What Are We Reading and Reviewing in May?

This is the place to let everyone know the books you are reading during May, and then to leave reviews of these books. You can put up a list of the books you are reading for the month or put a post about a book as you start it, or even both.

Don't worry we are not back at school a review can be something as simple as a sentence about the book or as comprehensive as you want to make it - whatever is good for you.

This then allows people to discuss the book with you, and after all that is one of the main reasons we are all on here - to discuss books and our love of them. And to add to our TBRs because we never have enough books to read do we! 😂

Carol's Reads for May
✔ ★

Group Reads
✔The Sixth Man by David Baldacci (#5 of 6 in the King and Maxwell Series) - 5/9/17 - 4.5 Strs
✔The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry (#5 of 11 in the Cotton Malone Series) - 5/23/17 - 3.5 Stars
✔Coffin Road by Peter May - Standalone - 5/30/17 = 4.5 Stars

Blind Date With A Book
✔The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe - Mystery & Suspense Extra (April's date) - 5/7/17 - 3 Stars
✔Locked In by Kerry Wilkinson - M&S Extra Group - 5/13/17 - 4.5 Stars
✔Lightening by Dean Koontz - Treasure Trove Group - 5/15/17 - 5 Stars

Mini Challenges
✔The Clairvoyants by Karen Brown - 5/13/17 - 3.5 Stars
✔The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera - 5/13/17 - 3 Stars
✔Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane - 5/19/17 - 3.5 Stars

Others:
✔Hunted by Elizabeth Heiter - 5/1/17 - 4 stars
✔Beartown by Fredrik Backman - 5/3/17 - 3.5 Stars
✔Vanished by Elizabeth Heiter- 5/4/17 - 3 Stars
✔Rooms by Lauren Oliver - 5/10/17 - 2.5 Stars
✔Hysteria by Megan Miranda - 5/15/17 - 3 Stars
✔The Whispering by Sarah Rayne - 5/6/17 - 4.5 Stars
✔Nightwatching by John Zunski - 5/3/17 - 4.5 Stars
✔House of The Hanging Jade by Amy Reade - 5/11/17 - 3.5 Stars
✔Dark Homecoming by William Patterson - 5/5/17 - 3 Stars
✔The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor by Amy Reade - 5/14/17 - 3.5 Stars
✔Family Plot by Cherie Priest - 5/22/17 - 5 Stars
✔Lost Among The Living by Simone St. James - 5/18/17 - 5 Stars
✔Golden Prey by John Sandford - 5/25/17 - 4.5 Stars
✔The Fix by David Baldacci - 5/29/17 - 5 Stars

May 2017 Reads
✔★ ☊ ☞

1. Planned Group Read #1 - The Sixth Man by David Baldacci (#5 King and Maxwell) 416 pg.
2. Planned Group Read #2 - The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry (#5 Cotton Malone) 418 pg.
3. Planned Group Read #3 - Coffin Road by Peter May - 303 pg.
4. Mystery Sub-Genre Challenge - Police Procedural - Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin - 266 pg.
5. Mini Challenge Read - An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris - Historical Thriller - 373 pg.
6. Mini Challenge Read - Tonight I said goodbye #1 by Michael Koryta - Mystery - 307 pg.
7. Mini Challenge Read - The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler - Family Saga - 339 pg.
8. 1001 Books To Read - Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton
9. Fiction - Light A Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy - 542 pg.
10. Psychological Thriller - Watching Edie by Camilla Way - 293 pg.
11. Last In Series Read #1 - Cast Iron by Peter May - 407 pg.
12. Last In Series Read #2 - Saturday Requiem by Nicci French - 390 pg.
13. New Series Read #1 - Touched by Carolyn Haines - Dixon Sinclair Series - 371 pg.
14. Next In Series Read - Ashes and Bones #6 by Dana Cameron - 318 pg.
15. Next In Series Read - The Gilded Seal by James Twining - 401 pg.
16. Next In Series Read - Looking Good Dead #2 by Peter James - 527 pg.
18. Historical Fiction - Golden Hill by Francis Spufford - 344 pg.
19. Standalone - Say Nothing by Brad Parks - Suspense Thriller - 440 pg.
20. Suspense - The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly - 325 pg.
21. New Series The Whistler by John Grisham - 384 pg.
22. Horror - The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier - IVL
23. New Author - The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton - 314 pg.
24. New Author - The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware - 341 pg.
24. Early Reviewer - Red Leaves by Paullina Simons - 448 pg.

>2 Carol420: I'm looking forward to reading The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe in the near future too.

Dusty's reads in May

Greg Bear - Dinosaur Summer
Jack McDevitt - Starhawk
Jeff Vandermeer - Authority ✔
C J Cherryh - Visitor ✔
C J Cherryh - Cuckoo's Egg ✔
Melissa Conway - Xbestia ✔
Robert A Heinlein - By His Bootstraps ✔
Robert A Heinlein - All You Zombies (short stories) ✔
Robert A Heinlein - The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag ✔
Charlaine Harris - Day Shift ✔
Ellery Queen - Spanish Cape Mystery ✔
Nora Roberts - Dark Witch ✔
Arthur Ransome - Swallowdale ✔
J D Robb - Echoes in Death ✔
Nora Roberts - Shadow Spell✔

>4 EadieB: It was suppose to be my Blind Date for April but when the library got the book in it was in Swedish and not the translation. Unfortunately I don't read Swedish so they are trying again. I'll just have three dates in May. The more the merrier I say.

Provisional Planned Reads for May (I'm sure it will change!)

Group Reads
✔The Sixth Man by David Baldacci
✔️The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry
Coffin Road by Peter May

Other Books
Mr Mercedes by Stephen King
✔An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
✔The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
False Impression by Jeffrey Archer
✔️Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
31 Dream Street by Lisa Jewell
✔The Ghost and Mrs Jeffries by Emily Brightwell
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Absolute Power by David Baldacci
✔And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Iron King by Maurice Druon
✔High Alert by Alex Lukeman
Path of the Assassin by Brad Thor
Memorial Day by Vince Flynn
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
✔Red Rising by Pierce Brown
✔The Firemaker by Peter May
Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Reading- The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder
by Daniel Stashower - so good !!

May Group Reads :

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci (#5 of 6 in the King and Maxwell Series) : Starting Thursday 4th May
The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry (#5 of 11 in the Cotton Malone Series) : Starting Wednesday 17th May
Coffin Road by Peter May : Starting Saturday 27th May

Lynda and Oliver's May Reading List

Mystery

✔ Ashes to Dust - Yrsa Sigurdardottir - 3 Stars - 5/9/17
✔ Aunt Bessie Assumes - Diane Xarissa - 3.5 Stars - 5/1/17
✔ Aunty Lee's Delights - Ovidia Yu - 2.5 Stars - 5/5/17
Before the Fall- Noah Hawley
✔ Cliff Diver - Carmen Amato- 3 Stars - 5/2/17
Coffin Road - Peter May
✔ Far North - Michael Ridpath - 3.5 Stars - 5/3/17
✔ Golden Prey - John Sandford - 5 Stars - 5/6/17
Imitation in Death - J. D. Robb
✔ Messenger of Athens - Anne Zouroudi - 3.5 Stars - 5/7/17
One False Move - Harlan Coben
Paris Vendetta - Steve Berry
✔ Salton Killings - Sally Spencer - 3.5 Stars - 5/14/17
Shadow Man - Cody McFayden
✔ Sixth Man - David Baldacci - 4.5 Stars - 5/10/17

Non -Mystery

American War - Omar el Akkad
Blood of Tyrants - Naomi Novik
✔ Captive Wife - Fiona Kidman - 3.5 Stars - 5/12/17
✔ Constellation of Vital Phenomena - Anthony Marra - 4.5 Stars -5/4/17
Kitchen God's Wife - Amy Tan
✔ Maid's Version ' Daniel Woodrell - 4 Stars - 5/13/17
Sweet Salt Air - Barbara Delinsky
✔ Tea Planter's Wife - Dinah Jeffries - 3 Stars - 5/11/17
✔ Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt - 4.5 Stars - 5/8/17

The Worm Ouroborous by E.R. Eddison - continuing to read and will probably be doing so for a long, long time.

Bleak House by a Mr. C. Dickens. You may have heard of him. I will finish this volume this month, and it is one that I want to re-read in a few years. I thought I could handle reading it without writing down the characters since I've read the Game of Thrones Vols. I and II. Nope. Too many characters who pop up many, many chapters away from where they're introduced. And there are details that Dickens brings up and then makes relevant 100+ pages later.

Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik - lunchtime reading when I'm out and about (and if I get a job, that will be even more often!).

Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman - part of my Longtime TBR Challenge for May. May's theme is mystery, and boy is this one a doozy! I had forgotten how much I enjoy losing myself in a good mystery, and Alex Delaware is an intelligent individual, and I read half of it last night. I think I'll read the other half tonight and be able to start another on my TBR pile in the mystery genre. And fortunately for me, these are standalone novels so when I find one I can just pick it up and read it.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon as a just cuz I like it read. What was interesting was when both it and Throne were taking place on the high seas and I had to remember which Universe I was traveling in!

Beartown by Frederik Backman
3.5 Stars

From the Book:
A profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true.

People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.

Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.

Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.

My Views:
I've read and loved all of the previous books by this author but somehow this one just lacked the magic of the others. It could have been the subject. Hockey is not one of my favorite sports. Even though the story dealt a great deal with the small forest village there was still a lot of the sport featured. I did love how the author seems to infuse his characters with charm and quirkiness. They have power over the reader...they make you care about them and their struggles and their lives. I will have to admit that I now know more about hockey than I ever needed or wanted to know.

Son / Lois Lowry
4 stars

This is the 4th book in Lowry’s The Giver series. Claire has been assigned to be a birth mother. Once she has her first child (or “product”) - at only 14-years old - there are complications and she is reassigned to the fish hatchery. In the meantime, her son has gone to the Nurturing Centre, where he lives up to his first year before he is assigned to a family. But, Claire can’t seem to let go and volunteers there to keep tabs on him. When she learns that there is a problem with her son, her son is taken from the community at the same time as Claire escapes. Now, Claire is focused on finding and reuniting with her son.

I really liked this one. It’s been a few years between reading each of the books, so I had to go back to see what I thought of the others. I thought this one and the first one were the best ones in the series. Books two and three, I rated “ok”, but I really liked this and The Giver. The characters from the first three books come together in this one. I listened to the audio. Funny thing, I also listened to the audio of the third book and wasn’t crazy about that one. I liked this one much better.

The Mystery of Grace / Charles de Lint
4 stars

Grace is of Mexican descent, is a mechanic, and is covered with tattoos. John is a really nice guy, an artist. When John and Grace spend a night together, they seem to be super-connected. Imagine John’s surprise when Grace literally disappears from his bathroom the next morning! I’d like to say more about the book (much more is revealed in the second chapter), but the big reveal is not mentioned in the blurb about the book, so I will keep it to myself (but you can see it based on tags if you look; don’t look if you don’t want to see!).

The chapters were told from alternating points of view. I really liked this. Really good urban fantasy (which de Lint is so good at!). I liked both main characters and I liked Grace’s world and the friendship she made with Conchita. The mythology/superstition was interesting, as well.

Nightwatching by John Zunski
4.5 Stars

From The Book:
On the fringe of civilization, something sinister lurks within moonlit shadows. Feel a grieving mother’s isolation in a mountain cabin, the torment of a schizophrenic shut-in, and the desperation of a broken hearted musician as they struggle to overcome both personal demons and the diabolical being feeding upon their souls.

My Thoughts:
From opening the door of the cabin in Montana, Sondra views her new home with a sense of horror. and foreboding. It's not that it's a 100% turnaround from her previous existence or that her millionaire husband has left everything that was familiar after the death of their 3 year old son...it was the sure knowledge that hit her like a sledge hammer that they were not alone. Something beyond evil waited with infinite patience.

It was a fairly short book but packed with lots of chill bump producing intrigue. I couldn't name one single person in the entire story that I really liked. The characters are all flawed to some degree making them all easy prey for the evil that came in innocent form and preyed on their very souls. In spite of that it was a very, very good read for the ghost story enthusiast. I will certainly look for others by this author.

Vanished by Elizabeth Heiter
The Profiler series Book #2
3 Stars

From The Book:
Sometimes, the past can haunt you… Eighteen years ago, FBI profiler Evelyn Baine's best friend, Cassie Byers, disappeared, the third in a series of unsolved abductions. Only a macabre nursery rhyme was left at the scene, a nursery rhyme that claimed Evelyn was also an intended victim. Now, after all these years of silence, another girl has gone missing in South Carolina, and the Nursery Rhyme Killer is taking credit. But is Cassie's abductor really back, or is there a copycat at work?

Sometimes, the past is best forgotten… Evelyn has waited eighteen years for a chance to investigate, but when she returns to Rose Bay, she finds a dark side to the seemingly idyllic town. As the place erupts in violence and the kidnapper strikes again, Evelyn knows this is her last chance. If she doesn't figure out what happened to Cassie eighteen years ago, it may be Evelyn's turn to vanish without a trace.

My Views:
I really enjoyed the first book of this series but I found I was becoming bored with the repeated theme of this one. Evelyn was told from the start that she was too close to this case to be working it but she wouldn't listen so most of the 395 pages was her proving everyone right. Throughout this book I found her to be naive & even weak. She had to be rescued more than once or twice and made some very poor choices along the way. She wasn't like this in the first book. Hopefully in future books she'll stick to what she does best...profiling.

Schedule for Group Read of The Sixth Man by David Baldacci, #5 in the SeN King and Michelle Maxwell series on the Mystery and Suspense Group :

Friday 5th May : Prologue and Chapters 1 to 14
Saturday 6th May : Chapters 15 to 30
Sunday 7th May : Chapters 31 to 50
Monday 8th May : Chapters 51 to 69
Tuesday 9th May : Chapters 70 to 88

Dark Homecoming by William Patterson
3 Stars
From The Book:
A beautiful mansion—and the consequences for a newcomer who dares to call it home. Liz Huntington met her husband David, scion of one of Palm Beach’s wealthiest families, just weeks ago. Their honeymoon was idyllic and Liz is blissfully happy—at first. But she feels increasingly uneasy in her lavish new home. Huntington House and its staff still seem to be in the thrall of David’s first wife. In fact, the housekeeper, Mrs. Hoffman, has made it clear that Liz can never measure up to the stunning, sophisticated, deceased, Dominique.

Though Dominique drowned in a yachting accident, Liz still senses her spirit in the house. She hears unexplained noises…sees shadowy figures vanishing down the long corridors. The scent of Dominique’s favorite flowers fills the air. But Liz’s fears are more than insecurity. Two young women connected to Huntington House have already met terrible deaths. More will die—and soon. Because behind the house’s polished facade is an unimaginable secret and a love turned to twisted, unnatural obsession.

My Views:
Not what I was expecting from the synopsis. The idea was great but the actual story didn't really support it. About midway through the book the plot turns away and the more than one time reader of this genre knows what is going to happen. The book had nearly 500 pages so I spent a long time hoping that the plot would go back to what the book had promised in the beginning.

The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder
by Daniel Stashower
3.5/5 stars
In 1841, Mary Rogers, a beautiful, young woman who worked in a cigar shop is found dead after being missing for 3 days. Her death incites the newspapers to analyze the crime in a morbid fashion for months and is the main story in the city with hundreds of articles and theories brought forward about her death. Even Edgar Allan Poe becomes involved in the case and writes a story with similarities to Mary Rogers’s death in order to prove who killed her. Enthralling!

The Ice Beneath Her by Camilla Grebe
3 Stars

From The Book:
Winter’s chill has descended on Stockholm as police arrive at the scene of a shocking murder. An unidentified woman lies beheaded in a posh suburban home—a brutal crime made all the more disturbing by its uncanny resemblance to an unsolved killing ten years earlier. But this time there’s a suspect: the charismatic and controversial chain-store CEO Jesper Orre, who owns the home but is nowhere to be found.

To homicide detectives Peter Lindgren and Manfred Olsson, nothing about the suave, high-profile businessman—including a playboy reputation and rumors of financial misdeeds—suggests he conceals the dark heart and twisted mind of a cold-blooded killer.

My Views:
The story was told from the viewpoint of three people. The dead guy didn't get much of a voice since he was missing his head. Instead of the psychological thriller portraying the murder and the hunt by the police for the killer...the story portrayed the events in the lives of the three people that lead up to the killing. Thrown into this mix was a ten year old murder that shared some of the same characteristics.

It wasn't a bad story once you get past that it's not going to be about the current murder. The writing and the plot line was easy to follow but most of the characters were not people you would care to spend an evening with let alone the rest of your life.

The Thing about Love by Julie James
★ ★ ★ 1/2 - 380 pages

Special agents Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd were rivals in their Quantico training group. Six years later, the hard feelings are still there. Harlow, recently divorced and relocated back to Chicago, and Shepherd, finishing up an undercover assignment in Detroit, find themselves paired together on an undercover assignment in Florida. Each determined to prove their worth, they spar to cover their real feelings about each other.

I normally love Julie James' books, but this one fell flat for me. I like that her heroines are very intelligent, independent women, and Harlow is no exception. But we never really saw Harlow's character - we never see what really makes her tick. Same with the hero - other than his anger toward his ex-girlfriend, we don't see much of the real guy. I really wanted to be wowed by this one, but I wasn't.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy – Rachel Joyce
Audiobook performed by Celia Imrie
5*****

From the book jacket: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry followed its unassuming hero as he traveled the length of England – a journey spurred by a simple letter from his old friend Queenie Hennessy, writing from a hospice to say goodbye. Harold believed that as long as he kept walking Queenie would live. What he didn’t know was that his decision to walk had caused her both alarm and fear. How could she wait? What would she say? Forced to confront the past, Queenie realizes she must write again.

My reactions
Oh, I love Queenie! She admits that her first instinct when faced with a difficult situation has always been to flee – from home, from university, from Harold Fry. Now, at the end of her life she faces the secrets she has been hiding, and hiding from, with courage and grace, and pours out her heart in a long letter to her one love, Harold Fry. This is a love that was never declared, and certainly unrequited, but a love that will ultimately help Queenie achieve peace.

Joyce also gives us more about David’s struggles. I have to say I really disliked this young man. Yes, I understand his great unhappiness and depression, but I wanted to just slap him for his cruelty and lashing-out. His story is incredibly sad, but I can’t find it in my heart to sympathize with him.

But the book is not an unrelenting exercise in self-examination and regret. Queenie is at a hospice center, and there are other patients as well as the nuns who care for everyone. Joyce gives us glimmers of these patients’ personalities, of their hopes, dreams, fears. Some lend a bit of humor to what might otherwise be a very bleak story, and for that I’m thankful. And as word spreads of Harold’s journey to visit his dying friend, hope surges in their hearts and everyone adopts his request to Queenie … they will ALL wait for Harold. They will all wait for one more chance to express love and forgiveness.

Celia Imrie does a fine job of performing the audiobook. She has good pacing and skill as a voice artist. I did have the text handy, however, and I think I might have enjoyed the book even more if I read it rather than listened. Changes in typeface, use of quotations (or not), etc make it clear when someone is speaking vs just thinking. And the text also has a lovely illustration of Queenie’s Sea Garden; I’ve looked at it several times now, imagining walking through, feeling the breeze, smelling the sea air, listening to birds and enjoying the peace.

The Mighty Miss Malone – Christopher Paul Curtis
4****

In Bud, Not Buddy, Bud met a precocious girl at a camp next to a railroad track near Flint, Michigan. That girl was Deza Malone and this is her story.

It’s the Great Depression, and times are hard in Gary, Indiana, where the Malone family lives. Mr Malone has a hard time finding work; the few jobs available don’t go to black men like him. He makes the difficult decision to leave for Flint, Michigan, where he’s heard there may be a job. But when the family doesn’t hear from him for weeks, Mrs Malone decides to take Deza and her older brother Jimmie, and go looking for him.

I just love Deza Malone! She’s smart, courageous, resilient and big-hearted. The family’s journey is perilous at times, and Mrs Malone’s worry is well-founded. But they also have moments of joy, and meet with kindness and compassion from total strangers. There are many twists and turns in their journey, but they continue on despite any setbacks, certain that their destination is “a place called Wonderful” and that together, they will make it there.

Middle-grade readers will learn some history and how people dealt with homelessness, hunger and racism in that era. Curtis also give a strong message on the power of family unity, of working together for a common goal, and of never giving up your dreams.

Rocket Boys– Homer Hickam
Book on CD read by Beau Bridges
4****

Homer Hickam Jr (a/k/a Sonny) grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia – a “company town” in built and owned by the mining company for whom his father worked. The only thing that mattered in that small town was coal and high school football. And Sonny hadn’t much interest in either. Sonny and his friends, fellow misfits, didn’t seem to have much future to look forward to, until their imaginations were ignited by watching the Soviet satellite Sputnik. They began with simple “kitchen experiments,” learned from their failures, improved their rockets and garnered the admiration and support of the town.

In his memoir, Hickam brings the residents of Coalwood to life. He shares stories of growing up, of high school football, a beloved teacher, unlikely allies, young love, and his mother’s determination that her boys would NOT go into that mine. All the “Rocket Boys” went to college, three of them in engineering. The town of Coalwood was eventually abandoned when the mine was closed and allowed to fill with water.

Beau Bridges does an excellent job voicing the audio book. He has great pacing and a delivery that is just perfect for this story.

Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
3.5 Stars

From The Book:
A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.

Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she'd never return.

My Views:
This one was so much better than The Girl on The Train. The characters here were real and their emotions grabbed you from the pages of the book. You could liked them...you could grieved with them or rejoice with them...you actually wanted to get to know them better. The only down side that I saw was that it wasn't an easy book to read because of the sheer number of those same likable characters that sometimes spoke in the present and sometimes in the past and some just added their opinions leaving the reader to try to figure out who was talking and did it pertain to the past or present.

>22 BookConcierge: Thanks for this review. I read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry last month and want to get to this sequel this month. Your review has just accelerated this up the list for this month. I love that both books take me to one of my favourite towns in England, Berwick Upon Tweed. Celia Imrie would be a good narrator I would imagine.

http://www.visitberwick.com

Faithful Place / Tana French
4.25 stars

When undercover detective Frank was 19, he’d planned to leave his family, and leave Dublin to head to London with his girlfriend, Rosie. When Rosie doesn’t show up at their planned meeting spot, he finds a note and continues on, on his own. 22 years pass, and a frantic phone message from his younger sister, Jackie (the only family member he kept in touch with), brings him back “home” to Faithful Place, and his dysfunctional family to find out exactly what did happen to Rosie.

I really liked this one. It pulled me in right away! I also “enjoyed” the interactions between Frank’s family members (well, enjoyed at first, I suppose; as we learn more about his family, they are not so enjoyable, after all!). Have to admit that I wasn’t shocked by the outcome, though.

The Night Gardener
By Jonathan Auxier
5/5 stars
This wonderful young adults story revolves around Molly and Kip who are traveling through England after escaping the potato famine of Ireland in the mid 1800's. They have become separated from their parents and are looking for jobs to support themselves. On their travels they come to a manor where they are taken in as servants. They soon discover that they were hired because no one else would take a job there. The longer they stay there they notice something is not quite right with the family who are all becoming ill and they encounter a mysterious stranger who comes at night to take care of the tree growing into the house. I had a hard time putting this down and would love to see this made into a film.

The Shattering / Karen Healey
3.5 stars

In a beautiful, touristy small town in New Zealand, Keri has just lost her older brother to suicide. When an old friend, Janna, comes around and suggests Keri’s brother may actually have been murdered (like Janna’s older brother years before, who was also assumed to have committed suicide), the two meet up with someone from out of town who’s older brother also “committed suicide”. There is an odd pattern here and the three of them are going to find out what’s going on and who actually killed their brothers.

I enjoyed this. It’s YA, so not earth-shattering, but it was enjoyable. Each chapter switches viewpoints between Keri, Janna and their friend Sione, so we get a little bit of everyone’s point of view.

Bleak House
By Charles Dickens
4 stars

From the book jacket:
Esther Summerson, one of the two narrators of Bleak House, shares in the processes of unravelling the mystery surrounding her birth and exploring the strange connections which unite the rich and the poor, the exploiters and the exploited, the deranged and the corrupt. Hers is a journey towards painful enlightenment in which there is no turning back. For other characters enlightenment brings danger, disillusion and death.

Bleak House is Dickens's densest study of the stark contrasts and disturbing oddities implicit in the urban civilization of Victorian England.

My review:
It is Dickens and several of its women characters are simply caricatures that disturb me even though I realize he was writing for the time. Nevertheless, many of the rest of the characters in this long, long volume are painted as truly human and the above-named Esther Summerson does grow in wisdom and strength. It begins with one of the more subtle characters in the novel, Chancery Court. Having no basis on which to know what this court was I did research on Wikipedia and in asking several US lawyers to help me understand the background. But these kinds of explanations pale in comparison with the way in which Dickens creates this evil character that takes over 600 pages to explain. The lives that legal cases locked in the Chancery Court destroys is the subtle character weaving its way throughout this book. Sort of like The One Ring in the FOTR film.

As for the human characters . . . take the advice other readers in my book group gave me and write them down. I didn't, and I do regret it. Again, Wikipedia and Cliffs Notes came to the rescue, but I did miss some of the subtleties of how their stories interacted with other characters later on through the book. Which means I'll have to go back and re-read it some day in a few years.

And it really is a mystery: as a search goes on for the missing Lady Dedlock after a prominent lawyer is murdered in his own rooms, Inspector Bucket comes into Sir Leicester Dedlock's mansion and explains over the course of two chapters exactly who did what to whom, what was the motivation for the murder, and why certain characters acted the way they did. Amazing.

I now know several more allusions thanks to this immense volume: Skimpole, Nemo, and the Chancery Court. And the tragedy that encompasses Esther's birth and upbringing represents the thinking of many eras to which I hope we never have to return.

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.
⭐⭐⭐1/2

I loved the feel of this book, and the overarching nature of the story. However I have to admit feeling a bit disappointed with it, especially the short story feel of it, although the different stories did join up. It was an okay book but I just didn't fall in love with it, and so wanted to! On the plus side it did take me to Afghanistan for my round the world challenge. Perhaps my expectations were just too high.

>31 Andrew-theQM: I rated it either 3 or 3.5 stars, as well. I'm not a short story fan, and this did read like short stories to me, as well.

>31 Andrew-theQM: Glad to see I was not alone on this, like you I am not a fan of short stories and character development is I important to me in a story and I felt this was somewhat missing.

Rooms by Lauren Oliver
2.5 Stars

From The Book:
Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance.

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.

My Views:
This was actually a very quick read but it seemed to go on forever as far as I was concerned. It seems that this author is better known for her young adult novels and this was her first book away from that category. It wasn't a terrible book but the kindest thing I can say about "Rooms" is that it bored me 98% of the time.

The characters were all maladjusted...not the type of people you would want to call your friends...not even the dead ones. I believe I came to this book expecting from the description a bit more of a ghost story. I prefer more detailed plots in my "hauntings" but I tried very hard not to make the comparison to those by Stephen King or Dean Koontz. I found the idea intriguing but must admit I found it difficult to understand just where the story was going.

The House of the Hanging Jade by Amy R. Reade
3.5 Stars

From the Book:
A dark presence had invaded the Jorgensens' house. On a spectacular bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, something evil is watching and waiting . . .

Tired of the cold winters in Washington, D.C. and disturbed by her increasingly obsessive boyfriend, Kailani Kanaka savors her move back to her native Big Island of Hawaii. She also finds a new job as personal chef for the Jorgensen family. The gentle caress of the Hawaiian trade winds, the soft sigh of the swaying palm trees, and the stunning blue waters of the Pacific lull her into a sense of calm at "The House of Hanging Jade"--an idyll that quickly fades as it becomes apparent that dark secrets lurk within her new home. Furtive whispers in the night, a terrifying shark attack, and the discovery of a dead body leave Kailani shaken and afraid. But it's the unexpected appearance of her ex-boyfriend, tracking her every move and demanding she return to him, that has her fearing for her life

My Views:
I was an easy book to read and the author told the story plainly and simply. Maybe a bit too simply. You knew exactly what the characters were and how they were going to react to the the present situations. Even though their actions and believes were a tad questionable...the "how could any sane person do something like that" thing...it somehow didn't distract from the telling. Kailani was a chef for the Jorgensen family and throughout the book we learned of the local dishes she created for the dinners,which was very interesting ...especially since she seemed to be able to do that at the drop of a hat:) The ending was a big surprise and not something I had even considered...but probably should have. Not great literature but a very entertaining little book.

An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
#5 in the Maisie Dobbs Series
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

4.5 Stars This was an excellent read and got me out of the funk I have been in and the mini reading slump I have been in over the past week. I do love the Maisie Dobbs books, even without the historical mystery element, they have a different and refreshing feel to other crime novels. Yet again the events in this story relate back to the Dirst World War despite it being 1931 but I have to say yet again it worked. I also like the way each case is wrapped up by revisiting elements of the mystery. A momentous event happened in this book which could change things moving forward for Maisie.

First Test / Tamora Pierce
3.5 stars

Keladry is 10-years old and it’s been 10 years since girls have been allowed to apply to be a page, in order to later become a knight. However, no girl has tried for it, until Kel. Unfortunately, the trainer of the pages, Lord Wyldon, doesn’t think girls should be allowed, so he puts her on a 1-year probation; no boy has ever had a probationary period. So, she is not only set apart from the others because she’s a girl, she is also on probation. This doesn’t bode well for how many of the other boys treat her.

I enjoyed this! It’s children’s or YA, so not “deep”, but certainly enjoyable. Kel did seem much more mature than 10-years old, but mostly I just ignored that. It’s less than 200 pages, so also a quick read. I definitely enjoyed it enough to continue the series. I’m happy to see there are only 4 books to this series (though it is also part of a larger “world” with other books focusing on other characters in that world, as well).

Yay! After quite a few days gap,I finished several books at once.:0)
Nora Roberts -Dark Witch First book in the Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy,once again set in Ireland,once again three very different couple involved,and lots of magic,danger - and sentimentality! Quite acceptable to me from our Nora,something that irritates me in other authors! lol.I always prefer the books with paranormal elements to Roberts'straight crime fiction (not of course our Dallas and Roarke futuristic novels written as J D Robb).Dark Witch had a much darker start than usual in Nora's books,but it turned into a light fast exciting - and delightfully schmaltzy - read.
Jeff VanderMeer's Authority was the second in a weird fiction/horror trilogy,which has taken the SF world by storm. I found the first book an OK read,this second one rather dull and stodgy,with,once again,a unlikable protagonist. The first book was first person,exploring Area X,a strange place where various expoloratory groups have eitherdisappeared,
died ,become mad or struck with cancer. With a very intriguing setting,full of strange puzzles and events,the first book gripped the reader. This second book,told in the third person,doesnt go to Area X,but is stuck in the bureaucratic HQ,Southern Reach,where everyone is keeping secrets. Little action,and obsessive delving into the thoughts of the rather dull protagonist makes for stodgy reading. The books main purpose seems to be actually just setting up the final book. I'll continue reading,but I am finding this whole series seriously overhyped.
Ellery Queen's The Spanish Cape Mystery was only so-so. Unusually with Queen I guessed the murder and his motive very early on. Queen is usually much more devious and difficult to solve!
I am valiantly attempting to make my ''books in progress'' list much smaller and more managable.Completing 3 books in one day has made my TBR much smaller. Down to five books! :0)

Criminal by Karin Slaughter
4 stars

I finished one TBR in the category of mystery, and picked up another one almost as quickly!

From the book: Will Trent is a brilliant agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Newly in love, he is beginning to put a difficult past behind him. Then a local college student goes missing, and Will is inexplicably kept off the case by his supervisor and mentor, deputy director Amanda Wagner. Will cannot fathom Amanda's motivation until the two of them literally collide in an abandoned orphanage they have both been drawn to for different reasons. Decades before, when his father was imprisoned for murder, this was Will's home. It appears that the case that launched Amanda's career forty years ago has suddenly come back to life--and it involves the long-held mystery of Will's birth and parentage. Now these two dauntless investigators will each need to face down demons from the past if they are to prevent an even greater terror from being unleashed.

My review: A troubling read from Karin Slaughter covering a variety of disturbing topics: life in an orphanage, the lives of prostitutes, and the early careers of women on the Atlanta Police Force in 1975. I remember how the adults around me spoke Reginald Eaves' name, and now I know one of the reasons why: he created a giant, illegal, kerfluffle when he fired the good ol' boys (white) from the APD and hired African Americans and put these new hires into positions of power over the white officers on the force. The backlash from this action permeates the police action in those sections of the book which involve missing prostitutes and the only people who gave a feather for them: women APD officers Amanda Wagner, Evelyn Mitchell (Faith Mitchell's mother) and Vanessa. The abuse and brush-offs they get from their male colleagues and the suspects they interview were drawn from a year-long study Slaughter had access to of the APD in 1975. The torture these prostitutes go through during their imprisonment builds slowly and horrifically.

In the present day, we see Will's work in the GBI limited to the men's bathrooms at the Atlanta airport for no reason he can discern, until he finds out his father has been paroled from prison. At that point Will begins an emotional breakdown that starts with his visit to the Children's Home in Atlanta where he was raised and continues to escalate until Sara begins her healing work with him. He subsides somewhat but his intense hatred for his father is going to last his entire life. But at last the mystery of Will's origins are explained and we as readers of this series find our own sources of outrage and disgust.

Who They Were by Robert C. Shaler is one of those books that I just kept seeing in my "currently reading" listing here on LT and I decided is was just time to finish it.

Part scientific inquiry, part murder mystery, part political and office juggling, and all heart-wrenching, this book was a touching tribute to the scientists who worked so incredibly hard for so many untold hours to make these identifications. There are several acronyms that all work towards DNA identification: STR, SNPs, and TSNP. Then there is the DM, the victim number that was assigned to each piece of a victim that was found, and RM for Reported Missing. Thank goodness the author or editor thought to include a glossary, list of personae involved, and an index.

At the end, of the 2,749 people reported missing, the number of people who could be identified were 1,560 and less than 300 bodies of people were recovered whole. Since DNA evidence degrades in intense heat, such as the fire at the bottom of the World Trade Centers, there are people who can never be recovered. Likewise, Shaler realizes towards the end of the search that sometimes remains are fused together. This realization leads to additional identifications for family members to have some closure for their loved ones.

It took a while for me to read it as the scientific portions are so dense and detailed. But I realized last night that I could skim through the last bit of this book over these scientific portions and still gain an understanding of what clicked with me: the human toll the work did to the scientists who performed it, and the relief and closure their work did for the people whose family members were lost in those attacks. And it adds one more human dimension to this tale, that of the people who performed the work to make these identifications.

The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor by Amy R. Reade
3.5 Stars

From the Book:
"Do you know what stories Sarah could tell you about the things that happened in these little cabins? They’d curl that pretty red hair of yours."

Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, beyond hanging curtains of Spanish moss, at the end of a shaded tunnel of overarching oaks, stands the antebellum mansion of Peppernell Manor in all its faded grandeur. At the request of her friend Evie Peppernell, recently divorced Carleigh Warner and her young daughter Lucy have come to the plantation house to refurbish the interior. But the tall white columns and black shutters hide a dark history of slavery, violence, and greed. The ghost of a former slave is said to haunt the home, and Carleigh is told she disapproves of her restoration efforts. And beneath the polite hospitality of the Peppernell family lie simmering resentments and poisonous secrets that culminate in murder—and place Carleigh and her child in grave danger.

My Views:
This is the second book by this author that I've read this month. The story was interesting and well told and the characters were likable enough to earn it 3.5 stars....but if the only reason the reader picks this book, or the last one...The House of the Hanging Jade for that matter...is the description of the story...you are going to be sorely disappointed. In this case even the title is misleading. The only "ghost" in the entire story is the one in the housekeeper's head. As for the remainder of the book's description...I think they must have copied it from some other book...and I'd like to find that one.

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
3 Stars

From The Book:
Eight-year-old Kahu, a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny. Her people claim descent from Kahutia Te Rangi, the legendary "whale rider." In every generation since Kahutia, a male heir has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir, and the aging chief is desperate to find a successor. Kahu is his only great-grandchild--and Maori tradition has no use for a girl. But when hundreds of whales beach themselves and threaten the future of the Maori tribe, it is Kahu who saves the tribe when she reveals that she has the whale rider's ancient gift of communicating with whales.

My Views:
I was an okay book but not something that I would have read if it hadn't met the criteria for a challenge.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
4.5/5 stars
Teenagers, Eleanor and Park meet on the bus one day when Eleanor is forced to sit with Park. Both are very uncomfortable but slowly their relationship develops as their background stories unfold and Eleanor finally finds some she can trust and maybe love but will her stepfather break them up. . . Loved it!

The Underground Railroad / Colson Whitehead
2 stars

Cora is a slave and escapes from Georgia using the (in this book, literal) underground railroad.

I listened to the audio and it never did keep my attention. Because it couldn’t hold my attention, I found it difficult to follow, as every time I started paying attention again, there would be a new group of characters (or so it seemed). I assumed each time that Cora had moved on to a different place. Much later on, though, I figured out that the book was also jumping around in time and between Cora and her mother, Mabel (possibly also Cora’s grandmother, but I’m not sure; I know there was some about her grandmother at the start of the book, but that would still have been chronological order). So, ultimately and unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me (at least on audio).

Lightning by Dean Koontz
5 Stars

From The Book:
In the midst of a raging blizzard, lightning struck on the night Laura Shane was born. And a mysterious blond-haired stranger showed up just in time to save her from dying.

Years later, in the wake of another storm, Laura will be saved again. For someone is watching over her. Is he the guardian angel he seems? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond all time and space?

My Views:
I love absolutely anything and everything that Dean Koontz writes so I was so excited when I got this as my Blind Date With A Book. I was dating an old friend as I had read this when it first came out in 2003 but 14 years can erase a lot from the old gray matter.

The first and second half of the book is almost like two different stories. The book has many facets. It's a time-travel book....it's a book about the first thirty years of Laura's life....It's about Stefan, her mysterious "guardian", who rescues her when her life is in danger.... and it's a love story.

Koontz's time traveler comes from a time and place you would never guess with an agenda all his own. The book provided an excellent read that is filled with lots of action, suspense, and truly fascinating and engaging characters.

>45 Carol420: Still one author I have to try.

>45 Carol420: I read this one years ago, as well! Wish I remembered it better!

>46 Andrew-theQM: You should, Andrew! He's got lots of great books!

>46 Andrew-theQM: I totally agree with Cin. Great author with a huge amount of good books....he has a cute dog also:)

Schedule for Group Read of The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry, #5 in the Cotton Malone series on the Mystery and Suspense Group :

Thursday, 18th May : Prologue and Chapters 1 to 12
Friday, 19th May : Chapters 13 to 26
Saturday, 20th May : Chapters 27 to 38
Sunday, 21st May : Chapters 39 to 51
Monday, 22nd May : Chapters 52 to 63
Tuesday, 23rd May : Chapters 64 to 77

Thanks for this Eadie 😊👏🤠 I have managed to pick up the book so good to go now!

>51 Andrew-theQM: you're welcome!

For currently reading this month, my TBR pile has diminished by one: my first Tami Hoag. I inherited my mother's hoardbook collection, and it seemed she had an affinity for this author. I'm reading Ashes to Ashes and I am going to withhold a review until I finish it in a few days.

We're at 2 completed, 1 halfway through, and I will have time for 1 more in the TBR challenge for May, the category for which is mystery. Not sure if the next mystery will be a re-read of an Agatha Christie or an unread Patricia Cornwell.

Any thoughts to my LibraryThing friends out there? Preferences? Help with making a decision??

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

How do I describe this book - beautiful, poignant, sad, happy, entertaining, funny, thought provoking and a great reading experience. It is all these things and more. This book should be read and do read it alongside it's companion book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. As the author says at the end it is not a prequel or a sequel but a companion. I am so glad I chose to read these two books, and am sad to have to say goodbye to the characters!

Boy, Snow, Bird / Helen Oyeyemi
3 stars

I think the book started in the 1930s. Boy is a girl who was raised by her abusive father; her mother wasn’t around. She doesn’t leave until she is 20ish, when she hops on a bus to take her anywhere else. She ends up in a small town and tries her best to fit in. She does marry and inherits a stepdaughter, Snow. Boy later has a daughter of her own named Bird.

This was told mostly by Boy’s point of view, but the middle section is from Bird’s point of view when she’s 13. It was… different. I’m rating it ok, as some parts of it were interesting, but some of it wasn’t. It started off really promising, when Boy was younger, and I probably found that the most interesting part of the book. It wasn’t a long book, so it didn’t take long to read. It was hard keeping track of some of the characters. I skimmed over some of the long paragraphs. At first, I enjoyed the letters between the two sisters, but then they got wordy and talked about things I really didn’t care about… things that I’m not sure really meant anything to the story. Boy made some odd decisions/choices and I didn’t like her much of the time.

Lost Among The Living by Simone St. JAmes
5 Stars

From The Book:
England, 1921. Three years after her husband, Alex, disappeared, shot down over Germany, Jo Manders still mourns his loss. Working as a paid companion to Alex's wealthy, condescending aunt, Dottie Forsyth, Jo travels to the family’s estate in the Sussex countryside. But there is much she never knew about her husband’s origins…and the revelation of a mysterious death in the Forsyths’ past is just the beginning…

All is not well at Wych Elm House. Dottie's husband is distant, and her son was grievously injured in the war. Footsteps follow Jo down empty halls, and items in her bedroom are eerily rearranged. The locals say the family is cursed, and that a ghost in the woods has never rested. And when Jo discovers her husband’s darkest secrets, she wonders if she ever really knew him. Isolated in a place of deception and grief, she must find the truth or lose herself forever. And then a familiar stranger arrives at Wych Elm House…

My Views:
I loved the main character of Jo. She’s strong, courageous, feisty, driven, and a bit impulsive. Her grief from her war and personal losses didn’t stop her from creating a life for herself and striving for independence. How she put up with her employer without killing her was a bigger mystery that the mystery in the story.

This story will satisfy the "ghost story lovers" and the mystery and suspense "who-done-it" enthusiasts. I wasn’t surprised when the protagonist was revealed...but I enjoyed the journey and sleuthing along the way. The reasoning behind the crime did surprised me, though it tied in very well with the historical events behind the story. Overall...a ghost story, a mystery and a good bit of history makes for a 5 star read.

>53 threadnsong: I've not yet read a Patricia Cornwell, threadnsong, so I can't recommend you definitely go for her, but in a similar situation to yourself I'd probably be adventurous and go for the untried author - full of possibilities... Will she become another go-to author? Will you dislike her immensely? Or will she be just another also ran?
If you decide to give her a try, I'd be interested to see how you get on, because I often see her books in secondhand book shops but never quite feel certain whether to buy or not.

>57 Sergeirocks: Thanks - that's good thinking. I have read several of Patricia Cornwell's books, the first 4 and then jumped around a bit. The first one kept me up until 1 a.m. I was so intrigued by it.

The last one was a bit of a let-down since most of the "detecting" was done by Scarpetti's niece figuring out the IT connections in a 24 hour timeframe. I think I'm interested in reading a new one to see if it's good or a disappointment, and decide whether to keep or send to a local secondhand book shop.

The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships and ceiling was, of Cabbages and Kings

Or, in modern usage, it's time for me to get my copies of All the President's Men and The Final Days and read them (re-read in the case of the former). Cuz you know, I just need to do it. I'm hearing names I can sort of remember, and I know the structure of the US government a whole lot more better than I did during the original Watergate time and even after college, and it's just time.

So while I may have added to my TBR list, I'm sort of obsessed with reading these books as I travel down the Rabbit Hole to the other side of the Looking Glass.

Cast Iron by Peter May - 5 stars
This was the last book in the Enzo Files Series. It was action-packed and a thrilling ride to the end. It tied up all the loose ends and the baddies and the goodies were fleshed out. It was well-written with lots of plot twists and surprises. I suggest to read this series in order and the series will more enjoyable if you do that. I can now say that I have read all of Peter May's books and have thoroughly enjoyed all his books. If you haven't read any yet, what are you waiting for? Peter May is definitely one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.

>54 Andrew-theQM: Glad you liked it, Andrew!

Eligible – Curtis Sittenfeld
Audiobook performed by Cassandra Campbell
4****

The subtitle is all the synopsis you need: A Modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. This is the fourth installment of the planned retellings that comprise The Austen Project, wherein contemporary authors tackle one of Austen’s works and reimagine it in a modern setting. I previously read Alexander McCall Smith’s version of Emma.

Sittenfeld sets the tale in the USA – Cincinnati to be exact. The Bennet “girls” are about 15 years older that Austen’s characters: Jane is nearly 40, and Elizabeth is 38. And reality TV, cross-training, and text messaging play a central role. Still, Mrs Bennet is just as irritatingly pushy when it comes to finding husbands for her daughters, and Mrs Bennet is just as laid-back and confused by the romantic shenanigans. I recognized most of the plot elements, though Sittenfeld did split the Wickham character into two different men.

All told, I found it entertaining and fun. Definitely helps if you’ve read the original, though it spoils any surprises as you anticipate “when will they …?” or “how will she include …..?”

Cassandra Campbell is flawless narrating the audio book. She has become one of my favorite voice artists.

Death in the Clouds – Agatha Christie
3***

Hercule Poirot is flying back to London from Paris along with ten other passengers. From his seat (No. 9), he should have a clear view of all that’s happening, except that he sleeps through most of the flight. When he’s disturbed it’s to discover that a woman has died, apparently from a wasp sting. Or was it murder?

Christie’s Belgian detective has become my go-to comfort read. I never tire of watching Poirot exercise his “little gray cells” to the amusement and astonishment of fellow investigators, suspects, innocent bystanders, and, of course, the culprit. I was startled by several racist terms and condescending statements regarding women, but I recognize this work is a product of the times in which it was written, and prevailing attitudes in that era.

This is number twelve in the series, but readers do NOT really need to consume them in any specific order; they are more like stand-alone novels, featuring the same detective.

The Christmas Thief – Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark
Audiobook performed by Carol Higgins Clark
3***

From the book jacket: Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, teams up with private investigator Regan Reilly to solve another Christmas mystery. This time the case involves an eighty-foot blue spruce that has been chosen as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. The folks who picked the tree don’t have a clue that attached to one of its branches is a flask full of diamonds that Packy Noonan, a scam artist just released from prison, had hidden there over twelve years ago.

My Reactions
There’s not much holiday spirit in this slim volume; it is more a fun and entertaining comic crime caper than a mystery. The coincidences required for the plot to work stretch credulity a bit, but they do add to the suspense and enjoyment. I like this cast of characters: Alvirah and her husband, Willy; Regan and her fiancé, Jack, as well as her parents, Luke and Nora; and Alivirah’s friend Opal, a fellow lottery winner, who lost her money to Packy’s scam. And then there’s Packy and his band of incompetents: Jo-Jo, Benny and Milo.

Carol Higgins Clark narrates the audio version. Her pacing is good, but the voices she used for the various characters just irritated me.

Since We Fell by Denis Lehane
3.5 Stars

From The Book:
Follows Rachel Childs, a former journalist who, after an on-air mental breakdown, now lives as a virtual shut-in. In all other respects, however, she enjoys an ideal life with an ideal husband. Until a chance encounter on a rainy afternoon causes that ideal life to fray. As does Rachel’s marriage. As does Rachel herself. Sucked into a conspiracy thick with deception, violence, and possibly madness, Rachel must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and mind-altering truths. By turns heart- breaking, suspenseful, romantic, and sophisticated,

My Views:
Rachel has unresolved issues some of her own making but most were someone else's blunders. Her father abandoned her when she was 3...her mother did more bouncing around than a rubber ball. Most of her life Rachel endured her mother's biting, critical tongue. Trust is not easily gained for Rachel, and after a journalistic trip to Haiti, the troubles intensify. The biggest trauma that she will probably never overcome, I thought that this sentence pretty much summed up the results of Rachel's issues. "On a Tuesday in May, in her thirty-fifth year, Rachel shot her husband dead.”.

This is not a fast moving plot. I have found that this is true of nearly all of Dennis Lehane's books . Don't give up. If the reader sticks it out they will be rewarded. It's the kind of story that can take many different directions.

Universal Harvester
John Darnielle
3.5/5 stars
A man finds that the VHS tapes at the store where he works at are being altered and his boss becomes obsessed with the tape mystery. A woman leaves her husband and child and they look for her unceasingly. A brother and sister find a car filled with ancient video tapes and try to find who left them there. These are the stories that interconnect in Darnielle's book set in rural Iowa. While this book is considered to be part of the horror genre, you won't find this book to be a true horror tale but there is an uneasiness to these tales that are hard to shake especially when there are no clear conclusions to the mysteries.

Lives of Girls and Women / Alice Munro
3 stars

Del is a young girl growing up in small town Ontario. This follows her from a girl through high school. It’s set around WWII and a bit after.

There really wasn’t much to this book. I’ve been wanting to try Alice Munro for a while, but am not a fan of short stories, so that pretty much left me with this book. It was ok, but really nothing happened, so for anyone looking for some kind of plot, this won’t provide it.

Oh-oh! This has been a month where I couldnt fully follow my TBR. I got distracted with a nostalgia trip,rereading some Robert A Heinlein classic SF short stories of the 40's and 50s,also several books on order turned up and were wanted by other readers so I had to read them first.So I have several books that I started last month and will be still in progress in June! lol.
Also,have just been flagged by the library that its my turn for Patricia Briggs latest Mercy Thompson book,Silence Fallen,and also the latest Lindsey Davis The Third Nero,book 5 in the Flavia Albia series. I enjoy that series (the only historical mysteries I follow) but I wish dear old Marcus Didius Falco would turn up. I miss him. A series of 20 books just wasnt enough! lol.

Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster / Maura Hanrahan
4 stars

In 1929, Newfoundland was still its own country; it wouldn’t join Canada for another 20 years. In November of that year, under the ocean closeby, there was an earthquake, followed shortly after by a tsunami that hit the small island nation – three successive waves that hit the shores of the Burin Peninsula the worst. Many small fishing communities in that area lost food and fuel that was meant to get them through the upcoming winter, they lost homes, livelihoods, and 27 people’s lives, many women and children. The following day, as communication lines were still down, a blizzard hit the area.

The author describes people and families as they feel the tremor, wonder what’s happened, then relax when it ends... then, as the waves first arrive. Later, she follows one nurse, Nurse Dorothy Cherry, as she travels (with two local men to accompany her) through the blizzard between the small communities to offer help. Later, the word finally gets out to a wider world, and more help arrives in the form of clothes, building supplies, food, coal.

This is a disaster I hadn’t known about. This book is mostly facts, but the author does add in dialogue and even invents some background for some key people when she couldn’t find out enough. There is a note at the end of the book to explain this. Very interesting and heartbreaking, in some cases.

Family Plot by Cherri Priest
5 Stars

From The Book:
Music City Salvage is owned and operated by Chuck Dutton: master stripper of doomed historic properties and expert seller of all things old and crusty. Business is lean and times are tight, so he’s thrilled when the aged and esteemed Augusta Withrow appears in his office. She has a massive family estate to unload―lock, stock, and barrel. For a check and a handshake, it’s all his.

It’s a big check. It’s a firm handshake. And it’s enough of a gold mine that he assigns his daughter Dahlia to personally oversee the project. Dahlia and a small crew caravan down to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the ancient Withrow house is waiting―and so is a barn, a carriage house, and a small, overgrown cemetery that Augusta Withrow left out of the paperwork. Augusta Withrow left out a lot of things.

The property is in unusually great shape for a condemned building. It’s empty, but Dahlia and the crew quickly learn it is far from abandoned. There is still something in the Withrow mansion, something angry and lost, and this is its last chance to raise hell before the house is gone forever.

My Views:
Family Plot rates right up there along side The House on Cold Hill by Peter James...the ghost story I read last year and gave at least 10 stars.

You know something creepy is going to happen from the time the salvage company buys the house contents and you begin to wait for it. It's introduced slowly and that helps to build for the finale. The characters were all good with their own individual personalities that were different but worked well together. Loved the book...and just wait for the ending. If you also love a good ghost story....may I suggest another of Cherrie Priest's spooky offerings, Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Leave the lights on...have the blanket handy to hide under...and enjoy.

Ashes to Ashes / Tami Hoag
3 stars

From the book jacket:
He performs his profane ceremony in a wooded Minneapolis park, anointing his victims, then setting the bodies ablaze. He has already claimed three lives, and he won't stop there. Only this time there is a witness. But she isn't talking.

Enter Kate Conlan, former FBI agent turned victim/witness advocate. Not even she can tell if the reluctant witness is a potential victim or something more troubling still. Her superiors are interested only because the latest victim may be the daughter of Peter Bondurant, an enigmatic billionaire. When he pulls strings, Special Agent John Quinn gets assigned to the case.

My review:

Sadly, this book was an example of when the story tries too hard to get into the heads of the principals (witness, Kate, John, Peter) and neglects ways in which to amp up the story and the chilling nature of it. Yes, there is gruesome-ness when the bodies are burned and autopsies are performed, but I would have much preferred expanding the head trips and inner dialogues of the killer and the witness, Angie. We only see her as a troubled young woman but with hints at her inner struggles. Contrast that struggle with the constant and ongoing and paragraph after paragraph of Kate and John and their self-doubt and back story and eventually I had to think "Enough!".

The good points of this book were a complex plot, the interactions between the super-rich and the ordinary police, and the looks at how victims are investigated differently depending on the hierarchy of society. These good points could have been brought out and I'm not sure if this style is Tami Hoag's across the board, or not good editing, or what. I may read another of hers just in case what I read is a low point on her writing continuum.

>71 threadnsong: Not a great rating, I was hoping for more.

>72 Andrew-theQM: Nope, not a great book. I was disappointed and bored by the "OK! I get it! You're tortured by your inner demons!" aspect of it.

American War by Omar El Akkad - 4.5 Stars

American War starts out with an unidentified narrator warning us that “this isn’t a story about war. It’s about ruin.” Set towards the end of the 21st Century, the United States becomes involved in a second Civil War. When the oil reserves begin to fail, the federal government decides to ban the use of fossil fuels, and some of the southern states protest. The northern states then try to quash them and we're back to 1862, just with different weapons.

We meet six year old Sarat in April 2075, living with her family in St. James, Louisiana. When Sarat’s father is killed in a terrorist attack, she and her mother, brother and twin sister, are evacuated to a refugee camp in Mississippi. In a bizarre twist, the Middle East has finally fixed their own terror problems and they provide aid to the southern refugees. The story then follows Sarat as she's gradually recruited to become a terrorist herself. While some of Sarat's radicalization was too quickly accomplished, the author did a great job of presenting it in a way that I found believable.

This is a skillfully constructed novel with first rate writing. There is a lot of violence, especially during the interrogation sequences, but I can recommend it to any reader who enjoys a dystopian novel set in an unusual environment. It definitely shows how circumstances create the terrorists we fear so much. It also provides glimpses into how war affects the poor and the families left behind, picking up the pieces of man's inhumanity. This is Omar El-Akkad's first novel and he's done a fantastic job of creating a compelling novel that is bound to become an award winning movie.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
★ ★ ★ ★ - 340 pages

Travel writer Lo Blacklock has just been given a plum assignment - a week on a luxury cruise to see the Northern Lights. She's not really in the mood for it though - she's just survived a home invasion and had a horrible argument with her boyfriend. On the first night of the cruise, Lo wakes up to the sound of her neighbor - the woman in cabin 10 - being thrown overboard. The mystery heats up when all passengers and crew can be accounted for . . . but Lo knows what she saw.

The suspense builds slowly, but the last third of the book just flew. While I had most of it figured out, there were still a few surprises waiting for me.

Silly me - I had bought the book with a gift card I'd gotten for Christmas . . . and I checked it out from the library because my copy wasn't at the top of the physical TBR mountain.

The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry
Cotton Malone series Book #5
3.5 Stars

From The Book:
When Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile in 1821, he took to the grave a powerful secret. As general and emperor, he had stolen immeasurable riches from palaces, national treasuries, and even the Knights of Malta and the Vatican. In his final days, his British captors hoped to learn where the loot lay hidden. But he told them nothing, and in his will he made no mention of the treasure. Or did he?

Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone isn't looking for trouble when it comes knocking at his Copenhagen bookshop. Actually, it breaks and enters in the form of an American Secret Service agent with a pair of assassins on his heels. Malone has his doubts about the anxious young man, but narrowly surviving a ferocious firefight convinces him to follow his unexpected new ally.

My Views:
Steve Berry always delivers a great story filled with history and loads of twists and turns. Sometimes he gets a bit carried away with the history part and that was the case with the first part of this book. It kept me reading for a couple of reasons...1. It was the book we were discussing on the Mystery & Suspense group read...2. Berry always eventually comes through with excitement and surprises...3. You just find that you simply have to see if your favorite character survives the mayhem they have created...4. Cotton Malone and company are unlikely heroes in even more unlikely scenarios but you are always guaranteed a good time.

Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli
Audiobook performed by John H Ritter
5*****

From the Goodreads description From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’ s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.

My reactions
I’m long past high school, but I still remember the “pack” mentality that required conformity. It’s painful to revisit that, but Spinelli does a great job exploring what might happen, and how the events might affect some of the students.

I loved Stargirl, and especially so when she was the target of bullies and yet remained true to herself. What a brave, courageous young woman! My heart went out to Leo as well, though he succumbed to peer pressure eventually, realizing too late how much this very different and special girl meant to him.

John H Ritter does a fine job performing the audio. He has good pacing, and I believed that he was a teenaged boy telling this story.

Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions – Margaret Musgrove
5*****

Illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon. Winner of the 1977 Caldecott Medal for illustration in children’s literature.

Margaret Musgrove was born and raised in Connecticut, but she has lived and studied in Ghana. She supplemented her own experience with extensive research to write this children’s book which explains some of the customs and traditions of various African tribal peoples. In this work she examines 26 different tribes, across the African continent, from Ashanti to Zulu.

Leo and Diane Dillon’s illustrations are simple magnificent. In each portrait they not only illustrate the customs about which Musgrove writes, but they give a glimpse of more of the culture of that tribe. Most illustrations include a man, a woman, a child, a typical dwelling, some cultural artifact, and an animal indigenous to that tribe’s area of Africa. I found myself examining the many details of the pictures. As a bonus the front and back cover are two illustrations which are not contained within.

The Polar Express – Chris Van Allsburg
5*****

On Christmas Eve a boy struggles to stay awake, intent on hearing the jingle of bells from Santa’s sleigh. What he hears instead are the sounds of “hissing steam and squeaking metal,” and when he goes to the window he sees a train pulled up outside his house! Grabbing his robe and slippers he ventures outside and is just in time to climb aboard before the train sets off for the North Pole.

What a lovely Christmas story; it reminds children (and adults) of the magical power of belief. I wish I could still hear the jingle of bells.

The illustrations are richly detailed. I enjoyed examining each picture, looking for the train as it moves across the landscape. The expressions on the faces of the children aboard the train were marvelous, whether filled with excitement, or consoling the boy on the trip back home.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin
Book on CD narrated by Janet Song
4****

From the book jacket: In the valley of fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune.

My reactions
What a delightful story for middle-school readers (and adults). Inspired by Chinese folklore, Lin weaves a fantasy tale of one young woman’s quest to help her family. Minli’s courage, grace, kindness and perseverance are to be admired. Over and over again she is tested, and always finds a way to succeed. But her ultimate test is one of friendship and faith, for she has had help along the way and one friend in particular, a dragon, has asked her to pose a question to the Old Man of the Moon.

I loved the many stories told by Ba and Ma as much as I enjoyed the central story of Minli’s adventurous journey. I am reminded of the stories my grandparents, aunts and uncles told on many a night, as we sat on the front porch in the dark, my imagination running wild with tales of adventure.

Janet Song does a superb job performing the audio book. Her delivery was perfectly suited to this type of fantasy. I was mesmerized. I’m glad that I also had a copy of the text, however, because it includes some lovely illustrations.

>78 BookConcierge: The Dillons are some of my favorite illustrators. I used to own several Harlan Ellison titles with Dillon illustrations on the cover.

Curtains of Blood / Robert Randisi
3.5 stars

It is1888 in London, England. Three prostitutes have been murdered and they say it’s likely the same guy who has done it. Bram Stoker is running the Lyceum Theatre, and Henry Irving is playing the lead in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They are approached by the police to shut down the show, as it may be encouraging the killer. Bram gets interested in what’s going on and starts doing some research for a book he might like to write. He also becomes obsessed with the killer and may be getting a little too close…

I liked this. Far fetched, but I still found it entertaining. I thought it interesting the way the author weaved in the various author characters into the story (Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde are friends of Stoker’s). To be honest, though, I’m not sure Jack the Ripper needs to be fictionalized; this is one true story that certainly holds its own as true crime.

The Clairvoyants by Karen Brown
3.5 Stars

From The Book:
On the family homestead by the sea where she grew up, Martha Mary saw ghosts. As a young woman, she hopes to distance herself from those spirits by escaping to an inland college town. There, she is absorbed by a budding romance, relieved by separation from an unstable sister, and disinterested in the flyers seeking information about a young woman who’s disappeared―until one Indian summer afternoon when the missing woman appears beneath Martha’s apartment window, wearing a down coat, her hair coated with ice.

My Views:
This was my first book by this author and I'm still on the fence as to if I just liked it or really liked it. It was a little slow going at times, but it picks up towards the end. In the mean time you have to wade through a lot of atmospheric scenes to get to the plot. Once there the author does a great job of setting the mood and adequately crafting the scene. It gives you that slightly unsettled feeling of knowing you are not alone and you really don't want to look behind you. This is one of the aspects a well told ghost story needs and that is what the books is billed as..."a Gothic ghost story set in modern times." I think I may have expected more to happen sooner than it did. It was the peculiarities and the anticipation in this tale which kept me reading. I do have to say that none of the characters were particularly likable...so if that is a major selling point for you as the reader...this one may not be for you.

Golden Prey by John Sandford
Lucas Davenport- Prey series Book #27
4.5 Stars

From The Book:
Thanks to some very influential people whose lives he saved, Lucas is no longer working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but for the U.S. Marshals Service, and with unusual scope. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, wherever they lead him.

And where they’ve led him this time is into real trouble. A Biloxi, Mississippi, drug-cartel counting house gets robbed, and suitcases full of cash disappear, leaving behind five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport takes the case, which quickly spirals out of control, as cartel assassins, including a torturer known as the “Queen of home-improvement tools” compete with Davenport to find the Dixie Hicks shooters who knocked over the counting house. Things get ugly real fast, and neither the cartel killers nor the holdup men give a damn about whose lives Davenport might have saved; to them, he’s just another large target.

My Thoughts:
27 books and the character of Lucas Davenport continues to get better and better. This is one character that truly has grown and matured throughout the 28 years that Sanford has been writing this series. It appears there is no limit to this author's ability to keep new breath and blood flowing into his Lucas Davenport series.

We find our hero taking on his first case as a U.S. Marshall as he hunts for a man that robbed more than a million dollars from a drug cartel that...surprise, surprise...wants their money back and will go to the most unimaginable heights to get it. Lucas takes this on with his usual clever, suspenseful and even sometimes funny manner. This is an excellent addition to the Prey series.

My May reads thus far have been:

Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge; (5*); hardcopy; historical fiction; romance; a catch-up read for April;
not yet reviewed

The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; (*); Kindle; the Classics; German lit; Romance; suicide; In Translation;
not yet reviewed

A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge; (The Torminster Saga, bk 1); hardcopy; historical fiction; romance; (currently reading)

Welcome Strangers by Mary Hocking; (2 1/2*); VMC; hardcopy; (Good Daughters trilogy, bk 3); British lit; historical fiction; family saga; review here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/251185#6056435

The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham; (3*); library book; Australian fiction; dressmaking; 1950s historical fiction; gothic; mystery/suspense;
not yet reviewed

Zoe: The History of Two Lives by Geraldine Jewsbury; (3 1/2*); Virago Group Read; VMC;
not yet reviewed

The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir; (4*); LIBRARY BOOK; Hardcopy; Bio; Nonfiction; English History; the Tudors;
not yet reviewed

Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago by Anna Pasternak; (4*); biography; nonfiction; historical;
not yet reviewed

L.M. Montgomery: Anne of Green Gables; (5*); Monthly Author Read; review here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/251185#6056435

Willa Cather: My Mortal Enemy; (4*); hardcopy; VMC; Virago Monthly Author Read; review here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/251185#6056435

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier; Virago Newsletter's Book of the Month Club; VMC; next read planned

Ernest Hemingway and His World by Anthony Burgess; (4*); library book; hardcopy; bio; nonfiction; lost generation;
not yet reviewed

I have been ill & bed-ridden much of the past couple of months. So while I am still reading, I am doing very poorly keeping up with my reviews. But when I feel better I will catch up with myself.

Good reads, everyone.

Schedule for Group Read of Coffin Road by Peter May, which is a standalone.

Saturday 27th May : Chapter 1 to 7
Sunday 28th May : Chapter 8 to 13
Monday 29th May : Chapter 14 to 19
Tuesday 30th May : Chapter 20 to 26
Wednesday 31st May : Chapter 27 to 33

All welcome to join in, I will set up the group for this tomorrow.

The Truth About Catalogers / Will Manley
3 stars

This is a little book of humour, poking fun of library cataloguers – little stories, as well as cartoons.

I am a cataloguer and I suspect this will mostly appeal to cataloguers and maybe to librarians and library staff, in general. Overall, though, it was ok. Some were funny, others not as much. I read it over a couple of days, and maybe my mood made a difference, as I found things funnier in the second half of the book, on the second day I was reading it.

Secrets of Eden / Chris Bohjalian
3.75 stars

Steven is a minister in a small town. ****This may be a , but it’s revealed fairly early on.**** Little do most people know, he’s been having an affair with one of his parishoners, Alice. ****END POSSIBLE **** Alice is married, but her husband is abusive toward her. Alice and her husband have a teenage daughter, Katie. When Katie’s parents are discovered one Monday morning by Alice’s best friend, Ginny, it appears that Alice was murdered by her husband, who then killed himself.

Overall, I thought this story was very good. I listened to the audio, which was done well; there were four different narrators for each of four parts, each part told by someone different. We got points of view from Stephen; Kathleen, a lawyer; Heather, an author who is famous for her books about angels, whose parents also died when she was a teen via a murder-suicide by her father; and Katie. I would have given it 4 stars, except for a quarter star deduction for Heather’s boring angel stuff. I could have done without any of the angel stuff. Heather’s part of the story was the least interesting to me (though not all bad), but add in those angels, and the book lost a ¼ star. I quite enjoyed the rest of the book, though.

Even This I Get to Experience
Norman Lear
4/5 stars
Norman Lear, TV/film producer writes about his life and shows how even growing up in the poorest of circumstances that sometimes life gets better with hard work, ambition and talent. Not happy to just get rich, he has not left his life go by without impacting others by becoming a philanthropist and getting involved in political causes.

The Perfect Royal Mistress / Diane Haeger
4 stars

In the mid-17th century in England, Nell grew up in a brothel. Her single-mother was a prostitute and a drunk, and her sister followed her mother’s footsteps to become a prostitute. Nell wasn’t going to do that, so she started off selling oranges outside a theatre. From there, she moved on to become a famous, well-loved actress, where she managed to catch the eye of King Charles II and she went on to become one of his many mistresses.

I really liked this. I had read one previous fictional account of Nell, but on looking back at my review, I wasn’t crazy about how that one was written, but I found this one very readable. There were parts that focused more on Charles and a bit of the politics of the time that wasn’t as interesting to me, but overall, I quite enjoyed this story. Just an fyi that Nell was a real person.

The Fix by David Baldacci
Amos Decker series
Book #3

From The Book:
Amos Decker witnesses a murder just outside FBI headquarters. A man shoots a woman execution-style on a crowded sidewalk, then turns the gun on himself.

Even with Decker's extraordinary powers of observation and deduction, the killing is baffling. Decker and his team can find absolutely no connection between the shooter--a family man with a successful consulting business--and his victim, a schoolteacher. Nor is there a hint of any possible motive for the attack. Enter Harper Brown. An agent of the Defense Intelligence Agency, she orders Decker to back off the case. The murder is part of an open DIA investigation, one so classified that Decker and his team aren't cleared for it. But they learn that the DIA believes solving the murder is now a matter of urgent national security. Critical information may have been leaked to a hostile government--or worse, an international terrorist group--and an attack may be imminent.

Decker's never been one to follow the rules, especially with the stakes so high. Forced into an uneasy alliance with Agent Brown, Decker remains laser focused on only one goal: solving the case before it's too late.

My Views:
David Baldacci is one of my top favorite authors so I may be a wee bit biased but it seems that each series that he begins just gets better and better with each addition. Amos Decker started literary life as a damaged character with an extraordinary ability. He found that he couldn't forget anything except he seemed to forget how to relate to people. This...the third novel in the series... sees him mellowing out considerably and starting to build relationships. The theme of the story is duel layered and right up to date with today's terrorist threats and national security issues. Previous episodes lead into this story line so reading the first two books before this one is my suggestion. The Amos Decker series will more than likely appeal to fans of conspiracy novels as well as mystery fans.

The Hunger Games– Suzanne Collins
Audiobook performed by Carolyn McCormick
3***

In a future dystopian world, in what used to be the United States, the people are starving, and are used by the Capital as pawns in an annual competition: The Hunger Games. All children from age 12 through 18 have their names entered in a drawing to pick the two tributes – one boy, one girl – who will represent each of the twelve districts in the country of Panem; the twenty-four contestants will fight to the death on live TV. When 12-year-old Prim’s name is selected, her 16-year-old sister Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place.

I had heard much about this book, with many friends recommending it to me, but dystopian novels are not high on my list of must-reads and I put it off. I haven’t seen the movie(s) either.

Collins writes well, and does a good job of setting up this dystopian society, explaining how it works and the challenges faced by the residents. I was drawn into the story and invested in Katniss as the heroine from the beginning. I liked how Collins set up the televised aspect of the games, and perhaps readers will recognize how much of “reality” TV is manipulated and created by the producers.

What I really liked was the strong female heroine. Katniss is resilient, intelligent, resourceful, physically and mentally strong. She is a survivor, having learned from her father how to hunt and gather plants in the wild to help supplement the family’s diet. Since her father died, she’s been the primary source of food for her mother and younger sister. This gives her an edge over other contestants who have not had to struggle for every day survival.

Collins doesn’t make it easy for Katniss, putting her in danger from the natural world (lack of water, poisonous plants, deadly wasps), the Gamemakers who invent ways to force the contestants together, and the other tributes intent on eliminating the competition. I appreciated the untenable position she’s placed in and applauded her efforts to maintain some sense of humanity when forced to “kill or be killed.”

Collins also adds a love interest in her fellow District 12 tribute: Peeta, the baker’s son who as a young boy saved her from starvation by throwing her a burnt loaf of bread. While I appreciate that this adds to the drama and appeal for the intended YA audience, it did nothing for me. I felt as if Collins was doing just what the Gamemakers were doing – manipulating events to boost ratings.

What really annoyed me … and lost a star … was the cliff-hanger ending. Don’t get me wrong. I’m perfectly fine with ambiguous endings that let the reader wonder and surmise what will happen next (e.g. “After all, tomorrow is another day.” From Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind). But Collins (or the publisher) chose to add “End of Book One,” an obvious set-up for readers to purchase Book Two to find out what happens. I’m certainly in no hurry to continue … though I may read the next one if I have a challenge for a dystopian novel.

Carolyn McCormick does a great job performing the audio version. She has great pacing and was able to make the various characters easily identifiable. I particularly loved how she voiced Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy.

Maurice – E M Forster
4****

Written between 1913 and 1914, Forster’s novel of a young man’s awakening homosexuality was not published until 1971, a year after the author’s death. The novel caused a sensation when it was released, not just because of the subject matter, but because Forster dared to write a “happy ending.”

Still, there is much distress for Maurice as he comes to terms with his “inclinations” and struggles to form a relationship that will be honest and true. But then, many a heterosexual young person also struggles to find true love and acceptance.

I loved the way that Forster developed this character, showing Maurice’s confusion and naivete as a young man at boarding school, his headlong reckless nature as he pursued his pleasure and found first love, his despair when he thought all was lost and felt compelled to “find a cure” for his condition, and his eventual awakening to the possibilities that a mature and loving relationship might offer him.

I was appalled by some of the attitudes expressed in the novel, but sadly recognize some of the same behavior in current society. While much has changed in regard to societal attitudes about homosexuality in the hundred years since the book was written, and even in the nearly 50 years since it was first published, there is still hatred and persecution aimed at the members of the GLBT community.

I'll Be Watching You / Charles de Lint (as Samuel Key)
4.5 stars

Rachel has just gotten out of an abusive relationship, but her husband doesn’t want to let go. She has a job and only a couple of good friends to help her out. Little does she know, she also has an “admirer” (a peeping tom, really) who will come to her “rescue” when she needs it. But, from his perspective, the perfectly beautiful Rachel will need to be “tested” herself.

Ok, I tried to keep that somewhat vague, as the blurb on the book doesn’t say a whole lot, so I didn’t want to give anything away. This is one of the books de Lint wrote as Samuel Key, a pseudonym he took to distinguish his darker works from his fantasy. It was told in the third person, but the reader got to know more about what was going on, as we did follow a few different characters, than the characters knew, themselves. Certainly by the end of the book, it was a page-turner, keeping me on the edge of my seat, wanting to keep reading to know what would happen! I really really liked this one!

Fates And Furies – Lauren Groff
Audiobook performed by Will Damron and Julia Whelan
4****

From the book jacket: They meet in the final months of college, and by graduation, they have married. It’s 1991. …A decade or so later, though, Lotto and Mathilde are on their way. He is a world-famous playwright, she is integral to his success. Their life and marriage are the envy of friends, the very definition of successful partnership.

My Reactions
Well I certainly didn’t see THAT coming! I don’t read the book jacket summaries before reading a book-club selection, so had no warning of “an explosive twist” other than the title.

The book is told by the two central characters. Lancelot / Lotto tells their story in the first section: Fates. Groff is masterful building these characters, with qualities that draw the reader into their circle. They are young, in love, each other’s champion against the world. Mathilde never stops believing in Lotto, encouraging him, supporting them with her small gallery job as he struggles as an actor. When his mother cuts them off, Mathilde makes sure Lotto’s Aunt Sallie and little sister, Rachel, are welcomed for annual visits. She hosts parties for their friends, and includes his childhood buddy Chollie, who seems not much more than a moocher. They are a devoted couple. Apparently.

One revelation breaks the bond. Forcing first Lotto, and then Mathilde to examine their relationship.

When Mathilde takes over narrating in the Furies section the truths and lies tumble one after another, leaving this reader reeling. Every single character’s “other side” is revealed. No one and nothing is what it seemed at first. By the end I’m left feeling battered and bruised and stunned. I want to start reading it again from the beginning so I can pick up any clues Groff may have buried.

Will Damron and Julia Whelan are perfect in performing the audio version. I absolutely believed in their characters, was drawn in and held captive from beginning to end.

Readers take note: There is considerable sex in the book, some of it disturbing.

Trophy Hunt – C J Box
3***

Book number four in the Joe Picket mystery series opens with Wyoming Game Warden Joe taking his daughters on a fishing trip. They discover the carcass of a moose, and Joe is disturbed to notice signs of mutilation. It’s only the beginning of the nightmare.

I like this series, mostly because I really like Joe Picket (and his wife, Marybeth). He is the quintessential “good guy,” fighting to preserve the environment and a peaceful setting for his family and the residents of Twelve Sleep County. Box gives us plenty of action – in addition to the moose there are cattle mutilations, a horse is attacked, and two men killed. His daughter’s playmates seem bent on leading her into trouble, and I about screamed in fright along with the kids when …. Well, I won’t spoil the action for you.

But I was dissatisfied with the ending. Too much “aliens” mumbo-jumbo, and a too-convenient demise made me feel as if Box had run out of ideas and turned to 1950s sci-fi films for inspiration. Still, it’s a good story and a fast read; I haven’t given up on the series, but I’m in no hurry to read the next one.

The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier - 5 stars
Book Description
"Someone jolted my elbow as I drank and said, 'Je vous demande pardon,' and as I moved to give him space he turned and stared at me and I at him, and I realized, with a strange sense of shock and fear and nausea all combined, that his face and voice were known to me too well.

I was looking at myself."

Two men; one English, the other French; meet by chance in a provincial railway station and are astounded that they are so much alike that they could easily pass for each other. Over the course of a long evening, they talk and drink. It is not until he awakes the next day that John, the Englishman, realizes that he may have spoken too much. His French companion is gone, having stolen his identity. For his part, John has no choice but to take the Frenchman's place as master of a chateau, director of a failing business, head of a large and embittered family, and keeper of too many secrets.

Loaded with suspense and crackling wit, The Scapegoat tells the double story of the attempts by John, the imposter, to escape detection by the family, servants, and several mistresses of his alter ego, and of his constant and frustrating efforts to unravel the mystery of the enigmatic past that dominates the existence of all who live in the chateau.

Hailed by the New York Times as a masterpiece of "artfully compulsive storytelling," The Scapegoat brings us Daphne du Maurier at the very top of her form.

My Review
I have found Daphne du Maurier to be a master storyteller. Her complex characters with engrossing dialogue kept the pages turning until the very end. Her fantastic prose allows you to feel what the characters are feeling and you can immediately imagine that you are in every scene along with the characters. I found the plot to be tension-filled, fascinating and soul searching. I have read Rebecca before and found this one to be just as intriguing. I look forward to reading more of du Maurier's books and highly recommend this one to those who have read Rebecca.

>97 EadieB: I'm glad you enjoyed it - I loved this one.

>98 Darth-Heather: It was great! I got her The House on the Strand today at the library. Going to read that next.

>99 EadieB: That is my second favorite of hers, followed by Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Maryanne, and My Cousin Rachel. I am glad to see that there are still quite a few more to explore. I think I have Frenchmans Creek in my stack.

>100 Darth-Heather: I've read Rebecca and I have a copy of the others so have lots more to read. I also have Don't Look Now.

>97 EadieB: I wanted to read this last month, I believe (or maybe 2 months ago). It looked like my library had it, but on looking closer, for some reason it's not available and I can't even put a hold on it! I have left it on my tbr, so if that status at my library doesn't change, I'll probably have to get it via ILL at some point.

>102 LibraryCin: I read it because you said it was good. My local library didn't have it but I got it at a neighboring county library that I belong to. Some of her books are out of print and hard to get. The copy of The House on the Strand is so old that it's falling apart. The librarian's last words when she gave it to me were "Be careful with that book".

>103 EadieB: I might have mentioned it, but I haven't yet read it, so maybe someone else mentioned it was good! Hope The House on the Strand holds up to your reading it! :-)

>104 LibraryCin: 100 pages to go and it's still in one piece.

>105 EadieB: Good to hear!

22 Britannia Road – Amanda Hodgkinson
Audiobook narrated by Robin Sachs
4****

At the end of World War II, Silvana and her seven-year-old son Aurek board a ship that will take them to England, where her husband, Janusz, waits for them. As the war escalated, he had joined the Polish Army, leaving his wife and infant son behind. Then Warsaw was bombed and Silvana fled to the forest with Aurek. Now he has settled in England. He wants nothing more than for them to become a proper English family, with a normal life in the small house at 22 Britannia Road.

Hodgkinson’s debut novel is beautifully told. The war has affected all of them, and they each bear secrets that lead to misunderstandings and feelings of distrust. How these damaged people struggle to become a family once again forms the central theme of the book.

I was engaged and interested in the story from beginning to end. Hodgkinson divides her chapters by location/time and by character, telling parallel stories: Poland during the war, England after the war. I liked how she used this technique to slowly reveal to the reader what Silvana and Janusz endured during their years apart. The choices they made carry consequences they dare not share with one another. And yet, they must find the love they once shared and nurture it, for themselves as individuals, for their child, and for their family.

Aurek fascinated me. When he and Silvana arrive in England he is understandably clingy. Janusz knows they lived in the forest for a time, but he’s not prepared for a son who hoards food, and doesn’t know how to tie his shoes or even how to sleep in a bed. Silvana tells Aurek again and again that they are safe, that Janusz is his father and loves him. But Aurek learned to be suspicious of men during their time in the forest, and he thinks of Janusz as “the enemy.”

Robin Sachs does an excellent job narrating the audiobook. He has good pacing and clearly differentiated the characters. I was never confused about who was speaking or what time frame I was in.

The Whole Town’s Talking – Fannie Flagg
Audiobook performed by Kimberly Farr
3***

This is the fourth book about the residents of Elmwood Springs (though it is not listed as part of the series). In this volume, Flagg tells the history of Elmwood Springs, beginning with the 1889 founding of the settlement by Swedish immigrant Lorder Nordstrom, who recognized the perfect environment for a dairy, and encouraged fellow Swedes (plus a Norwegian and a German) to join him in Missouri. Several favorite characters from previous books make an appearance here, most notably Elner Shimfissle.

This isn’t great literature, but Flagg spins a darn good yarn. It’s entertaining and full of lively characters – both good and bad. There are marriages, births and deaths. People form alliances and work together to build the town. I like the way world events impact the residents of the small town, and how life changes for them through the decades. It’s a somewhat idyllic view of small-town life, though some residents struggle with alcohol addiction and drug use, and there’s at least one murder.

I liked the “residents” of Still Meadows being able to discuss what was happening in town, though they had to rely on new arrivals and the occasional visitor to their gravesites who might talk aloud, in order to learn what was going on. It reminded me somewhat of Thurber’s Our Town. On the other hand, I found the Epilogue anti-climactic; it almost seemed as if Flagg was at a loss for how to end the story.

Kimberly Farr does a great job performing the audio. She has good pacing and sufficient skill as a voice artist to handle the large cast of characters. Farr really brings the various characters of Elmwood Springs alive, but I particularly loved how she voiced Lorder, Katrina and Elner.