wolves?

My two friends arrived with more books and this one was on top so I eagerly started it right away. I had read Parker Williams’ books before and really enjoyed them...but he wrote then with another author. I was very happy to find something that this fantastic author had written on his own and to say it was a fabulous tale would be an understatement. The bad guys were so incredibly bad that it made Gareth’s wolf pack seem like living, walking, breathing saints...I do believe that Sean absolutely qualified for sainthood. The Night Wolf gives an entirely different view on shifters. There town sounded like a fabulous place to live even if you ere entirely human. It almost makes you wish it wasn't fiction. On the other hand,....maybe not. On a side note: The book description isn't exactly right. Garth never considered throwing Sean back to the wolves and Sean's mark is something very special.

Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs / Blaize Clement
3.75 stars

When pet sitter Dixie is at the vet’s to pick up one of the pets she is caring for (parrot Big Bubba), a girl and her stepfather come in. There’s something odd about the two of them, but Dixie’s friend, Hetty, offers the girl, Jaz, a job helping take care of the service dog Hetty is training. Not long after, three young thugs enter Big Bubba’s home while Dixie is there, looking for Jaz! A bit later, still, Dixie’s high school friend comes by, desperate for help, as her rich husband has been kidnapped and is asking for a $1 million ransom payment.

This is the 5th in the series, and it’s not entirely implausible Dixie’s friend would come to her, as she used to be a cop. I am still really enjoying this series, and in this one, I liked the additional info provided about parrots (even though they didn’t have much to do with the storyline). I also felt like this one was a bit different from the usual murder storylines in cozy mysteries.

Reclaiming Quinn - Parker Willams
Wolves of Lydon series Book #2
5★
Shifter Quinn Adler...Sean’s brother from the first book... knew he would live and die as a slave. Quinn’s life was filled with pain until he was rescued from an abusive pack. But in Lydon, Quinn can’t be sure of anything, so he’s terrified of everything. With no one to give him direction, he is lost—until Deke takes control of him. Deke Timmons hates that he has to play the role of master to his mate. Unfortunately, Quinn won’t accept his love until Deke can show him what being mates means. Vowing to help Quinn, Deke takes him into the world he’s never seen. Though sometimes their relationship is tense, his methods seem to be working. Then a power-mad Alpha swoops in to kidnap Quinn and ends up getting Deke by mistake.
Now Deke must play submissive to a wolf complicit in Quinn’s abuse. He’ll do whatever it takes to get back to his mate—but with Deke in peril, Quinn must find his courage and reclaim the person he was meant to be.

The two books need to be read in order for the reader to have any idea of the what or the why of what is happening. These two characters are absolutely perfect for each other. Their life isn’t easy...far from it...but I love the town that the wolves have created and their ways of offering sanctuary to other wolf shifters...and in this one, offering sanctuary to shifters of other species. Seeing Quinn...who was so damaged almost beyond imagination, from the last book...blossom...was well worth every second. I don’t read many shifter books, but I do read as many Parker Williams books as I can find, and this story...and the one before it, The Night Wolf kept me captivated and left me wanting more. Please write more Mr. Williams!!

Men and Cartoons
Jonathan Lethem
3.5/5 stars
This is an imaginative short story collection by Lethem. I found this on the free shelf at our library and it looked intriguing. I was not disappointed; I enjoyed most of the stories and liked that they were written in different styles.

The Rising - Badlands - Morgan Brice - (South Carolina)
Badlands series Book #2
5★
A big storm is brewing, there's a killer on the loose, and the ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless. Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his sexy cop boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D'Amato, have their hands full helping the Grand Strand brace for rough surf, driving rain, and high winds as a winter storm roars toward shore. Everyone's on edge, and rumors are rampant about sightings of Blackcoat Benny, a ghostly omen of danger, and worse, the Gallows Nine, the spirits of nine infamous criminals hanged back in the 1700s, a harbinger of disaster. Rough tides wash the wreck of an old pirate ship into shallow waters, high winds threaten to damage an old mansion with a dark past, and the citizens of the beach town hunker down to ride out the storm. As the skies grow dark and the sea turns wild, several men from prominent local families end up dead under suspicious circumstances. Simon's premonition confirms Vic's gut feeling - the killing is just getting started. As Simon tries to reach out to the spirits of the murdered men to help the investigation, he's attacked by malicious ghosts that don't want anyone getting in the way of their long-overdue vengeance.

A winter storm is blowing into Myrtle Beach and the residents there are concerned. Pack up and evacuate or wait it out. So... not only do Simon and Vic have to deal with a storm coming but also a string of suicides that could be/probably are... murders...visions of pirates and privateers... and a poltergeist troubling the construction crew at a local historical manor. Simon...the psychic medium and Vic... his homicide detective boyfriend, have their hands full. The story combines the ghost stories with a real-world murder and some local history. Two different local legends that collide with strong and evil forces. A really good mystery and extremely lovable characters. Please forgive me for sounding like a broken record but I wish these books were longer.

A Gathering Of Old Men – Ernest J Gaines
4****

A dead man. A running tractor. A white woman who claims she shot him. A gathering of old men with shotguns. A sheriff who knows everyone is lying. A father who needs revenge.

What is so marvelous about this work is that Gaines tells it from a variety of viewpoints, as different characters narrate chapters. Candy Marshall is the woman who owns the plantation that has been in her family for generations. It is she who spreads the word among those in “the Quarters” that the men need to show up at Mattu’s place. By the time Sheriff Mapes is called and arrives there are dozens of elderly black men, each with a fired shotgun, though many can barely hold the gun let alone aim and fire it with any accuracy. One by one they tell their stories of how and why they shot Beau Bouton.

Meanwhile Beau’s brother, Gil, comes home to meet with his father, Fix, who wants nothing more than to call up his group of Klansmen to “take care of this problem.” It is Fix’s arrival that the group of old men is awaiting. One by one they tell their stories of how and why they shot Beau Bouton.

Their stories are simply but eloquently told. Oppression lasting for generations. Men who will not take it any longer. Their decision to stand up for what is right and against those who would continue the sins of the past has been coming for a long time and they are united and steadfast in their determination to see this through. And that includes NOT allowing some white woman, however well-intentioned, to “save” them. No, they will save themselves, or die trying.

Gaines’s writing is evocative of time and place. I can feel the humid heat, taste the dust that fills the air, hear the buzz of mosquitos as evening comes, smell the swamp and sweat. This is the second book by Gaines that I have read (and I’ve read A Lesson Before Dying three times), but I have all his works on my tbr. The world of literature lost a great writer when he passed on in 2019.

Before We Were Yours / Lisa Wingate
3.75 stars

In the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, the Tennessee Children’s Home Society was seen as a positive thing for adopting out poor orphans to wealthy families. It was only discovered in 1950 that many of those kids had families who wanted them. Many of those kids were kidnapped and kept in orphanages, abused, and finally sold.

This fictional account follows 12-year old Rill and her four siblings who were taken off their parents’ boat to live in an orphanage, then to be adopted out. There is also a present day story where Avery is trying to figure out something her grandmother Judy didn’t want anyone to know, as a stranger has a letter for Grandma Judy, but the letter isn’t allowed into anyone else’s hands except Judy, whose mind is no longer well.

I listened to the audio and I thought it started off pretty slow, so it took me a bit to get “into” it, and I might have missed a few things at the start (that may or may not answer a question I had near the end). It did pick up, though, and I found myself more engaged. I actually ended with a couple of questions, though; I have a guess as to the answer to one of them, but if it was outwardly answered, unfortunately, I missed that, too. My questions and the slow start are why I couldn’t bring my rating up to 4 stars, but the bulk of the book was engrossing enough that it almost could have been there. I was glad there was an author’s note at the end with more of the true story of the Home Society.

Inside Darkness - Hudson Lin - (New York)
4★
He's come in from the field, but the darkness has followed him home. After a decade as an aid worker, Cameron Donnelly returns home jaded, tired, and with more than just a minor case of PTSD. Plagued by recurring nightmares but refusing to admit he has a problem, Cam quickly spirals into an alcohol-infused depression, and everyone around him is at a loss for how to help. Journalist Tyler Ang met Cam on a reporting assignment in Kenya, and their first encounters were rife with hostility and sexual tension. Back in New York, their paths continually cross, and each time, Cam's brokenness reminds Ty more and more of his own difficult childhood. Letting Cam in goes against Ty's instinct to live life autonomously, but the damaged aid worker manages to sneak past his guard. Their relationship is all sharp corners and rough edges, and just as they're figuring out how to fit together, a life-threatening accident puts it all in jeopardy. If they want a future together, both will have to set aside their egos and learn to carry each other's burdens.

Not a very happy theme to this one and parts of it were very hard to read. I liked learning early on what Cam's darkness was and how it changed as he did. It was an original and compelling read. Cam and Ty are fascinating characters, both with painful stories, but somehow it never felt over the top. I would have liked more focus on why they’re attracted to each other so early on, which would have brought more romantic tension into the story and enhanced their relationship. While the book doesn't try to give a cure-all for PTSD, or present the fantasy that falling in love can make everything immediately all better...but it does show that falling in love with a really good person that will take you with all your bumps and bruises...can go a long way in helping you come to terms with almost anything that life throws at you.

Adequate Yearly Progress– Roxanna Elden
Audiobook narrated by Roxana Ortega.
3***

From the book jacket:Each year brings familiar educational challenges to Brae Hill Valley, a struggling urban high school in Texas. But the school’s teachers face plenty of challenges of their own. … And this year, a new celebrity superintendent is determined to leave his own mark on the school – even if that means shutting the whole place down. The fallout will shake up the teachers’ lives both inside and outside the classroom.

My reactions
I’m not a teacher, but I have friends who have worked as teachers, and I’ve volunteered as a reading tutor for a couple of years. And I felt that the depictions – while somewhat stereotypical – seemed accurate to me. From the teacher-training conference (how many times must we hear the “starfish”story?!) to lunchroom monitoring to science fair disasters to parent interactions and finally to efforts to quantify success, all the elements seemed familiar and relatable.

I really liked science teacher Hernan Hernandez, who pines for English teacher Lena Wright. Meanwhile Lena is focused on fellow spoken-word artist, Nex Level. And idealistic history teacher Kaytee Mahoney struggles to connect to her students while secretly writing a tell-all blog and bowing to her parents’ wishes by applying to law school. And Coach Ray, who is always ready to lend a hand (or the hands of his football players when some heavy lifting is involved), is struggling to connect with his two daughters, by two different women, and NOT repeat the mistakes of his father.

Elden includes scenarios that are familiar to anyone who has ever been required to attend yet another motivational speech or meeting to discuss implementation of a new process. There are moments of serious reflection, scenes of tenderness and of hilarity.

Roxana Ortega does a fine job narrating the audio version. She had a lot of different characters to handle but she was up for the challenge.

Stalker- - Lars Kelper
Joona Linna series Book #5
3★
You thought you were alone. Think again.
CLOSE THE CURTAINS
A film arrives at Stockholm’s National Crime Investigation Department showing a woman in her own home, plainly unaware she is being watched. The police don’t take it seriously … until she is found murdered.
LOCK THE DOOR
When the next video arrives, Detective Margot Silverman frantically attempts to identify the victim. But it’s already too late. Because at the time the video was sent, the killer was already inside their house…
BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
Soon Stockholm is in the grip of terror. Who will the Stalker target next?

As usual I started in the middle of a series but it didn’t really seem to make a great deal of difference as far as the story went. I found out the series is written by a husband-and-wife team. Their main character is a very interesting Finnish detective named Joona Linna. He’s a bit of an odd duck...but a fairly likable guy who has marvelous instincts coupled with intense combat training. We don't see Linna for a while at the beginning... but once we do it's obvious that he's not fit company for man or beast. He tried to go into hiding but events soon send a fellow detective to find him. This book is nearly 600 pages and it is an interesting mystery that catches the reader up and keeps you turning the pages...however the police are supposedly intelligent people but they do the dumbest things throughout the entire book. Maybe things are different in Sweden...or perhaps something is lost in the translation. We also don’t get much information on any of the other characters. Some of the storyline verges on the incredible...but overall...it was a not as exciting as the title and the cover blurb would have you believe.

Travels with Charley: In Search of America
John Steinbeck
4/5 stars
In 1960, Steinbeck at the age of 58 takes off in a camper with his dog, Charley to explore and talk with the people of America. He starts off on the East Coast and travels to the West Coast and back. It was wonderfully written and is an interesting look back at the slices of life in the US in that time period.

Dark Blood - Stuart McBride - (Scotland)
Logan McRae series Book #6
4.5★
Richard Knox has served his time, so why shouldn't he be allowed to live wherever he wants? Yes, in the past he was a violent rapist, but he's seen the error of his ways. Found God. Wants to leave his dark past in Newcastle behind him and make a new start. Or so he says. Detective Sergeant Logan McRae isn't exactly thrilled to be part of the team helping Knox settle into his new Aberdeen home. He's even less thrilled to be stuck with DSI Danby from Northumbria Police -- the man who put Knox behind bars for ten years -- supposedly here to 'keep an eye on things'. Only things are about to go very, very wrong. Edinburgh gangster Malk the Knife wants a slice of the development boom Donald Trump's golf course is bringing to the Granite City, whether local crime lord Wee Hamish Mowat likes it or not. Three heavies from Newcastle want a 'quiet word' with DSI Danby about a missing mob accountant. And Richard Knox's dark past isn't done with him yet!

Edinburgh is as bleak as always, and so is the overall mood. But unlike some of the earlier novels, this one is relatively free from torture and other horrors. However,... there is still plots within plots within plots. DI Steel is still annoying and mad as a hatter with the world in general and everyone in it. I wish McBride would tone her down a bit. Logan makes odd choices which get him into trouble with his superiors, who themselves don't make a very professional impression. I hope the Scottish police are not actually like this. In spite of the police blunders and DI Steel...the entire series is curiously addictive,

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
5*****

Shadow is a man with a past. But now he wants nothing more than to live a quiet life with his wife and stay out of trouble. Until he learns that she's been killed in a terrible accident. Flying home for the funeral, as a violent storm rocks the plane, a strange man in the seat next to him introduces himself. The man calls himself Mr. Wednesday, and he knows more about Shadow than is possible. He warns Shadow that a far bigger storm is coming. And from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same . . .

Spectacular book! I read it because I've loved other Neil Gaiman books, but procrastinated reading it as well because, well, could it really be that good? And it is. The recommendations from strangers and from friends were well-earned and trustworthy.

Where to start? There's Shadow, newly released from prison early when he learns of his wife's death, in a car, with his best friend. Grief on multiple fronts. Then there's Wednesday, and for any of us with any knowledge of Norse Mythology (thank you, Neil Gaiman!), we know immediately who we're dealing with. And the Anansi Brothers, the first novel by Gaiman that I "read" as an audio book (highly recommend with the accents). And Mr. Ibis. And a mention of Gwydion. And the stories of how these dieties got here: from a shipload of Norse explorers, to an Irishwoman who knows her body is her coinage. To the West African slave trade and the people caught within those terrible chains.

Yes, the storyline does flip from place to place, but there's a reason for it and it's very, very well done. The time on the road, the card tricks, the time spent at Lakeside, all make a tangible contribution to a modern mythology of ancient and new Dieties.

Tippi: A Memoir
Tippi Hedren
4/5 stars
Tippi Hendren writes about her time in the film industry including problems with working for Hitchcock, her family and her famous daughters, her work in charity and her animal rights advocacy which resulted in starting Shambala, a big cats’ preserve in California. Very interesting!

Lucky Town - Morgan Brice (Pennsylvania/South Carolina)
Badlands series Book #1.5 or book #2 (Novella)
5★
The only thing more frightening than murder might be navigating their first holiday season as a couple. Psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his boyfriend, Myrtle Beach homicide detective Vic D’Amato, take a trip back to Pittsburgh to spend Thanksgiving with Vic’s large, exuberant family, which means dodging old frenemies and a bitter ex-boyfriend. A cold case comes back to haunt Vic when a murdered woman’s ghost begs Simon for justice. Then a new murder in Myrtle Beach looks suspiciously familiar, and the dead man’s ghost isn’t playing nice. When Simon gets a vision of the next victim before the crime occurs, he realizes that all the murders are supernaturally linked. Catching the murderer will take his psychic sleuthing skills along with Vic’s street smarts to avert a tragedy. Can they do right by ghosts past, present and yet-to-come without ending up in the crosshairs of a killer for Christmas?

I saved this novella for last but I loved this series and Vic and Simon so much that I really wanted to see how their lives were going to play out...knowing that this was a short novella and wouldn't necessarily carry on the story as well as the other 2 books. I found, when finally letting myself read it that for a short story it packed a lot heat and had enough going on to be both intriguing and gripping at the same time. I would have found out that the D'Amato clan welcomed Simon with open arms...accepted his abilities to communicate with the dead... and wished only the best for his and Vic’s future. It was full of magic, spirits, friends, and Simon and Vic finally settling in and making a home together. Loved it! I hope there will be many more Vic and Simon adventures!!!

Loose Ends- Badlands - Morgan Brice - (South Carolina)
Badlands series Book #4
5★
Cold cases, old enemies, ex-lovers, and vengeful spirits are making life dangerous for psychic medium Simon Kincaide and his boyfriend, homicide detective Vic D’Amato. The ghosts of Myrtle Beach are restless, trapped by love, secrets, scandals, and spells, keeping Simon busy protecting the living from the unhappy dead. Someone from Vic’s past is out to destroy him and everyone he holds dear, and the high-profile trial of the first case Simon and Vic worked together puts them in the spotlight—and puts a target on their backs. As a deadly trap closes around them, can Simon and Vic tie up the loose ends to stop the threat, or will they become the newest ghosts of the Grand Strand?

Simon and Vic are living together now...both thinking of the next step to take in their relationship. Their love is tested by someone trying to ruin Vic both personally and professionally. Simon and Vic are not the team that anyone in their right mind would intentionally want to take on. We meet some new characters in this one that were... or are... a big part of Vic and Simon’s lives. Vic's ex... Simon's mom... a couple of ghosts including Dante from the previous books... and finally, for better or worse... Simon's ex. You can’t help but love the action and suspense and seeing the growing love and connection between Vic and Simon. I so hoped there was going to be more of this series but seeing as how the books were written in 2019...I guess I’ll just have to settle for repeat reads.

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth - Lindsey Lee Johnson -(California)
2.5★
In an idyllic community of wealthy California families, new teacher Molly Nicoll becomes intrigued by the hidden lives of her privileged students. Unknown to Molly, a middle school tragedy in which they were all complicit continues to reverberate for her kids: Nick, the brilliant scam artist; Emma, the gifted dancer and party girl; Dave, the B student who strives to meet his parents' expectations; Calista, the hippie outcast who hides her intelligence for reasons of her own. Theirs is a world in which every action may become public: potable, shareable, indelible. With the rare talent that transforms teenage dramas into compelling and urgent fiction, Lindsey Lee Johnson makes vivid a modern adolescence lived in the gleam of the virtual, but rich with the sorrow, passion, and beauty of life in any time, and at any age.

Having spent 28 years of my life going into public schools and speaking to students from Pre-K to high schools...I have to say that I can both agree and disagree in almost equal measures with this teacher. This is a deep dark look into the hearts and minds of Middle School students and their teachers in California’s wealthy Marin County. While this may be the experience of some students...I don’t believe that it defines every student's experience or for that matter every parent of this influential county. I am 2,500 miles away from Marin County, California but there are counties and school districts in my state of Michigan that also have school districts with wealthy, above the average income families with children attending a variety of our schools. I believe that with a few exceptions, the parents are trying to raise their children to be well adjusted, contributing members of society...not rich brats spending their weekends getting high at parties, or experimenting with sex with anyone and everyone. I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, but even if half the things that were portrayed in this book are true of this one county...it still seemed like it was highly stereotyped and every above average income parent and child was painted with the same brush. I guess my question is, if the teacher knew so much about the students like Nick, the scam artist and Emma the party girl...who she describes as “both gifted and brilliant”...why wasn’t her efforts focused more on offering... if nothing else...a face that would listen to them more and condemn them less. I just felt dirty after finishing this.... but perhaps that was the entire idea.

Past Caring - Robert Goddard - (England)
5★
At a lush villa on the sun-soaked island of Madeira, Martin Radford is given a second chance. His life ruined by scandal, Martin holds in his hands the leather-bound journal of another ruined man, former British cabinet minister Edwin Strafford. What’s more, Martin is being offered a job—to return to England and investigate the rise and fall of Strafford, an ambitious young politician whose downfall, in 1910, is as mysterious as the strange deaths that still haunt his family. Martin is intrigued by Strafford’s story, by the man’s overwhelming love for a beautiful suffragette, by her inexplicable rejection of him and their love affair’s political repercussions. But as he retraces Strafford’s ruination, Martin realizes that Strafford did not fall by chance; he was pushed. Suddenly Martin, who has not cared for many people in his life, cares desperately—about a man’s mysterious death and a family’s terrible secret, about a love beyond reckoning and betrayal beyond imagining. Most of all Martin cares because the story he is uncovering is not yet over—and among the men and women still caught in its web, Martin himself may be the most vulnerable of all.

I am a huge Robert Goddard fan having read...I thought...everything he’s ever written. Seems I was wrong since somehow this gem missed my radar. Like most all of Goddard’s books there are twists, double twists...red herrings...theories that seem plausible, until they aren’t...then at the last it all comes together. At the end, you feel Martin gave the book its title as events leads him to the point that he is “past caring”. The ending... despite its being somewhat expected... still felt right and the reader feels that things are finally as they should be.

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.

Flame and Ash - Morgan Brice -(North Caroliina)
Witchbane series Book #4
5★
The hunters become the hunted. When their lives are on the line, will love be enough? Seth Tanner and Evan Malone are hot on the track of a coven of dark witches responsible for a century of ritual murders. Seth saved Evan’s life, and Evan joined him on the road, getting a crash course on magic and the supernatural, learning how to fight and hunt. Seth worries that Evan’s going to get hurt, or that he’ll realize this crazy, dangerous life isn’t for him—and break Seth’s heart. Evan Malone has fallen head over heels for Seth, despite the danger and chaos. Their relationship is new, their emotions are raw, and every hunt could be their last. Evan wants to prove that he’s committed to their relationship, despite the rushed and rocky beginning. He’s pushing himself to learn new skills so he can have Seth’s back—and his biggest fear is that Seth might get hurt because Evan isn’t good enough. Their next hunt takes them to the Blue Ridge Mountains, but this time, the dark witch knows they’re coming—and has plans of his own. Then Seth vanishes, and everything Evan has learned and his belief in their bond as lovers is put to the test. He’s got to prove he’s up to the challenge and Seth’s faith in him, before the whole situation goes up in flames and leaves nothing but ash.

There is one more book in this series and then I guess if I want to visit with Seth and Evan I’ll have to start over. We get to meet and see more of Seth’s mentors, Toby and Milo. We haven’t seen them...and then only briefly since Thanksgiving in book 3. if you love the author's other hunter novels (Badlands, Treasure Trail, Deadly Curiosities, and Night Vigil)...and I do... you will get to see some of the characters that make cameo appearances to help out Seth and Evan. If ghosts, magic, suspense and deadly bad guys are your cuppa tea then you're going to love this entire series. Please be aware that all the Witchbane & Badlands series are same sex romances/adventures.

The Engineer by C.S. Poe - Very enjoyable steampunkish western involving a magical FBI agent and a gunslinger with a joint interest in saving a town from a murdering maniac out to strip their mines. Kind of a quick read/short story m/m romance.

>29 Jenson_AKA_DL: I'm so glad to see someone else that likes, or at least reads C.S. Poe. Have you read any of her Simon and Winter series? They are really good.
1.The Mystery of Nevermore
2.Mystery of the Curiosities
3.Mystery of The Moving Image
4.Mystery of The Bones.

Her Southernmost Murder is also good but I don't find if this is part of a series or not. I have two friends that bring me boxes of m/m romances so I have some other recommendations if you are interested. You are the first person that I have found that may read them. I have the Engineer so will be sure to read it next when I finish my Witchbane series (Morgan Brice).

Fogland Point - Doug Burgess (Rhode Island)
5★
Where memories, realities, and identities blur...David Hazard wanted nothing more than to forget his renegade family and the foggy New England village "on the wrong side" of Narragansett Bay where he grew up. When sudden tragedy brings him back to Little Compton to care for his grandmother during her struggle with dementia, he discovers her fragile memories may hold the key to a bizarre mystery half a century old—and perhaps to the sudden and brutal murder right next door. Once Chief of Police Billy Dyer names her as a witness, Grandma Maggie's recollections become vital. But can they be trusted, especially in a town where everyone has a secret, including David himself? The investigation stalls. Then eccentric millionaire Marcus Rhinegold's yacht disappears into the fog, bodies begin to wash ashore, and Maggie's stories come vividly to life, setting off a chain of events both horrifying and hauntingly familiar. Puritans, gun-runners, Mafiosi, and a rogues' gallery from past and present converge in the mists of the bay, challenging Billy with layers of deception. On Christmas Eve, he enlists David in a daring move to uncover the many truths surrounding Fogland Point.

It is wonderful. Atmospheric...complex... spellbinding... intriguing...suspenseful...(I’m almost out of adjectives)...with really great characters. There is something new on every page...lots of puzzle pieces to put together and hopefully come to a conclusion with a likely suspect. Darn it! Just when one is solved, another one rears its ugly head...but what an experience! The author...which is new to me...takes the reader right into the story with these wonderful folks. Loved it...loved it ...loved it. Hope there is another one soon.

Be With Me - Maya Banks - (Pennsylvania)
1★
Hutch Bishop, Cam Douglas, and Sawyer Pritchard were juvenile delinquents with a reckless and wildly sexy side. But they had more in common than that. They had Regina Fallon, a wealthy but lonely girl from the right side of the tracks who formed an unusual friendship with the boys. She felt protected. She felt needed. She felt loved...for the first time in her life. By all three. Today, she’s a police officer, dedicated to her badge, and wary of reigniting her relationship with the hot trio after one night of passion left her confused—and stunned—by what they wanted from her. But when a mysterious attempt is made on her life, Hutch, Cam, and Sawyer jump in to protect her again. Now, the four are forming an all-new bond. It’s more exciting, more intense, and—as a killer looms in the shadows—more dangerous than ever before.

This was in my box of books from my “book bringing buddies”. I guess, most of you have guessed by now that they are married...to each other...so to say I was a little surprised...not at the three guys but that the three guys all wanted the one woman and not each other. Not the way this box of books usually goes. I felt rather sorry for Reggie to start with. That soon changed. The boys seemed to have never grown up and were not in the least shy about how all three of them was hot to trot after this girl/woman they all claim to have loved all their lives. Reggie was not in any way helpless...she was a cop for Heaven sakes. I don’t know when she had time to do any of her police duties. She was in bed most of the book with all three of these “good friends”. I found it kind of funny after reading so many of the m/m romances that are usually what’s in the box...that these guys thought all three of them in the same bed was okay. Watching was more than okay. But no sir...NO TOUCHING!!! Wouldn’t one guy at a time have worked just as well??? I guess if that was the case, Reggie would have had a lot more time to do her police duties. I frankly just lost patience with all of them early on. Side Note: When asked if they had read it they avoided answering directly but said they thought I might pass it off on some other unsuspecting soul. I'm NOT that cruel:(

Look What You Made Me Do - Elaine Murphy
5★
Carrie wants a normal life.
Carrie Lawrence doesn’t need a happily ever after. She’ll just settle for “after.” After a decade of helping her sister hide her victims. After a lifetime of lies. She just wants to be safe, boring, and not trekking through the woods at night with a dead body wrapped in a carpet.
Becca wants to get away with murder.

Becca Lawrence doesn’t believe in happily ever after because she’s already happy. She’s gotten away with murder for a decade and has blackmailed her sister into helping her hide the evidence—what more could a girl want?
But first they have to stop a serial killer.

When thirteen bodies are discovered in their small town, people are shocked. But not as shocked as Carrie, who thought she knew all the details of Becca’s sordid pastime. When Becca swears she’s not behind the grisly new crimes, they realize the town has a second serial killer who has the sisters in his sights, and what he wants is . . . Carrie.

Carrie has a secret. Her sister Becca is a serial killer. Carrie has another secret. She helps her sister hide the bodies. This is a very easy read that flows nicely. Jam packed with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. "Look What You Made Me Do” is unique in a deep sea of psychological and serial killer thrillers. It’s disturbing and twisted, filled with palpable tension and white-knuckle moments. This book is non-stop action, creating a thrilling ride that quickly engages the reader. I’ve never read anything by this author before...but this won’t be my last one.

Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Goose – Stephanie Laurens
Digital audiobook performed by Helen Lloyd.
3***

Set in 1810 England, just on the cusp of the Regency period, this delightful Christmas mystery focuses on the recently widowed Lady Therese Osbaldestone, her three young grandchildren, a flock of missing geese, a “spinster” forgoing her own happiness to look after her younger brother, and a wounded war veteran.

Lady Osbaldestone is a marvelous character; bright, opinionated, kind, inquisitive (some might say nosy), and confident in her right – nay, duty – to oversee everyone’s business. As she enlists the help of the children in finding clues as to the whereabouts of the missing geese, she stumbles upon two people in desperate need of matchmaking. Lord Christian Longfellow is living the life of a recluse, certain that his scars make him a pariah to his neighbors. But it is the wounds to his psyche that affect him far more than those to his visage. Meanwhile Miss Eugenia Fitzgibbon has her hands full trying to manage the estate of her younger brother, who would rather party with his equally immature and irresponsible friends than attend to business. Of course, Lady O will begin with a plea to Eugenia’s organization skills and need to be helpful; poor Lord Longfellow hasn’t yet decorated his home for Christmas, and Miss Eugenia is JUST the person to fix that!

This is a delight on so many levels, from the marvelous characters to the charming scenes of Regency village holiday life – ice skating parties, a live nativity pageant, holly and mistletoe, and, of course, the geese!

Helen Lloyd perfectly performed the audio version. She gives us a Lady Osbaldestone who is every bit the dowager and up to whatever task may come her way. She’s equally deft at giving voice to the very young grandchildren, Lord Longfellow and a host of villagers. A splendid narration.

My Partner The Wolf - Hollis Shiloh - (California)
Shifters and Partners series Book #1
4.5★
Tom Langley and Sean Goods work together in a human-and-wolf shifter partnership, assisting the police, rushing in to solve crimes wherever their bosses send them. They're a great team, and they have fun together, too: joking and enjoying each other's company in a way that doesn't happen every day. Tom is also a married man. And his husband hates the wolf shifter with a passion. Tom tries to balance the sides of his life—one minute on a high-pressure chase with Sean, the next placating his husband Lowell. Then the unthinkable happens: his marriage ends. Heartbroken, he's not expecting to ever get over Lowell's betrayal or to be able to love again. Sean offers a solution: sex as friends. They have chemistry, and they trust each other. But can they change their partnership that much? And is Sean secretly harboring feelings for him—expecting more than just sex? Sean is a loveable, funny, strong, and protective. He's the best buddy a guy could have. But Tom might not be able to keep from breaking his heart—if Sean is in love with him, and Tom can't love him back.

I liked Tom and Sean’s camaraderie at the office and in the field, and their off-time friendship that developed into more even though Tom was an emotional wreck through the majority of the book. I hated Tom’s husband from the first time he appeared in the story. Too bad Hollis Shiloh didn't just have wolf, Sean, eat him and be done with it. I became very invested in Sean getting his “happily ever after" that I could forgive Tom’s on again off again attitude. Actually... I wanted to slap him up beside the head most of time. I’m diffidently going to try book 2.

The Horseman's Graves / Jacqueline Baker
2.5 stars

This is set near the Sand Hills in Saskatchewan near the Alberta border. It starts in 1909, but quickly moves on to the next generation. I wouldn’t have known it from the story, but the majority of the farmers living nearby are German immigrants, (I think) via Russia.

All these things should have been more interesting to me with a German (via Russia) family background, and I grew up in Southern Sask and have been to the Sand Hills.

I feel like 2.5 might even be a bit generous. There was one storyline that was (somewhat) interesting, but mostly this was boring. I wasn’t all that interested, and I was confused by who some of the characters were and how they related to the story. Well, they were all in the same town/area, but otherwise… Drove me nuts the one character was simply called “the boy”. Seriously? He doesn’t have a name? Come on!

We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir / Samra Habib
3.5 stars

Samra Habib was still a girl when her entire family came to Canada from Pakistan. They were a part of a minority group of Muslims who were discriminated against in their own country. As she grew up, she knew she didn’t see things the same as her parents and she did not want to marry her cousin in the arranged marriage that had been planned. In fact, she wasn’t interested in men at all, and thought she may be asexual. As an adult, she came to realize that she was, in fact, queer. And she learned how to reconcile that with her Muslim faith.

This was good. It did move quickly and it felt like it skipped forward fast in some cases. It was interesting to read about, though.

The Silent Girls - Eric Rickstad - (Vermont)
Canaan Mysteries
3.5★
With the dead of a bitter Vermont winter closing in, evil is alive and well . . . Frank Rath thought he was done with murder when he turned in his detective's badge to become a private investigator and raise a daughter alone. Then the police in his remote rural community of Canaan find an '89 Monte Carlo abandoned by the side of the road, and the beautiful teenage girl who owned the car seems to have disappeared without a trace. Soon Rath's investigation brings him face-to-face with the darkest abominations of the human soul. With the consequences of his violent and painful past plaguing him, and young women with secrets vanishing one by one, he discovers once again that even in the smallest towns on the map, evil lurks everywhere—and no one is safe.

It started out to be a thrilling journey to a very dark place...but toward the end the whole climax seemed rushed. It didn’t exactly take anything away from the story but I was just expecting a slower journey after the great beginning. I’m going to give this author and the series another try. I believe there is promise there and I already have another book by this author.

Come Unto These Yellow Sands - Josh Lanyon - (Maine)
5★
Sometimes the adventure chooses you. Lover of fine poetry and lousy choose-your-own-adventure novels, Professor Sebastian Swift was once the bad-boy darling of the literati. The only lines he does these days are Browning, Frost, and Cummings. Even his relationship with the hot, handsome Wolfe Neck Police chief, Max Prescott, is healthy. When one of his most talented students comes to him bruised and begging for help, Swift hands over the keys to his Orson Island cabin - only to find out that the boy's father is dead and the police are suspicious. In an instant, the stable life Swift has built for himself hangs on finding the boy and convincing him to give himself up before Max figures out Swift's involvement in the case. Max enjoys splitting an infinitive or two with his favorite nutty professor, but he's not much for sonnets or Shakespeare. He likes being lied to even less. Yet his instincts - and his heart - tell him his lover is being played. Max can forgive lies and deception, but a dangerous enemy may not stop until Swift is heading up his own dead poet's society.

I've read quite a lot of Josh Lanyon's works and enjoyed pretty much every one of them. I couldn’t begin to pick a favorite. Addiction is a major theme in this story, but it doesn't distract from the murder mystery. Swift’s honesty about his addiction, and Max's support gave the story a meaning that I wasn’t expecting. The protagonists aren't perfect. There was a point where the whole relationship between Swift and Max could have gone into the wind...and I was surprised that it didn't. As usual Josh Lanyon delivers a story that entertains. Her characters make you care for them and wish them happiness and love always.

Murder Most Deserving - Hank Edwards - (Michigan)
Lacetown Murder Mystery Book #2
4.5★

An acoustic music festival comes to Lacetown, and with it, another dead body―this one found at Fleishman’s Funeral Home. Michael recuses himself from the autopsy, handing the job over to his arch-nemesis from a neighboring county. Luckily Michael and local hairstylist Jazz are closer than ever. Between a trio of funerals, a blowout BBQ, and a couple of trips on Beulah, Jazz’s beloved scooter, Michael and Jazz do some sleuthing of their own. With the first gruesome murder still fresh in their memories, they can’t help but wonder if notorious murderer and famous author Russell Withingham might be targeting them from jail, where he’s awaiting trial. The festival, however, brings in a veritable lineup of potential killers, including a familiar―and most unwelcome―figure from their past. As the murderer circles ever closer to Jazz and Michael, Sheriff Musgrave is quick to remind them that everyone’s a suspect until Sheriff Musgrave says they’re not!

I think after the first book I have come more to terms with how Michael and Jazz think and what drives them. I just can’t understand why the men in these books are always eaten alive by their pasts and not concentrating on the good things they could have in their futures. Anyway...the sheriff is becoming one of the best characters in this series. He is a hoot! The mysteries in the first book as well as in this one are very good. This one had a surprising end and kept me reading. I finished it in one sitting which isn’t unusual but I usually try to drag it out with characters that I really like.

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee– Dee Brown
Book on CD narrated by Grover Gardner
5*****

Subtitle: An Indian History of the American West

Brown’s interest in the history of the American West took him to many resources that were previously ignored in crafting the official textbooks from which millions were taught American history. This work is one attempt to correct the information so many thought they knew. Instead of reading accounts of glory and conquest, we are given the perspective of the Native Americans, who mostly wanted to live in peace and harmony with the white men. But the “civilized” society of white men would not be denied, and the government waged a continued war against the Indians with the intent of wiping them out.

Brown relates the systemic plunder of Native lands region by region, tribe by tribe, battle by battle, broken treaty by broken treaty. The reader comes to know the chiefs and their efforts to lead their people to a peaceful solution. The many photographs included help to put faces to some of the names we’ve come to know – Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Cochise. It is a very personal account. And it is heartbreaking.

Grover Gardner does a very good job of narrating the audiobook. But I think this is best read in text so the reader has time to absorb the information. I did have a copy of the text and I read about a third of it, listening to the rest.

>30 Carol420: This was my first C.S. Poe read and I would certainly be open to reading other series by this author. I've now also read the sequel of this series, The Gangster, which I really enjoyed as well. I'm hoping she writes more of the series!

>42 Jenson_AKA_DL: The series that I recommended in #30...the Snow and Winter series...is excellent. I have only read one in the Memento Mori series... Madison Square Murder (Memento Mori), but it was also good. Sorry...the touchstone won' t recognize it. I'll probably go back and read them again. Also anything that Morgan Brice writes is well worth the time. I have the girl that orders books from the library getting all her series for me. I can also get some of them on Hoopla. For Morgan Brice look for The Witchbane series, the Badlands series and The Treasure Trail series. I've read all of them 3 or 4 times. another author on the same order that I love and read anything she writes is Josh Lanyon. I'll list the books in the Witchbane, Badlands and Treasure Trail series in order for you. Happy reading.

Witchbane series
1. Witchbane
2, Burn: Witchbane Novella
3. Dark Rivers
4. Flame and Ash
5. Unholy (Witchbane

Badlands series
1. Badlands
2. The Rising - Badlands
3. Lucky Town - Badlands Novella
4. Loose Ends - Badlands

Treasure Trail Series
1. Treasure Trail - only 1 thus far but a promise for more by Morgan Brice

Badlands has several Novella length books that I haven't pursued yet. Another thing that i like about Morgan Brice's books is that the characters reappear in some way in almost all of them. After you get to liking a character they don't just disappear. She has other series that i haven't read yet but I can't imagine that they wouldn't be just as good as all of these.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
Michelle McNamara
4/5 stars
This is the amazing story of the search for the Golden State Killer (also known as the East Area Rapist) in California. Author and TV consultant Michelle McNamara put her heart and soul into writing this book before dying of an undiagnosed heart condition. Unfortunately, she never lived to see her book come out or the capture of the killer since she died two years before he was caught. This is definitely, a page turner. FYI - https://www.biography.com/news/michelle-mcnamara-golden-state-killer

>43 Carol420: Thanks so much for the recommendations! I will certainly check them out. I may have read something by Josh Lanyon before, I'll have to double check.

Have you ever read anything by Z.A. Maxfield? I liked the book Drawn Together which is an older story. The characters have really interesting personalities to say the least.

Another book which is one of my favorites is Ransom by Lee Rowan. She hasn't written much lately that I've seen, but that story has always stuck out in my head.

>30 Carol420: I decided to give The Mystery of Nevermore a shot and now have it on my Kindle :-)

My two wonderful friends brought me another box of books on Saturday that had a Z.A. Maxfield book in it...Jacob's Ladder. I haven't started it yet but they both read it and said it was good. I have read something else but can't remember what. I haven't read anything by Lee Rowan but I'll have to check her out. Thank you. The Mystery of Nevermore is really good and each of the others just get better and better, I wish there was more in the series. You'll love it I'm sure. I would love to be able to visit Sebastian's shop.

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.

Unholy - Witchbane- Morgan Brice - (South Carolina)
Witchbane series Book #5
5★
A cycle of ritual murders. A coven of dark warlocks, drawing their immortality from the magic of their dead master. Two men sworn to stop the deaths, destroy the warlocks, and avenge the victims. Except this time, the killer flips the script. Seth Tanner swore vengeance on the dark witches who killed his brother, Jesse. He rescued Evan Malone from one of the witches, and they've fallen in love despite the danger and chaos, going on the road to complete the quest and bring an end to the ritual murders. Their relationship is still new, tested at every turn by danger and magic. Seth and Evan head to Charleston to stop the next warlock and save his intended victim. But this time, they're too late. The warlock has already powered up, and he's determined to destroy the two hunters one way or another. A deadly curse on Seth and Evan means time is running out. Can they find a way to turn the tables, or is Charleston their final destination?

This book is a crossover between Seth and Evan's stories and Gail Z. Martin's (Morgan Brice)…Deadly Curiosities It was great seeing Seth and Evan interact with Cassidy...Teag, and the rest. I've absolutely loved each adventure Seth and Evan have been on to destroy these witch disciples that killed Seth’s brother in the first book Witchbane… and the further into each book we've gotten the more danger they are up against while worse, creepy things try to take them out...including a rouge ex-boyfriend. I was glad to see they had some talented additional help from new arrivals that we meet and the friends they make that helped them with this one because Seth and Evan both were on borrowed time. I want this series to go on for a very long time.

Women Of the Silk – Gail Tsukiyama
3***

This work of historical fiction takes us to early 20th century China and the unique position of the women who worked in the silk factories in lieu of marriage, in order to help their families survive hard times.

Pei is but a child, about 9 years old, when her father, a struggling farmer, takes her to Auntie Yee’s house in the “large” village that has several silk factories. Unaware that this is more than just a visit, an adventure with her father, Pei goes with the kind Auntie Yee to “see the house” only to realize too late that her father has left her there. While she is heartbroken at first, she does eventually accept the kindness and friendship of other girls in the house and begins to learn the work of the silk factory. More importantly, she forms a close bond with the girls and women she comes to view as her new family.

I loved the unexpected strength and determination of these young women as they made their own way in a culture that restricted opportunities for women. The independence they gained, though initially forced on them, became their most prized attribute. They forged strong bonds and were successful in going against the male owners of the plant to demand better working conditions and shorter work hours.

The novel ends just as the Japanese invasion in 1938 ends their way of life, and Pei, along with a younger “sister” heads out for the next phase of their life’s journey.

This is one of Tsukiyama’s earlier works. It was interesting and engaging, and I’m glad I read it, but it isn’t up to the excellence so evident in her later novels.

My Partner and Me - Hollis Shiloh - (California)
Shifters and Partners series Book #2
4★
Sean is happy with his mate, Tom. As far as he's concerned, life is golden. Except for when it isn't. Their work is dangerous. While Sean's recovering from his most recent injury, he hears a little girl in his head, calling for help. And his wolf side is acting up: too sensitive, too vulnerable. He needs Tom more than ever, especially when it means facing his family and old wounds. Even if things are never truly right for his wolf side, at least he has a mate who will never leave him…right?

The first book, My Partner the Wolf was told mostly from Tom’s point of view. In this one we get to hear from Sean...the wolf shifter and Tom’s work partner and his mate. I couldn’t help but like Sean but hated how he was treated by the other cops that he and Tom worked with. It was almost like he was a second-class citizen...and not because he was gay but because he was a shifter. I think how many missing persons cases he and Tom solved when he was in wolf form would have earned him more respect. Sean puts his whole heart into finding the lost people...especially the children. Tom is still sometimes a hot mess but he’s coming along after his divorce. It was also nice meeting some of the other members of the wolf pack and seeing Sean interact with the young wolves. I hope that Hollis Shiloh will carry the series on a little further with Tom and Sean.

The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business / Christopher Leonard
5 stars

This book looks at the meat industry, with more of a focus on the chicken industry: the way factory farming built up, the history of it. It started with the chicken industry first via Tyson Foods in 1929 with Jim Tyson. His son, Don, later took over and continued to grow the business, eating up all the different steps in the process, in addition to most of the smaller competitors. They control every step of the chicken business and have incredible power over the farmers, who are often driven to bankruptcy. But the banks continue to fund more farmers to take the places of the bankrupt farmers, because the banks get their money back on those defaulted loans from a federal program (that was not originally meant for this purpose!).

While reading the book, it hadn’t occurred to me to rate it as high as I am, but I feel like my reaction to the book warrants it. The anger, the swearing at the book, the emotions the book brought out it me, I think, warrants the 5 stars. It did make me angry and frustrated that things are going this way, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to stop it… unless the government gets some teeth and stops bowing to the corporate lobbyists for the good of the regular people, the good of the farmers. Well worth the read for anyone who wants to know (and even those who don’t!) what is going on with our modern-day food (or, at least meat) industry.

Fairest. Vol. 1: Wide Awake / Bill Willingham
3 stars

This is a spinoff of Wilingham’s “Fables” series. It focuses on Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty) and Ali Baba. Ali Baba finds himself a bottle and when an imp comes out of it instead of a genie, he is sorely disappointed. However, the imp explains that Ali Baba needs to find the sleeping princess and wake her with “True Love’s Kiss”. When he finds her, though, there are two sleeping women – and he doesn’t know whom to wake, so he wakes them both – Briar Rose and the Snow Queen, who then chases after them to capture them.

This was ok. Maybe I would have liked it more if I’d read it closer to when I was still reading “Fables” and at the point where this one made more sense? As always, the colour illustrations were very nice, but the story left something to be desired. I will not be continuing this spinoff series.

Treasure Trail - Morgan Brice - (New Jersey)
Treasure Trail series Book #1
5★
Erik Mitchell traveled the world uncovering art fraud and relic theft, which pitted him against spoiled billionaires, unscrupulous collectors, mobsters, and cartels. He worked with law enforcement across the U.S. and Europe, but then a sting goes wrong, Erik ends up injured and returns to find his partner cheating. He decides to stop globetrotting and buy an antique shop in scenic Cape May, NJ, rebuild his life, and nurse his broken heart. Undercover Newark cop Ben Nolan went down in a hail of bullets when a bust went sideways, after a tip-off from a traitor inside the department. When he recovers, he spends a couple of years as a private investigator, only to tire of seeing the worst of human nature. When his aunt offers him the chance to take over her rental real estate business in Cape May, it seems too good to be true. Now if he could just believe he could ever be lucky again in love. Sparks fly when Erik and Ben meet. But when a cursed hotel’s long-ago scandals resurface, the two men are pulled into a web of lies, danger, and deception that will test their bond—and might make them Cape May’s newest ghosts!

This is the third series I have read by Morgan Brice. Love her characters and how she brings each new part of the series together to create a first-rate story. Not surprising that she is off to a great start of doing the same thing with this series as she did with Witchbane and Badlands...give us well written, well thought out plots and wonderful, lovable, warm characters that we will hate to say goodbye to at the end of the series. Erik Mitchell decides to settle down after an exciting career as an art fraud investigator and buy an antique store in Cape May, New Jersey. His attraction is to undercover cop Ben Nolan. Together they navigate a new relationship while dodging enemies from both their pasts as well as a few ghosts. The “ghost story junkie” loved every word of this as well as the growing romance between the two guys.

Paper Girls. Vol. 1 / Brian K. Vaughan
3.5 stars

It’s the late 1980s. 12-year old Erin is doing her paper route in the early morning hours of Nov. 1, so there are still people wandering about in costumes from Halloween. When a group of boys starts harassing her, three other girls (also delivering their papers – but they are doing so together) come to Erin’s rescue. They stick together the rest of the night, but there are weird things going on… from something that looks like the spaceship from War of the Worlds to other creepy looking monsters roaming about outside. Not only that, the girls’ parents (at least the two whose homes they went to) seem to have disappeared.

I liked this. Nice illustrations (it’s a graphic novel) and I liked the 80s references. It did end on a bit of a cliffhanger and I definitely plan to continue, but it might take me a while to get to the second volume.

The Ghost Tree - Christina Henry
3 ★
When the bodies of two girls are found torn apart in her hometown, Lauren is surprised, but she also expects that the police won't find the killer. After all, the year before her father's body was found with his heart missing, and since then everyone has moved on. Even her best friend, Miranda, has become more interested in boys than in spending time at the old ghost tree, the way they used to when they were kids. So when Lauren has a vision of a monster dragging the remains of the girls through the woods, she knows she can't just do nothing. Not like the rest of her town. But as she draws closer to answers, she realizes that the foundation of her seemingly normal town might be rotten at the center. And that if nobody else stands for the missing, she will.

I had to wait ages for this book since someone saw fit to check it out of the library and “adopt” it instead of returning it as normal people would have. When I finally got a copy, I thought it must really be something special since it had inspired someone to almost commit petty larceny. I was a bit disappointed in what, from the book description was supposed to be a strange murder mystery with headless corpses and monsters that were probably not human. It did offer some of that which was the good part of it but some parts were questionable and bordering on the unbelievable. Okay...I agree that anyone that can believe that some monstrous creature actually carried some headless body off through the woods should be okay to believe almost anything...right? I read a lot of m/m romances so I can accept a lot of things... but when it’s a love interest like the characters of Lauren and Jake... something just isn’t right here. Jake is in college and has recently turned 18, Lauren is 13 and about to start Jr. High School. Jake says lines like “I've been into you for a long time”...and "I dream of all the things I would like to do to you"... which is by far creepier than the monster. What? Did he have this huge crush on her when she as 9 or 10? There were only a couple murders when there was enough going on this town to have produced a lot more. Good premise for a good gory story but it fell rather short...and certainly not worth stealing.

Why Some Animals Eat Their Young: A Survivor's Guide to Motherhood - Dallas Louis -(Texas)
4★
When Dallas Louis decided that all she wanted was to meet and marry her Prince Charming and become a mom, she had no idea what was in store for her. But she would soon find out. After only seven months of dating the love of her life, she married him, and within the course of twenty-six months, she gave birth to three children. Her husband knew her longer pregnant than not pregnant! In this laugh-out-loud book, Dallas shares highlights of what happened in her world once she and her husband, Jeff, brought home three kids in a time span that was barely long enough to build a house, let alone build three humans. She would like readers to find comfort in knowing they aren’t the only ones suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome or buyer’s remorse. And, yes, it’s okay to admit that both of these conditions apply to parenting, though hopefully not all the time. Channeling Erma Bombeck, Dallas will tell you the things your friends won’t and the things other books are too afraid to print. With her irreverent humor and brash “tell it like it is” style, she’ll help you laugh at everyday situations, easing the pressure of the toughest job in the world: being a mom.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Yes...there are some parts that are funny. This woman had to laugh or she would have surely been in the bathroom slicing her wrist...and she probably had considered that option more than once. I had two children that I managed not to kill or sell, 15 months apart so I know to some extent what she was feeling when she produced 3 babies in 26 months. At one part of the book, she had a 2-year-old...a 1-year-old...and an 8-week-old. Her mother-in–law came to help. Even moved in. Her husband traveled for his company...obviously not long enough...but he tried to help when he was home. Babies don’t come with instruction manuals or return options so he was clueless and as overwhelmed as she was. I will have to say that she had a great deal of courage putting exactly how she felt on paper for millions of women...that had been, or were currently, in exactly the same situation that she was. So... there is going to be different levels of understanding and sympathy from the readers. Let me emphasize that these two young parents absolutely did love their children. They just couldn’t figure out how to handle the chaos. As the kids grew older, they did all the things that all young families do, and the things that happened became more amusing than they were at the time when she was trying to handle 3 infants almost by herself. I’m giving her book 4 stars and I’m giving her 10 stars for hanging in there and finding something remotely funny to write about. Read her book. If you are a mom, you will be able to relate to most of it...give a chuckle or two and think to yourself “Thank God and all his Saints that it’s not me.

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

The Romanov Empress / C.W. Gortner
3.5 stars

This is the story of Maria Feodorovna (aka Minnie), the mother of Nicholas, the last Tsar of Russia. She was a princess in Denmark before she moved to Russia to marry Alexander III, (later) Tsar of Russia. Minnie comes to love her adopted country Russia, has many children, marries them off, and tries to advise her children, even as they become adults. Nicholas, however, in marrying a woman Minnie never wanted him to marry, Alexandra, is more influenced by Alexandra (who, in turn, eventually is influenced by Rasputin, much to Minnie’s aggravation).

Once again, I listened to the audio, and once again, it took me some time to get “into” it. It actually took me a while to figure out exactly who Minnie was! It was also a bit trickier because I don’t know most of the people (though I know more about Nicholas and his family) in this story. I have to admit, once I figured out who some of the people were, it got more interesting, though there were always people throughout the book whom I couldn’t place. In most cases (likely all), I either missed it when the person was introduced, or I simply forgot. It didn’t help that many people had the same name and/or there were very similar nicknames for some (Alecki vs Aleksi (mother? son?– sp? I listened to the audio, so not sure of the spelling… add to that, Alix, who was Minnie’s sister!).

Certainly, it got more interesting with the conflict between Minnie and Niki’s wife. Alexandra when Alexandra was fawning over Rasputin. (But even before Rasputin, they really didn’t get along.) I do think there was a lot of historical detail to the book; it seemed it was well-researched.

Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
Digital audiobook read by the author.
3.5***

Subtitle: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

This is a wonderful memoir, as well as a bit of a tutorial, a travelogue, and a warning of what NOT to do. Bourdain is honest, profane, funny, enlightening and engaging. Some of his stories make me think I’ll never dine in a restaurant again. But most make me crave the experience of eating fresh ingredients prepared simply and deliciously by someone who really cares about the taste of the food being served. And, yes, Tony, I DO have shallots in my kitchen and I DO cook with butter! But, no, I do not make my own stock.

Bourdain narrates the audio version himself, and I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job. 5* for his performance.

Friends Like Us – Lauren Fox
Book on CD performed by Amy Rubinate
3***

From the book jacket: For Willa Jacobs, seeing her best friend, Jane Weston, is like looking in a mirror on a really good day. Strangers assume they are sisters, a comparison Willa secretly enjoys. They share an apartment, clothing, and groceries, eking out rent with part-time jobs. Willa writes advertising copy, dreaming up inspirational messages for tea bags, while Jane cleans houses and writes poetry about it, rhyming “clog of hair” with “fog of despair.” Together Willa and Jane are a fortress of private jokes and shared opinions, with a friendship so close there’s hardly room for anyone else. But when Ben, Willa’s oldest friend, reappears and falls in love with Jane, Willa wonders: Can she let her two best friends find happiness with each other if it means leaving her behind?

My reactions
I really enjoyed this exploration of friendship and the choices one makes as one matures. I remember close friends I had in my twenties … how we’d hang out at each other’s apartments, sometimes spending the night, watching movies, sharing PB sandwiches, taking a walk to the park or a Saturday matinee. And, like the characters in Fox’s novel, we’d create terrible puns and inside jokes that, looking back, were truly dreadful, but which made us feel clever and bright and “in charge of our destiny.”

While I’ve never experienced the kind of implosion that this trio is headed for, I have witnessed (and been part of) break-ups that hurt so badly you wondered how you would ever survive. And I recognized how a best friend can say just the right thing to help you through what you believe to be the darkest moments. So the relationships between these people and their emotions were completely relatable to me, even though I am more than twice as old as they are.

Willa narrates, and so we get more of her internal dialogue and exploration of her feelings about what is happening between her and Ben and Jane. I would have liked to have heard more from both Jane and Ben’s perspectives.

I loved all the references to local establishments. I don’t often read books set in Milwaukee, and the setting contributed to my easily relating to the book’s characters and plot. There’s also a very interesting subplot involving Willa’s brother, Seth.

Amy Rubinate does a fine job performing the audiobook version. There are many scenes where the two women have quick back and forth banter and I was never confused about who was speaking.

A Gentleman in Moscow
Amor Towles
4/5 stars
After the Russian revolution in 1922, aristocrat Count Rostov is punished by the Bolshevik tribunal and loses his rooms where he lives. He is then put under house arrest at the Metropol Hotel and is forced into smaller accommodations and eventually ends up working there. However, his life brightens up when a young girl alone stays with him and they become a family. Wonderfully written and hard to put down!

The Donnelly Album / Ray Fazakas
3.5 stars

The Donnelly family was an Irish family who immigrated to Canada in the mid-1800s. They set up in the township of Biddulph, Ontario. They were rough – they got into fights, they drank, they vandalized neighbours’ barns (including arson), sabotaged competing business… The father, James, was even convicted of murder and spent time in jail. But the entire area was rough and others did these things, too. James and Johanna had seven sons and one daughter. After decades of the violence, locals got tired of it and took things into their own hands. In the end, four of the family were murdered and burned in one house, and one of the sons murdered in another.

I’ve read a couple other books on the Donnellys, so the entire story was not new to me, but I think this book had a lot more detail and more episodes of things happening. There was a LOT of detail. In addition, there were photos – of the people, the places, letters and other primary documents that the author used in his research. There was a LOT of research that went into this, but it was also a bit dry to read at times. I wanted to give it 4 stars for the extensive research, but I’ve kept my rating just under that. 3.5 stars is still good for me.

The Loop - Jeremy Robert Johnson - (Oregon)
5★
Stranger Things meets The X-Files in this heart-racing conspiracy thriller as a lonely young woman teams up with a group of fellow outcasts to survive the night in a town overcome by a science experiment gone wrong. Something sinister lurks beneath the sleepy tourist town of Turner Falls nestled in the hills of central Oregon. A growing spate of mysterious disappearances and frenzied outbursts threaten the town's idyllic reputation until an inexplicable epidemic of violence spills out over the unsuspecting city. When the teenage children of several executives from the local biotech firm become ill and hyper-aggressive, the strange signal they can hear starts to spread from person to person, sending anyone who hears it into a murderous rage. Lucy and her outcast friends must fight to survive the night and get the hell out of town, before the loop gets them too.

This is a truly a horror thriller that is fueled by a story that will give the reader feelings of both hopelessness and brutality in equal measures. The narrative is delivered to the reader through the eyes and minds of a small cast of well-developed....well thought out characters. What makes the story so intriguing is not just that its a fresh take on an old theme....but its insight on a terrifying scenario that is growing all the more realistic in today's technological society. The characters in this story are hoping for salvation from a non- existent, uncaring mega force that has created and let loose a carnivorous monster that they have lost all control over...or ever had any control over to begin with. I have never read anything to equal the horror that this book produced. It would even scare Stephen King. I have read A LOT of strange and creepy books and this certainly has the "Numero Uno" horror spot in the library of my mind. Seriously...this is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach.

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.

The Secret Life of Violet Grant – Beatriz Williams
Digital Audiobook narrated by Kathleen McInerney
3.5***

Williams uses a dual timeline and dual narrators to tell this story of Vivian Schuyler, Manhattan socialite and wanna-be advertising exec in 1964, and her aunt Violet Schuyler Grant, who endured an unhappy marriage to pursue her dreams of scientific research in 1914 Europe.

I was quickly engaged and continuously interested in this story line. While I’ve grown tired of the dual timeline that is so popular these days with historical fiction, I thought Williams did a very good job of using this device.

I think I liked Violet’s story better, though I liked the character of Vivian more. Both women must fight for their dreams against convention and societal expectations (especially those of their matriarch mothers).

Violet’s husband is a total cad … evident from the first time we encounter him … but she does manage to gain the admiration of colleagues for her scientific work. The added espionage as Europe is headed toward The Great War (now known as WWI) sometimes makes the plot a little melodramatic, but it still held my interest and brought a surprise or two.

Vivian, meanwhile, is a sassy, assertive, “modern” woman. I loved her voice, her determination, and her loyalty to her friend. I also liked how she stood up for herself and was NOT willing to give up on her dream job for the sake of a romance.

Kathleen McInerney does a fantastic job of narrating the audiobook. I cringed every time she voiced Violet’s husband, Dr Walter Grant – what an oily villain! And I really loved the way she performed Vivian’s chapters.

The Wicked Deep / Shea Ernshaw
4 stars

In the seaside town of Sparrow, Orgeon, the three Swan sisters, Marguerite, Aurora, and Hazel, were drowned 200 years ago, accused of being witches. But there was a curse. Every year for a few weeks leading up to the summer solstice, they return and inhabit the bodies of three teen girls. While inhabiting these host bodies, they take their revenge by drowning boys they seduce.

Penny lives on the island with the lighthouse with her mother; her father disappeared mysteriously a few years ago. Just before the big party the night they know girls’ bodies will be taken, a strange boy wanders into town, not knowing what happens there every year. He wants to get a job working for Penny on the lighthouse island. But this is really bad timing for a new boy to come to town…

I really enjoyed this! It was not even on my radar, except that it fit a monthly challenge. Primarily the story was set in current day with Penny and Bo, but there were flashbacks to tell the Swan sisters story, as well.

Cold Waters - Debbie Herbert (Alabama)
Normal, Alabama series Book #1
3.5★
Everyone thinks fourteen-year-old Violet is a murderer. After a summer-night swim with her best friend, Ainsley, Violet is found confused, wandering in the forest—and Ainsley’s never seen again. But without a body, murder charges won’t stick, so Violet is sent away. After more than a decade in a psychiatric ward, Violet returns to her broken-down hometown of Normal, Alabama, to claim her dead mother’s inheritance and help her overworked sister care for their unstable, alcoholic father. Violet, still haunted by that night eleven years ago, endures horrific flashbacks and twisted hallucinations while townsfolk spit accusations—and for all she knows, they’re right. As the summer heats up, details of Ainsley’s fate appear like a beast’s wild eyes, watching in the darkness, and grim revelations about Violet’s family threaten to devour her. Already on the edge of madness, Violet must fight to keep her sanity long enough for the terrible truth to burst from the cold, dark waters.

I found the plot a little too predictable and...at times it seemed far-fetched. The story opens with the promise of a great mystery and you will immediately be fascinated with Violet and her haunted past. As we learn about the circumstances surrounding the night of Ainsley’s disappearance...I thought certain details would too easily be revealed as public knowledge. Secrets are rare in small towns where everyone has known everyone for generations...especially among teenagers who love to gossip about and to one another. it strange that, after Ainsley’s disappearance, the entire town immediately jumped to the conclusion that Violet had killed her. Considering Violet’s state of mind...her complete lack of a violent history...as well as the area in which she was found...it just seemed odd to me that she’d be so easily branded as a killer. It was the major flaw in the whole story. I didn’t get the feeling from her background that Violet, as a teen, was the type of outcast that the entire town would happily despise...label a killer...and then openly taunt and mock more than ten years later. The plot went in exactly the direction I thought it would The author’s attempted to keep the reader off balance and doubting... but the setup didn’t offer any other plausible possibilities. What the story did though, was give us an interesting look into a shattered mind. The story does have a solid ending with all the plot points resolved... and we are left with a glimpse into what may be Violet’s future. This will probably be what the future books in this beginning series will focus on.

Lions – Bonnie Nadzam
3.5***

From the book jacket: A spell-binding story of a modern-day “living ghost town” on the brink of collapse, and a young couple faced with pursuing the promise of a new life elsewhere or – against all reason – staying where they are.

My reactions
Nadzam’s work reminds me of classic fables with tragic heroes, especially opening with a mysterious stranger and his little dog. Her characters are familiar and yet distant. I recognize some of their emotions and motivations: loyalty, inertia, longing, adventure, boredom, duty, wonder, love.

Gordon, in particular, struggles with the competing forces – an urge to leave this desolate, dying town for college and a bright future vs. a duty to honor tradition and continue his father’s (and grandfather’s) work. Leigh is similarly torn. She loves this boy, and yet she longs to go to a bigger, BETTER, place, to experience all that life offers rather than stay in this small town whose only claim to fame is the “ghost town” sign on the freeway exit.

I can always rely on my F2F book club friend to recommend interesting, “odd” books! Unfortunately, our meeting was postponed, and I had been hoping that our discussion would help clarify my thoughts.

Chop Suey Nation / Ann Hui
3.5 stars

Ann Hui grew up in Vancouver, and later moved to Toronto where she became a journalist. In 2016, she decided to do a cross-Canada road trip with her partner while stopping at Western Chinese (aka “Chop Suey Chinese”) restaurants and talking to and learning about their owners and the history of the Chop Suey Chinese restaurants in Canada and North America. This is as she learns that her parents had run a Chinese food restaurant before she was born that she never knew about. She weaves in her father’s story, as he immigrated from China (years after his father and sisters came to Canada), grew up, married, worked in and ran restaurants, and had children.

I listened to the audio, read by the author herself, and quite enjoyed this. I was particularly interested in the chat with the owner of the Silver Inn Restaurant in Calgary (where I live), as I was only there for the first time a couple of years ago. This s where “ginger beef” was invented. (I also hadn’t realized that ginger beef is specifically a Western Canadian dish!) But, there were other interesting stories, too. I have to admit it took a while to get “into” her father’s story – I found it more interesting after he arrived in Canada. Ann Hui did a good job of reading the book. She did stumble over words occasionally, but it didn’t detract from the story,

Burn- Witchbane - Morgan Brice
Witchbane series Book #2 (Novella reread)
5★
Fate and danger threw them together. But once the adrenaline fades, will love last? Seth saves Evan from a dark witch, and they go on the run together, on the trail of a coven of ritual killers. But when the dust settles, will Evan regret his choice? Seth’s life as a hunter is dangerous, and he’s constantly on the road. He’s fallen in love with Evan and he wants him to stay, but Seth is afraid Evan would be better off without him.
Evan’s whole world has been turned upside-down by the dangerous stranger who saved his life. Evan made a split-second decision and teamed up with Seth when just days ago, he didn’t even believe magic was real. Now Evan’s worried that he might not be able to hold his own, but he’s determined to have Seth’s back. He’s sure of only one thing—his love for Seth. If they’re going to survive, they need to learn to fight like a team. And if they’re going to make it as a couple, they need time to heal old wounds, confess secrets and fears, and risk trusting each other—body and soul.

Seth and Evan are maybe the off-springs of "Supernatural" and "Grimm". I love their silly humor and their demonstrations of their growing love for one another. Set wants to wrap Evan in bubble-wrap and Evan just wants to be useful in helping Seth fight the dark witch disciples but is afraid that he will do something to get them killed. Together they present one wild and exciting adventure. There are additional characters that drop in from time to time to help out or give advice and you grow to love them too. I don't believe that this author can write anything that is not 100% sizzling hot with characters that tug on your heart. Why can't she write one of those 1000 page tomes?

What Alice Forgot – Lianne Moriarty
Book on CD performed by Tamara Lovatt Smith
3.5***

After she collapses during her spin class, hitting her head as she falls from the bike, Alice Love wakes to find herself surrounded by concerned onlookers and emergency technicians. Twenty-nine and crazy about her husband, she’s pregnant with her first child, and is afraid what this episode may mean for her baby. But, in fact, Alice is not pregnant; rather, she’s thirty-nine, has three children, and she and Nick are getting divorced.

What an interesting concept! Moriarty does a great job writing about women and their relationships – with friends, with siblings, with spouses. Here we have a woman who is possibly getting a “do-over” … or is she? Can she really erase the last ten years? Does she want to? As she comes to grips with her 10-years-older self, Alice hardly recognizes the woman she’s become. And as her memory slowly returns – in fits and starts – she is sometimes horrified to recall how she has behaved.

I liked this approach to how our past shapes our present and future.

Tamara Lovatt Smith does a fine job performing the audio. There are a lot of characters, and I was never confused about who was speaking. That being said, the text uses different fonts and indentations to highlight some aspects of the book and that was lost on the audio.

This Tender Land – William Kent Krueger
Digital audiobook narrated by Scott Brick
4****

Krueger references both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and Homer’s The Odyssey in this epic adventure set in America’s upper Midwest during the Great Depression.

Orphaned brothers Odie and Albert O’Banion have been placed at The Lincoln School, in Fremont County, Minnesota, which is primarily for Native American children. It is far from a refuge; rather, it is a prison and a labor camp, where the children are subject to many abuses – verbal, physical and sexual. Following one horrific event, the boys decide they have no choice to but set out on their own to try to find their aunt. They are joined by their friend Mose, a mute Native American boy, and Emmy, a young girl who has suffered a great loss. The plan is to paddle a canoe down the Gilead and on to the Mississippi and St Louis, Missouri.

Krueger is a marvelous storyteller, and he keeps the plot moving with a variety of incidents. The travelers show intelligence, resourcefulness, and tenacity. They are also children - immature and prone to misunderstanding or misinterpretation of information they gather. And, of course, they are vulnerable. Not everyone they meet is helpful; some are violently dangerous, and some want only to use them. I loved watching them grow, both individually and in their relationships, through these experiences.

The novel is very atmospheric. Krueger uses the landscape as a character – terrain, flora, fauna, and weather all have roles to play. He makes good use of magical realism. And there is a painful history lesson here as well, with the treatment of Native American children – ripped from their homes and tribal lands to be “re-educated” in abysmal conditions.

Scott Brick is a talented voice artist and does a marvelous job of performing the audio book.

Tipping the Velvet
Sarah Waters
4/5 stars
In the 1890’s Nan King lives with her family in England and helps with their oyster seafood restaurant business. One day she is invited to music hall and is intrigued with Kitty Butler, a young actress whose act has her portrayed as a male impersonator. Nan has become enamored with her and goes to her show daily.
Kitty Butler sees her there and hires her to help with the act. They soon become lovers but that ends when Kitty goes off with a gentleman friend leaving Kitty devastated. She soon meets with a rich woman who takes her in but that too becomes complicated and she is left on her own but she soon finds someone that she may rely on. This was made into a mini-series. Intriguing!

The Names of Dead Girls - Eric Rickstad (Vermont)
4★
Every murder tells a story. Some stories never end . . .In a remote northern Vermont town, college student Rachel Rath is being watched. She can feel the stranger’s eyes on her, relentless and possessive. And she’s sure the man watching her is the same man who killed her mother and father years ago: Ned Preacher, a serial rapist and murderer who gamed the system to get a light sentence. Now, he’s free. Detective Frank Rath adopted Rachel, his niece, after the shocking murder of her parents when she was a baby. Ever since, Rath’s tried to protect her from the true story of her parents’ deaths. But now Preacher is calling Rath to torment him. He’s threatening Rachel and plotting cruelties for her, of the flesh and of the mind. When other girls are found brutally murdered, and a woman goes missing, Rath and Detective Sonja Test must untangle the threads that tie these new crimes and some long-ago nightmares together. Soon they will learn that the truth is more perverse than anyone could guess, rife with secrets, cruel desires, and warped, deadly loyalty.

A very atmospheric story and a definite page turner. The author keeps the characters believable...the story was tight with few to no unnecessary parts. It's fast paced and it was nice to see some of the bad guys get their due at the hands of their victims. The dialogue was a tad weak but still interesting and easy to follow. If you are a James Patterson fan you will surely love this authors' offerings.

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England / Ian Mortimer
4.25 stars

This is nonfiction. The “time traveller” in the title is the reader; the “guide” is, of course, the book. The book takes us back in time to 14th century England, and walks us through, telling about the places (countryside, cities, towns), the people (classes of people), what they wore, what they ate, how they travelled and where they might stay (inns, people’s houses, which of course are different depending on the person’s wealth and rank). Basics like languages, the calendar and time, money and measurements. There are chapters and health and hygiene, as well as the law and what people did. Some things changed between the early and late 1300s and some of this is described, as well.

I found this so interesting. There is so much detail to immerse you into this time and place in people’s daily lives. And I do like the way it’s set up, with the reader “time travelling” there. I feel like this is the setting for (or at least bits and pieces are) many role-playing games, as well as much fantasy, whether on purpose or not. It turns out this is a series! I will definitely be continuing.

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle (Upstate New York)
5*****

The seed from which the story grows is the rather ordinary situation of Charles Wallace's having difficulty in adapting to school. He is extremely bright, so much so that he gets punched around a lot for being "different." He is also strangely, seriously ill ("mitochondritis--the destruction of farandolae, minute creatures of the mitochondria in the blood). Determined to help Charles Wallace in school, Meg pays a visit to his principal, Mr. Jenkins, a dry, cold man with whom Meg herself has had unfortunate run-ins.

What a phenomenal book that still holds up, even decades later. This was the first Madeline L'Engle book I read and it is still my favorite. Written in the mid-70's with a teenage woman as the protagonist, and a scientist as a mother, and the family doctor as a woman, it was as revolutionary in its characters as it was in its concepts. Cellular biology was getting a boost, and along comes the idea that the powerhouses of our cells, mitochondria, have something that powers THEM, called farandolae.

And then there's the kything with a cherubim! What a cool concept and something that fit right in with the ventures into the paranormal that were also so prevalent in the 1970s. A lot of the thinking got transformed into the New Age movement, but the idea of mind-speaking at a level beyond mental telepathy was fascinating to my 11 year old brain. And I loved Progo as much as Meg does and liked how the two of them have to work to find their connection to one another. Me, I just thought he was cool.

There were a surprising amount of adult-level conversations that Meg has to have with the adults around her: Mr. Jenkins, Progo, and Blajeny. I probably skimmed over them when I was younger, but now I am suitably impressed that no one talks down to Meg or to her brother, Charles Wallace, or even to the twins.

Glad I re-read this classic after all this time.

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!

Unnatural Causes – P D James
Digital Audiobook read by Penelope Dellaporte
3***

In book three of the mystery series, Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh has a holiday planned. He’ll spend ten blissfully uneventful days with his spinster aunt at her seaside cottage on the Suffolk coast. It’s a well-earned break, and his plans include nothing more taxing that long walks, tea by the fire, and some personal reflection. And then a headless, handless body washes ashore.

I came late to the PD James party, but here I am and I’m ready to enjoy myself. Dalgliesh is a marvelous character – a supremely competent detective, astute, observant, and intelligent, but also sensitive to nuance and willing to reflect on numerous possibilities.

James gives us several possible suspects and enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. There’s also a thrilling scene involving a major storm that puts everyone in danger. I hadn’t identified the culprit before the reveal. A totally satisfying mystery. I’ll continue with this series.

Penelope Dellaporte does a fine job of narrating the audiobook.

Eight Cousins / Louisa May Alcott
3 stars

Rose is left an orphan and initially goes to live with her aunts and boy cousins. It’s only a bit later that her Uncle Alec, a doctor, comes along with the intention to raise her, but the aunts are not too sure, so it all starts off and a kind of trial.

It was ok, but it was pretty sickly sweet. Just too much goodness going on with these kids. I did love Uncle Alec, though.

Death Cruise – Lawrence Block (editor)
3***

Subtitle: Crime Stories on the Open Seas

This is a collection of short stories, all of which take place on a cruise ship (though at least one of them never sets sail). The anthology is edited by Lawrence Block, himself a master crafter of mysteries, though he did not contribute one for this work. Authors come from multiple nations, starting off with Agatha Christie and including writers from Cuba, Belgium and the Netherlands.

I enjoyed reading them and was happily surprised that there was sufficient difference from story to story to hold my interest – and keep me guessing. Not all the stories involve murder – there are thefts, con jobs, and kidnapping.

>82 BookConcierge: Oh, I love cruising! Not a fan of short stories, but this is tempting, anyway. :-)

>83 LibraryCin: Well just think of them as short mysteries. LOL!