What Are We Reading and Reviewing in November 2021?

Tell us what your reading plans are for November.

📌- ★
What Carol Plans To Read in November
📌Double Take - Elizabeth Breck - 5★ (Early Reviewers) - (Oct List)
📌The Cipher - Isabella Maldonado - 2.5★- (Pick a Winner)
📌Blink - Morgan Brice - 5+★
📌We Have Always Lived in The Castle - Shirley Jackson - 4★
📌One Last Stop - Casey McQueston - 3.5★
📌Notes To My Mother-In-Law - Phyllida Law - 5★
📌Don’t You Cry - Cass Green - 3★
📌The Spite Game - Anna Snoekstra - 2.5★
📌The Other Sister - Sarah Zettel - 4★
📌Under My Skin - Lisa Unger - minus 1★
📌Three Little Lies - Laura Marshall - 3★
📌Secret At Skull House - Josh Lanyon -4★
📌The Upstairs House - Julia Fine - 2.5★
📌When Ghosts Come Home - Wiley Cash - 4★
📌The Siren and The Specter- Jonathan Janz - 5★
📌Where The Truth Lies - Anna Bailey - 2.5★
📌Dangerous Ground - Book #1 - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Old Poison – Dangerous Ground Book #2 - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Blood Heat – Dangerous Ground Book #3 - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Dead Run - Dangerous Ground Book #4 - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Kick Start - Book #5 -Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Blind Side - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Stormy Weather - Paulette Jiles - 4★
📌Sour Candy - Kealan Patrick Burke- 5★
📌We Are Not Ourselves-Matthew Thomas -3.5★
📌PsyCop Briefs Volume 1 - Jordan Castillo Price - 4★
📌Bossy - N.R. Walker- 5+★
📌Death Sung Softly - David Archer - 3★
📌Safe- Men of ESRB - Hollis Shilohi - 4.5★
📌Know - Men of the ESRB - Hollis Shiloh - 4.5★
📌Lock- Men of the ESRB #5 - 3 ★
📌The Remaking of Corbin Wale 5★
📌Death of A Pirate King - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌The Dark Tide - Josh Lanyon - 5★
📌Blanky - Kaelan Patrick Burke - 5★

Blink - Morgan Brice -(New Jersey)
Treasure Trail series Book #2
5★
Ghosts always remember. Mobsters never forget. Erik Mitchell helped Interpol bust cartels, oligarchs, and spoiled billionaires for art fraud. As an undercover cop, Ben Nolan helped bring down a Newark crime family. Now Erik and Ben have started over in Cape May, leaving their danger-filled jobs behind them, excited about a fresh start and their new relationship. Plans to renovate a historic old theater stir up dangerous ghosts and revive interest in unsolved Mob hits. The curse of a murdered witch strikes a close friend, old movie props reveal clues to long-ago crimes, and a shakedown scheme sends Ben’s cousin running for cover. Time is running out to lift the curse. The Russian Mob wants revenge on Erik, and the Newark Mob is gunning for Ben. A grieving ghost seeks justice. Secrets, lies, and deception unravel in the blink of an eye. Erik and Ben were planning for happily ever after. But unless they can outwit witches, wraiths, and wise guys, they could go down in a hail of gunfire and a blast of dark magic—and see their plans go up in smoke.

I don’t believe that Morgan Brice could write a bad, uninteresting, or semi hot m/m romance book if she tried. I have read her Witchbane and Badlands series so many times the covers have permanent finger impressions...this series and it’s hot, sexy men are obviously well on their way to taking an honored place on my “how many times can I read it” shelf also. Other than the hot guys, the stories themselves contain magic, supernatural events and characters, as well as lots of local history, and sometimes history about the artifacts. The “Treasure Trail” series has thus far been heavy on the antique and artifact history. I also really, really love how Morgan Brice seems to have a knack of being able to guess that her readers have come to really love all the characters from every one of the different series...so she lets them “visit” and communicate throughout all the other series. The conclusions to her books are always sweet and leaves the reader eagerly awaiting another offering from this wonderful author. While they are a part of series and properly should be read and enjoyed in order...there is always enough repeat to let the reader that has red out of order pick right up on what has previously happened and how the characters have arrived at their current place. Thank you, Morgan Brice, for every word you have written.

PsyCop Vol 1 - Jordan Castillo Price - (Illinois)
4-★
Victor Bayne sees dead people for a living…and he sees them off the clock, too. After all, ghosts don’t confine their appearances to a psychic medium’s work hours. From the macabre to the mundane, from titillating to tender, these PsyCop shorts feature stolen moments between the novels. Get a glimpse of Vic’s life with Jacob between cases, from both men’s viewpoints. Gain new insight on their psychic talents by accompanying them on odd jobs, shopping runs and family visits, or simply enjoy some downtime in the cannery. The twenty short works range in length from flash fiction to novelettes, woven together to create a novel-length narrative of Vic and Jacob’s relationship from a fresh perspective. The stories are gleaned from various sources: anthologies, newsletters, and web, with four all-new pieces to tie the collection together and delve deeper into your favorite PsyCops' domestic life with this little offering. Stories are as follows: Coffee O'clock, Thaw, Mind Reader, Stroke of Midnight, No Sale, Most Likely To…, Jock Straps, On Sale, Piece of Cake, In the Dark, Let the Chips Fall, Memento, Impact, Everyone’s Afraid of Clowns, Waiting Game, On the Road, Wood, Off the Cuff, Locked and Loaded, Inside Out, and Witness.

This is a collection of short stories relating to some events that take place in the series books...or might/could take place. Some are, and some are not a part of those stories. Just think of them as reading someone’s private thoughts in a diary or peeking in the character’s window. As readers, we invest a great deal of time and energy becoming wrapped up in the lives of our favorite characters in any book as their stories unfold before us. In the PsyCop world of Victor Bayne and Jacob Marks, we often get caught up in the roller coaster of emotions...of danger that is heightened by the love and lust ever present in their lives. We are taken into a world so rich in detail, we almost become a part of the PsyCop team. There are just some times where we may feel a sense of wondering what the guys get up to in their day-to-day lives. What happened when they first moved in together? What do they get up to when they're not on a case? What do they enjoy doing together? The stories are almost too short...but they do give the fans insight into the lives of out two guys.

So it seems we have TWO threads with the same info? Can one be "locked" or deleted?

>5 BookConcierge: I tried but you have to be an administrator of the site to do any of those things. Andrew is the administrator. I'll see if I can contact him get him to remove the one of them. I'm going to copy and past your review into the one with the small letters and have him remove the one with all Capitals. When i did the topic the site shut down momentarily and when it came back up the thread wasn't there so I redid it and then the other one reappeared about 30 minutes later. I'll send IM's to the member as and ask them to just move the large print one to wherever unwanted messages go to die and that will only leave one showing on their screens.

THIS IS BookConcierge's REVIEW 11/3/21 (It is entirely her words and opinions...I only copied it to this thread)


Babylon's Ark - Lawrence Anthony
4****
Subtitle: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo

Lawrence Anthony was a well-known conservationist and advocate for animals, running a game reserve (Thula Thula) in South Africa when images on CNN of the war in Baghdad caught his attention. He was horrified at the potential loss of wildlife at that war-ravaged city’s zoo, and knew he had to somehow go help. And so, against all odds, he did. This is the story of his work there.

It’s quite the adventure. From just getting into the war zone (the zoo being in the middle of the action), to dealing with the continued looting, to begging for supplies and then for security everything was a challenge and a half. He paid staff out of his own pockets, and scrounged food for them and their families so that the precious supplies at the zoo could be allocated to keeping the animals there alive. And then he discovered the many “private” zoos … from Sadam’s son, Uday, and other wealthy owners he rescued many mismanaged and starving animals. His was truly a labor of love, and one hopes that his efforts have continued to pay dividends in better treatment, more habitat-enhanced enclosures, and a renewed local pride in this marvelous resource for both education and amusement.

Simon Vance does a fine job narrating the audio. He’s narrated Anthony’s other books as well, and I really enjoy the way he reads them.

Thanks for taking care of that, Carol. Hopefully, the team at LT can delete that other thread.

>8 BookConcierge: I just copied and pasted yours to the right thread...not that there was a "wrong" one exactly, but there were already two reviews on the other one so it was easier to click "ignore topic" and make the one that I wanted to go away, do so. I also IM'd Andrew but I'm not sure if he has time to even look at the sites let alone correct anything. Cris solved the problem on the "Around The World" site by making me a co- administrator. Maybe Andrew will do that also.

One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston - (New York)
3.5★
For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

My neighbor knew I liked and read a lot of m/m romances so she brought over this one. She has met and loves my two wonderful guys that bring me most of my m/m romance books, but she handed me this and said “Gloria, (her partner), and I thought you might like to see how the “other team batted”. Truly. it’s the first of “the other team type” of books that I had read and I’m still a bit on the fence...not about the subject...love is love and everyone should find it anywhere and with anyone and anyhow they chose...but the fact that the author threw so many different controversies into one book that it was hard to keep the main story in focus. It was also difficult to suppress the desire to slap some people upside the head with something very heavy. The other thing that has me “fence sitting” is the writing style itself. I thought the history of Jane and her life was fascinating. So much of the book is written in the third person. I don't usually have trouble with this perspective.... but there are so many characters that it just added another layer of difficulty. The other main character of August is simply charming in all her scatterbrain ways. Her first day of class, everything that can go wrong does so in spades... and then she meets Jane. Together they take on the city of New York...1970’s homophobes and the laws and people that say “You're not allowed do that!”. In a nutshell this is a story of found-family and soul searching and finding your place in the world. It is about acceptance and honesty and staying true to yourself. It's about redemption and love and laughter and heartbreak and all the things that make life so wonderful and complicated. I have to tell my neighbor that both “teams” have fought, and are still fighting for the same things.

The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
Malcolm Gladwell
4/5 stars
Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite authors and this book, though short, is a fascinating look at the "Bomber Mafia", strategists who during WWII debated precision bombing - targeting critical infrastructure instead of randomly bombing areas.

Bossy - N.R. Walker - (Australia)
5+★

He's one of Sydney's fastest-moving career-focused corporate realtors, and the only thing he has time for is one-night stands with zero fuss. Bryson Schroeder's back home from two years overseas with plans to leave his family's hotel empire and begin his own business ventures. Out with friends to celebrate his return, he sees a gorgeous blond man across the bar, and with merely a smile and a raised eyebrow, they leave together for a night of incredible chemistry. The rules are clear: no names, no details, no complications. But one night becomes one more night, and eventually the arrangement suits them both for weeks . . . until their professional and personal worlds collide. With their hearts already on the line, Michael and Bry need to decide just how complicated they want to get.

What an uncomplicated, beautifully written and totally scorching romance Ms. Walker has placed on our plates. The angst level is close to zero, the supporting characters never get in the way, and as for Michael and Bryce...well, you could not get a more compatible or cheekily bossy couple. Set in Sydney, this starts out with pure and simple lust-at-first-sight encounter in a bar and continues for several chapters at that level without either one of them even knowing the other man's name. This was done by them on purpose....a kind of a game they played with one another. Then an accident in a tunnel tosses them a curve and brings everything about each other into the light. OK, that was a lousy analogy and the accident didn't involve either of them, but it was a convenient happenstance to set up the second stage of this romance. I have yet to read anything by this author that wasn’t 5 stars worthy. I believe that Glenn Lloyd, the narrator of this audio version did as much for making the characters live in all their glorious, beauty as anything else. Wonderful job by both the reader and the author.

Squire / Tamora Pierce
3 stars

This is the third in a series. Kel has been studying to be a knight for a while now, but many don’t think a girl should become a knight. However, she is determined. She is chosen as a squire to Lord Raoul – that is, she has now finished her education and is training with a real knight.

I listened to the audio, so I do suspect that had a bearing on my rating. It just didn’t hold my attention at some points, though other parts were good. Fighting is one thing that I just don’t find very interesting, especially on audio; I tend to tune out. That being said, I finished it two days ago and sadly, I have already forgotten most of it, unfortunately. However, there is one more book in the series, and I will plan to finish it.

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

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

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

Note To My Mother-In Law - Phyllida Law - (England)
5★
My mother-in-law Annie lived with us for 17 years and was picture-book perfect.’ It took a while before the family realized that Annie was increasingly (as she would put it) 'Mutt and Jeff'. So Phyllida began to write out the day's gossip at the kitchen table, putting her notes by Annie's bed before going to hers. One night as her husband wandered off to bed, he muttered darkly that she spent so much time each evening writing to Annie she could have written a book. 'And illustrated it!' Here it is. It is a book full of the delights of a warm and loving household. Of Boot the Cat being sick after over-indulging in spiders; the hunt for cleaning products from the dawn of time; persistently and mysteriously malfunctioning hearing aids; an unusual and potentially hilarious use for a clove of garlic; and the sad disappearance of coconut logs from the local sweetshop. It's about the special place at the heart of a home held by a woman born in another age. Who polished the brass when it was 'looking red at her'. Who still bore a scar from being hit by her employer when, as a young woman, she was in service. Who could turn the heel of a sock and the collar of a shirt, and make rock-cakes, bread pudding and breast of lamb with barley.

I had the privilege of having one of the sweetest, most considerate, most understanding mother-in laws that anyone could ever want. She was a precious gift... and she kept on giving for the 12 years I knew and loved her. When I saw this book, I thought, “How in the world did this author, that I had never heard of, known my mother-in-law"? I just knew I had to meet and get to know the woman, that the description said was as important to this author, as mine was to me. I learned something about the author that I didn’t know. She is Dame Phyllida Law and best known as the mother of Oscar-winner... Emma Thompson. She began jotting notes about things her mother-in law did and said shortly after she married the woman’s son. The lady went into service at 14. She baked... knitted..., dusted... polished brass...sewed... and helped around the household until nearly the very end of her life. Law would comment not only on day-to-day household matters...but also on family gossip...funny happenings... and the quest for the discontinued items that her mother-in-law hoped to get. It’s a daughter-in-law's memorial and tribute to a woman that was everything beautiful in her life that was way too short... and was “more” than she ever had to be.

We Have Always Lived In The Castle - Shirley Jackson - (Vermont)
4★
Shirley Jackson's beloved gothic tale of a peculiar girl named Merricat and her family's dark secret Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate

It’s a short 150 pages, but it is deliciously, unmistakably...,Shirley Jackson. It has her gripping, unique, and quite dreamy writing style that tells a story of a mysterious family with a possibly disturbing, horrible secret. The Blackwood family, whose remaining family members have been ostracized by the small community where they live. Why? We now learn why. Seems a terrible tragedy years before a poisoning, took place. It took the lives of everyone of the Blackwood clan excerpt three.... Uncle Julian...Constance... and the narrator, Mary Katherine, (“Merricat”). Constance was suspected... but ultimately acquitted of the poisoning. Living a life mainly of alienation away from the whispers of the town, the Blackwoods are able to survive. Merricat believes in omens, and is vastly different compared to her sister, Constance. Uncle Julian is an invalid because he did have a little of the poison that claimed the other Blackwoods’ lives, but not enough to kill him. Not too much about this book can be reveled without leaving major spoils... but, when cousin Charles suddenly arrives at the Blackwood home...things pick up go on from there to a conclusion that you only think you know.

We Are Not Ourselves - Matthew Thomas (New York)
3.5★

Born in 1941, Eileen Tumulty is raised by her Irish immigrant parents in Woodside, Queens, in an apartment where the mood swings between heartbreak and hilarity, depending on how much alcohol has been consumed. From an early age, Eileen wished that she lived somewhere else. She sets her sights on upper class Bronxville, New York, and an American Dream is born. Driven by this longing, Eileen places her stock and love in Ed Leary, a handsome young scientist, and with him begins a family. Over the years Eileen encourages her husband to want more: a better job, better friends, a better house. It slowly becomes clear that his growing reluctance is part of a deeper, more incomprehensive psychological shift. An inescapable darkness enters their lives, and Eileen and Ed and their son Connell try desperately to hold together a semblance of the reality they have known, and to preserve, against long odds, an idea they have cherished of the future.

It's a very, very LONG story (672 pages), about a family struggling with Alzheimer’s disease...and how a husband, wife and son struggle to cope with the overwhelming challenges they face and with a heartbreaking illness that grinds to its inevitable finish. By the time she meets Ed Leary, Eileen Tumulty has already decided what she wants out of life and that is to escape from the Woodside, Queens neighborhood where she grew up. We see her jump out of the skillet and into the fire so many times that it becomes almost unbearable for the reader. As the daughter of hard-working, but hard-drinking Irish parents in a loveless marriage, Eileen spent most of her childhood propping up her mother and running the household. Once married, Eileen’s dreams of an elegant home seem within reach. She is a successful nurse. Ed is a brilliant research scientist and she can already envision where his career path will take them. A baby boy, Connell, completes the picture. What Eileen doesn’t foresee is Ed’s stubborn resistance to change. He’s happy where he is, first as a tireless and hyper-focused researcher and then as a professor at a community college. The Eileen's family life is a story in itself...filled with complicated family dynamics and marital conflicts, then when Ed is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the Leary family changes into something very much 'something else". Once again, the burden falls on Eileen to step up and make key family decisions, including the most important one, how long to keep Ed at home. I didn't especially like the characters of Eileen or Connell. They seemed to be both undeveloped and unfeeling. Then there were the scenes in the nursing home that were moving and sometimes heartbreaking...giving the reader insight into the meaning of Ed’s increasingly limited ability to put his thoughts into understandable meanings to his words. I think the strongest and the most beautiful part of the book is Ed’s letter to Connell. While a reminder that there are no guarantees in life is nothing new...Ed has the best advice for his son: "What matters most right now is that you hear how much I want you to live your life and enjoy it. I don’t want you to be held back by what’s happened to me."

On Desperate Ground / Hampton Sides
4 stars

This is about the Korean War. The Marines were ordered to come in to North Korea from the water, then over mountains during the coldest time of the year (in what turned out to be one of the coldest winters). There were a lot of stupid decisions made by two people higher up in the chain of command (sorry, I don’t know the military well enough to remember titles and who outranks whom), though the next in that chain knew they were stupid decisions and he did his best to follow orders, but to find ways to keep damage to a minimum.

I really liked this; it was really interesting. I know very little about the Korean War, and not only did this tell the stories of these Marines and how they (most? some? of them) got out of a bad situation, but I got a bit of insight into how the war started.

Miss Benson’s Beetle – Rachel Joyce
Digital audiobook performed by Juliet Stevenson.
4****

Two women no one would ever consider as compatible form an unlikely team as they travel to the other side of the world in search of an elusive beetle. What they find is a strong vocation, and an ever-lasting bond of friendship and love.

Margery Benson is a staid, drab, domestic science teacher whose life is stuck on “pause.” And then one day a student’s cruel cartoon caricature awakens something in Miss Benson. She sets about organizing an expedition to New Caledonia. In desperation she takes as her assistant Enid Pretty, a young, flashy, feisty, firecracker of a woman who doesn’t have a clue. But she has optimism, courage and grit. Together they are a formidable team.

I absolutely loved these characters! There were times when I had to laugh at their foibles. There were times when I feared for their safety. And quite a few tears were shed as well. Ultimately, they teach us a lesson about courage and perseverance, about not being afraid to fail … or to succeed. And they show us the beauty of a friendship based on respect and loyalty, on disagreement and compromise, on understanding and compassion.

Juliet Stevenson does a fabulous job of performing the audiobook. The voices she uses for Margery and Enid really differentiates them and perfectly portrays their characters. I cannot recommend her narration enough. 5***** for her performance.

The Spite Game - Anna Snoeskstra - (Australia)
2.5 ★

Everyone does bad things when no one is watching. Mercilessly bullied in high school, Ava knows she needs to put the past behind her and move on, but she can't - not until she's exacted precise, catastrophic revenge on the people who hurt her the most. First, she watches Saanvi. Flawlessly chic and working hard at a top architectural firm, Saanvi has it all together on the surface. But everyone does bad things when they think no one is watching, and Ava only wants what's fair - to destroy Saanvi’s life the way her own was destroyed. Next, she watches Cass. She's there as Cass tries on wedding dresses, she's there when Cass picks out a cake, she’s there when Cass betrays her fiancé. She’s the reason Cass' entire future comes crashing down. Finally, Ava watches Mel. Mel was always the ringleader, and if anyone has to pay, it’s her. But one tiny slipup and Ava realizes the truth: Mel knows she’s being watched, and she’s ready to play Ava’s games to the bitter end.

Talk about a story and characters that make you feel that you need a bath...this one will do it. In a nutshell...this is what the reader will deal with. Hope you have a very strong constitution.

From The Book:
“Ava was bullied as a kid and not just by anyone. By the ones she loved the most.... her best friends. What they did to her...their worst act of cruelty...has damaged her so severely she cannot move forward in her life as an adult. She is locked in a cold and tragic stupor of anguish that does not let her go for a minute. All her choices are based on the events of her childhood. And now all she really wants to do is get back at that malevolent group who were both her loves and her tormentors.”

It is by far the most painful thing I have ever encountered... but I don’t believe the author intended for the reader to hate Ava...but to come to understand her feelings and desires. The writer does include some notes about how this book came to be written...but bear in mind when you start this that it’s a creepy, intense read that I would be extremely selective about recommending for just anyone and everyone...but anyone that is interested in the subject matter...go for it.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
Robert Dugoni
5/5 stars
Sam Hill was born with red eyes which shocked his parents and caused no end of grief for him in school and life. But with his parents, best friend Ernie Cantwell who was also shunned as an African American at their school and his girl friend Micki, they helped him get through school and the bullying he received. This was one of my best reads this year.

Dangerous Ground - Josh Lanyon - (Nevada)
Dangerous Ground series Book #1
5 ★
It's complicated...it always is... Special Agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt have been partners and best friends for three years, but everything changed the night Taylor admitted the truth about his feelings for Will. Taylor agreed to a camping trip in the High Sierras -- despite the fact that he hates camping -- because Will wants a chance to save their partnership. But the trip is a disaster from the first, and things rapidly go from bad to worse when they find a crashed plane and a couple of million dollars in stolen money. With a trio of murderous robbers trailing them, Will and Taylor are on dangerous ground, fighting for their partnership...and their lives.

This is really more of a novella, but Josh Lanyon manages to put in lots of action and emotion into this book, which is not only a beautiful stand-alone romance...but also sets the stage for the remaining books of the series. I love her books...all her books. Josh Lanyon is a master at creating a sense of place, and painting characters who feel so alive and make us care for them. A crashed plane...a dead hijacker...and a backpack full of money with three gun carrying people looking for it and instead finding our two guys who only wanted to go camping and explore their growing friendship and feelings that are much more than mere friendship. For being a short book, it deliciously sets the atmosphere for Special Agents Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister to maybe have “more” with one another.

The Cipher - Isabella Maldonado - (Virginia)
Nina Guerrera series Book #1
2.5★
To a cunning serial killer, she was the one that got away. Until now…
FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera escaped a serial killer’s trap at sixteen. Years later, when she’s jumped in a Virginia park, a video of the attack goes viral. Legions of new fans are not the only ones impressed with her fighting skills. The man who abducted her eleven years ago is watching. Determined to reclaim his lost prize, so he commits a grisly murder designed to pull her into the investigation…but his games are just beginning. And he’s using the internet to invite the public to play along. His coded riddles may have made him a depraved social media superstar―an enigmatic cyber-ghost dubbed “The Cipher”... but to Nina he’s a monster who preys on the vulnerable. Partnered with the FBI’s preeminent mind hunter, Dr. Jeffrey Wade, who is haunted by his own past, Nina tracks the predator across the country. Clue by clue, victim by victim, Nina races to stop a deadly killer while the world watches.

I didn’t find the story itself particularly credible. We are expected to believe that a woman who’s suffered serious abuse at the hands of a killer becomes an FBI agent herself and is assigned to another murder that allegedly was committed by the person who tried to kill her? Can we say “vigilante”? Can we say “conflict of Interest?” Can we picture this killer going free when, and if, his case comes to court? Police of any type do not put officers or agents in positions to have their credibility challenged in court if they don’t want to kiss their hoped-for conviction bye-bye.. I don’t think the FBI would touch this with a 10-ft pole. Nor does it sound like an assignment the FBI ever would make in the first place. I know the story is fiction but from the first 50-pages, I was unable to suspend my disbelief.

The Cobra Event – Richard Preston
4****

It begins when a New York City teenager has a seizure in class and dies shortly after. CDC scientist Alice Austen is dispatched to observe the autopsy and try to determine if this is an infectious agent. She quickly determines that this is not an accident but an act of terrorism. A deranged, disgraced biotechnician is intent on releasing the deadly Cobra virus in New York, to kill as many “useless humans” as possible.

This is a great thriller, that kept me enthralled and turning pages as quickly as I could. I’d read Preston’s nonfiction bestsellers: The Hot Zone and The Demon In the Freezer, so I knew he had the research background to make this a very plausible scenario. Reading it in the era of COVID19 just makes it that much more frightening, and interesting. I loved the details on how the teams of scientists, public health officials and FBI agents worked to decipher the clues.

If you’re at all squeamish you might want to skip some of the autopsy scenes.

The Other Sister - Sarah Zettel - (Michigan)
4★
Two sisters. One murder plan.
Everyone thought reckless, troubled Geraldine Monroe was the bad sister -- especially when she fled town after her mother's death twenty-five years ago. But people don't know the truth. Marie Monroe knows. She was there for their father's cruel punishments, the constant manipulation, the lies. Everyone thinks she's the perfect daughter... patient and kind, and above all obedient. No one would suspect her of anything. Especially not murder. Now Geraldine's home again, and she and Marie have united in a plan for the ultimate revenge. But when old secrets and new fears clash, everyone is pushed to the breaking point . . . and the sisters will learn that they can't trust anyone-not even each other.

It’s a psychological thriller featuring the dynamics of twisted dysfunctional family. The sisters...Geraldine and Marie …. grew up in Michigan in an emotionally abusive family with a manipulative and cruel father, and an alcoholic mother. Geraldine left town twenty-five years ago after her mother died under mysterious circumstances...she was thought of as “the bad sister”. Present day finds that she is a lecturer at a college.... and very rarely ever returns home.
The other sister...Marie...stayed in their hometown and became her father's assistant. The father is now wealth and entirely “in control” of his entire family. He has also managed to become a respected member of the community. Marie is the good daughter/sister, in the eyes of the community. She follows her father's every direction and command. Marie has asked Geraldine to come home for her son Robbie's graduation party....and their plan is now put into motion. The novel follows multiple timelines and points-of-view as the past and the present are both revealed. The relationship between the sisters is to put it mildly...complicated. Neither of them is completely reliable, or believable.... but they need to trust and believe each other...the questions is...can they? Which of them is really the good sister and which is the bad, will fluctuate as the novel reveals an intricate web of embedded secrets of their earlier years and those from more recent events. The characters are very well drawn... but as I have stated, none of them are reliable or likeable. Sarah Zettel has done an excellent job with the dialogue and creating a distinctive voice for each character

Safe - Men of The ESRB - Hollis Shiloh
Men of The ESRB series Book #1 (Extra Sensory Regulation Board)
4.5 ★
Afraid of being outed, Neil Hunter, "Hunt," dreads meeting the new "human lie detector" at the precinct — a registered empath who can sense truth and falsehood. But Skyler Zane is more of a mess than any closeted cop could ever be, with an abusive ex and a history of mental issues. And instead of avoiding him, Hunt ends up taking him under his wing, looking out for him. And maybe falling for him, too. Everything is going well — including their unexpected feelings for each other — until Sky's skills come to the wrong attention. Now it's up to Hunt to find him — and figure out how to keep them both alive.

It’s a fairly short story with the emphasis on the story and characters with very low sexual content. If you're looking for a great story about two very sweet and lovable men who form an unbreakable bond, then this is good start to what appears to be the beginning of a great series. Hunt is just your average patrol cop trying to do his part to help... Skylar is a high empath, but also a man who's been through so much trauma with an abusive partner that nearly killed him...with so much struggle in his life that average and safe is what he needs most. Hunt and Skylar (Sky), meet and it takes some time for them to trust and find that they need each other. When they do, it's absolutely beautiful. Skylar, having finally found the peace and safety he needs from Hunt, can now begin to grow and develop into the empath he was always meant to be. There are some clichés like homophobic cops, a gruff captain and a corrupt cop, but Skylar has Hunt and a whole organization that wants nothing but the best for him and will do everything in their power to help him get it. Safe is a well-written, engaging first story in this series, that goes by far too quickly and focuses on love and finally finding the place that puts both Hunt and Sky on the right track to their future. I believe this is a great start up for a series that I fully intend to learn more about and the agents at the Extra Sensory Regulation Board.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox – Maggie O’Farrell
Digital audiobook performed by Anne Flosnik
2.5**

From the book jacket: In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital – where she has been locked away for more than sixty-one years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty had always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face.

My reactions
There’s so much going on here I hardly know where to start. There’s the mystery of Esme’s commitment to the mental hospital and Kitty’s having kept her sister’s existence a secret all these years. There’s Iris’s mess of a love life (which really is superfluous to the main story). There’s the additional intrigue of Iris’s “brother, who is really no blood relation” Alex.

I thought it was rather melodramatic as well as being disjointed, but that ending – that wonderfully ambiguous and ethereal ending! Well, she got an extra half-star (and I’ll round up to 3) for that final scene.

Annie Flosnik does a reasonably good job of narrating the audio. Her diction is clear, and she sets a good pace. But the style of the book really does not lend itself to an audio performance. O’Farrell writes this in snippets and vignettes, moving back and forth between present-day and the past. In the text, different fonts are used, which might help the reader recognize the jumps in time / narrator. But on audio no such clues are present, which makes it doubly confusing.

Double Take - Elizabeth Breck - (California)
Madison Kelly Mystery
5★
It's a perfect San Diego fall--cool and crisp with bright blue skies. But not everything is right in the sunny idyll dubbed "America's Finest City." Young journalist Barrett Brown has been missing for a week, and her boyfriend hires private investigator Madison Kelly to find her. Right away, Barrett reminds Madison of a younger version of herself: smart, ambitious, and a loner. As she launches her investigation, Madison realizes that Barrett's disappearance is connected to a big story she was chasing--and she sets out to walk in Barrett's footsteps to trace her whereabouts. As the trail grows colder, things begin to heat up between Madison and Barrett's boyfriend. But he doesn't seem to be telling everything he knows, and Madison gets the feeling that her every move is being watched. What dirty secrets lie at the heart of Barrett's big lead? If Madison can't get to the bottom of the case in time, she could be in line to become the next victim.

The author is writing from a “true life experience”, since she herself is a licensed private investigator. Her experience and knowledge made the main character of Madison Kelly real and believable. I really like it when the author can make each and every step of the story ring true. I read "Anonymous"... the first book in this series, and absolutely loved it so when I received a copy of Double Take to review I was very excited and was not in any way disappointed. I don’t see how Elizabeth Beck could have possibly improved Madison Kelly with this one...but she did. The twist and turns in the storyline remained as tight as the ever and the conclusion is even more heart pounding than the first time. This author has certainly earned her place on my “favorites list”.

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

Death Sung Softly -David Archer
Sam Prichard Mystery Book #2
3★
SEX, BOOZE, AND... DEATH? Meet retired cop, Sam Prichard. Sam opens his practice as a Private Investigator, and gets his first real case almost instantly: Find Barry Wallace, a local rock singer who was on the verge of making it big, and vanished suddenly! When Barry's body turns up minus his head and hands, the case becomes ominous, and now he has to find a killer, instead! The evidence comes together, and leads to the discovery of the missing body parts on the estate of a well-known talent agent, who stood to gain a lot of wealth if Barry had only agreed to sign the contract he had arranged, and the man is arrested for murder. But Sam gets a bigger surprise when that same man hires him to prove his innocence, and Sam follows a convoluted trail of clues to discover who really killed Barry, and wanted to frame the agent for the crime! Meanwhile, Sam has blundered into taking a job as the new lead singer for Barry's band, and may be on the edge of a whole new career for himself! Come along for the ride, and you'll get to hear Sam Prichard sing his heart out!

I don’t know where the problem came about. It could have been in the proof reading, or lack of proofreading. The story itself was fine. Actually, it was a great plot; as well as great characters... but for some reason it just wandered off into way too many things that had absolutely nothing to do with this story. If you are just looking for a love story, then you won't mind all of the useless information; but if you are reading this because you want a mystery, then you may find yourself turning pages without reading all of the unrelated sections. The first book in this series was not like this at all. Too bad because David Archer is a really, really good writer.

Secret At Skull House- Josh Lanyon - (Rhode Island)
Secrets and Scrabble Series Book #2
4★
Unlike everyone else in Pirate's Cove, Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, reigning Scrabble champion, and occasionally clueless owner of the village's only mystery bookstore, is anything but thrilled when famed horror author Brandon Abbott announces he's purchased legendary Skull House and plans to live there permanently. Ellery and Brandon have history. Their relationship ended badly, and the last thing Ellery wants is a chance to patch things up - especially when his relationship with Police Chief Jack Carson is just getting interesting. But then, maybe Brandon isn't all that interested in getting back together either, because he seems a lot more interested in asking questions about the bloodstained past of his new home than discussing a possible future with Ellery. What is Brandon really up to? Ellery will have to unscramble that particular puzzle post haste. Because after his former flame disappears following their loud and public argument, Ellery seems to be Police Chief Carson's first ...and only...suspect.

Poor Ellery. he must be the most unlucky man on the face of the Earth. For the second time he seems to be the ONLY one that Chief Carson thinks to be the killer. Rather reminds me of her Adrien English character in her series by the same name. Chief Carson obviously cares for Ellery but he’s got a strange way of showing it. This one and the first book in the series were listed as being m/m romances, but neither of the books really had much romance. I know Josh Lanyon can write steamy scenes with the best of them...believe me...I’ve read them...but this first book in the series... so far at least...are more like cozies. I love this author. I've read almost everything she has ever written..so I’m going to be a bit forgiving...and the mystery element was extremely good... so "The Secret At Skull House" will get 4 stars from me. However, IF it had been the first of any of her books that I had ever read, the rating may have been lower since I would be expecting a m/m romance book to contain more romance.

Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations
Peter Evans
4/5 stars
Peter Evans interviews Ava Gardener about her life before Hollywood, her movie career and the famous men she loved including Frank Sinatra, Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Howard Hughes. Ava wasn't sure she wanted the book published and stopped the interviews but it was eventually published after her death.

Know- Men of ESRB - Hollis Shiloh
Men of ESRB series Book #4
4.5★
Hugh and Jem work together as a team for the ESRB. Hugh's just a regular ex-cop, but Jem always knows the odds — of anything — and he's always right. It certainly hasn't made his life any easier. Working for the ESRB has its challenges, such as when trying to track down Martin, a powerful empath who doesn't want to be found. Martin also happens to be the one person who might just make Hugh and Jem face the suppressed attraction between them. Knowing the odds can't always protect two men from danger, though — and their fledgling relationship will be soon put to a terrible test.

It’s not a very long story... but it is a really sweet story about Jem and Hugh...two ESRB agents who are tasked to track down and help, and hopefully recruit, a powerful empath...Martin. Martin proves to be quite elusive and when he pointily makes it know he doesn't want to be found, Jem and Hugh really have no choice but to forget and give up. Making people forget is Martin’s talent. That sure would be useful in everyday life. I thought at first that Martin was a bad guy...but he just wished to be left alone and not use his talent if he could help it. Martin did suggest though that they could help a man that had the talent to kill with a single touch. Finding and helping people like this is what ESRB does. The characters of Jem and Hugh are so likable. I became quickly fascinated with Jem’s talent of predicting the percentage odds of almost anything and everything. For someone, like me, that absolutely sucks at math I found that ability amazing. Hugh’s main job is to protect and look out for Jem. The way he handled that was quite endearing. The only thing...other than how shot the story was concerning the “sticky situation” they somehow managed to get themselves tied up in could have/should have been a bigger part of the storyline. I was also curious about Martin and Colin's relationship. Perhaps another book???

The Whole Cat and Caboodle – Sofie Ryan
3***

Book # 1 in the Second Chance Cat Mystery series, featuring Sarah Grayson, proprietor of Second Chance, a consignment shop in North Harbor, Maine, and her rescue cat, Elvis. When Sarah’s elderly friend, Maddie, is accused of murdering her special friend (who was NOT a nice man), Sarah and her “crew” of elderly detectives are convinced they can solve the crime and exonerate their friend!

This is a cute cozy mystery with a decent premise and a wonderful cast of colorful supporting characters. I love that the crew of senior sleuths is christened “Charlie’s Angels” … with a nod to the movie, NOT the original TV series! There are plenty of suspects, a sprinkling of red herrings, and some creative scenes of sleuthing. The final reveal is satisfying and somewhat surprising. I’ll keep reading this series.

The Play of Death / Oliver Potzsch
4 stars

It is 1670. Jakob Kuisl is the hangman in Schongau, Bavaria. His daughter, Magdalena, married an almost-doctor (he didn’t quite finish his study/training), Simon, a while back. Even still, hangmen and their families are the lowest of the low in society. Simon is taking his oldest son, Peter to the next town over, Oberammergau, so he will have a better chance at a good education (which is harder for him to get in Schongau, with the prejudices toward him as the hangman’s grandson). Peter will stay with a former teacher of Simon’s, who will teach Peter at the schoolhouse there.

The morning Simon takes Peter to Oberammergau, however, one of the town’s residents is found crucified on a cross. Oberammergau has been planning and rehearsing for a Passion play, and the young man playing Jesus is the one found on the cross. One of the town’s council members (a rich man – whose son is the one who died) asks Simon to stay a while to help figure out what happened and to help out as a doctor, as Oberammergau is currently without one. In the meantime, back home in Schongau, Magdalena’s younger sister, Barbara, is finding herself in trouble.

I like historical fiction and I like mysteries, but historical mysteries don’t always pull me in. However, I really like this series. I feel like it’s gotten better as it goes along. This is actually a translation and the author discovered he actually has a hangman in his family’s history, so the series is based on that. There actually ends up being a lot more going on in this than my summary suggests. I’m happy to see that the series continues.

Don’t You Cry - Cass Green - (England)
3★
One stolen baby. Two desperate strangers. One night of terror. She saved your life. When Nina almost dies during a disastrous blind date, her life is saved by a waitress called Angel. But later that evening, Nina is surprised by a knock on the door. It’s Angel - and she’s pointing a gun at her. Now she’ll make you pay. Minutes later, Angel’s younger brother Lucas turns up, covered in blood, shielding a stolen newborn baby in his arms. Nina is about to endure the longest night of her life - a night that will be filled with terror and lead her to take risks she would never have believed herself capable of.

This is the paperback version of the story. The Kindle version and the Audiobook is under a different title...No Good Deed. The characters and the plot are well written and believable. The time change is a little hard to follow at first... but it’s a good story about a tough time for a couple a kids. It all comes together when a woman is held hostage by them along with a baby many years later. This is a story that you can see actually perhaps happening. Not too "out there" like some I've read. I’ll try another of this author’s books.

Old Poison- Josh Lanyon
Dangerous Ground series Book #2 - (California)
5★
Friends, partners, and now lovers. If it was complicated before, it's even trickier now that Will has been assigned a case which guarantees he'll be working side-by-side with ex-boyfriend David Bradley. As for Taylor, newly recovered from his recent shooting and finally off desk duty, being reassigned a new partner—who seems as thrilled to be working with him as he is her—is just the start of his problems. Whoever has been leaving weird notes on his car windshield has graduated to sending him a dead cobra in a bottle of wine. Sure, DSS Agents Brandt and MacAllister have made a few enemies over the years, but until now it's never felt quite so personal. Taylor's insecurity about David Bradley and Will's uneasy suspicion Taylor isn't telling him everything he knows about his mysterious stalker puts them on shaky ground at the very moment a vengeful enemy is moving in for the kill.

Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister survived book one, “Dangerous Ground,” only to be plunged fairly quickly into another mysterious mess. At least the author doesn’t torture us, (much), as to their feelings for each other...and she doesn’t give us much time for deeply pondering the shifting nature of these men’s relationship. Creepy threats against Taylor may or may not relate to his past, and blood is spilled. Josh Lanyon can certainly pack tons of depth of feelings into one short novella. That can surely be attributed to her gifts as a writer. She doesn’t waste words, zeroing in on settings, characters, and personalities, so that the reader gets it all quickly. I love these characters. They remind me of Ty and Zane from the Abigail Roux Cut and Run series. another series that anyone that likes m/m romances should read. On to book #3, and I hope that Taylor and Will’s relationship will continue to grow.

Murder With Peacocks / Donna Andrews
3 stars

Meg is helping plan three weddings in the same summer. Those of her best friend, her mother, and her brother. All weddings are happening in the same town so many of the people know each other. At one of the pre-wedding gatherings, one of the guests turns up dead. Meg’s father has always been interested in murder investigations, so he takes it upon himself to try to figure out what happened, along with Meg’s help at times. All the while, Meg is still trying to plan three weddings!

I listened to the audio and I’m going to rate it ok. The audio itself was fine, but there was a lot of wedding… and three bridezillas. I found some of the wedding traditions odd. I’m not sure why Meg was in charge of planning three weddings for other people; for a while, I thought maybe she was a wedding planner, but nope. There were some other wedding traditions that were different from what I know – do people actually open gifts ahead of time? (In this case, Meg opened the gifts and made a note of everything because apparently the bride and groom (to-be) were too busy. I couldn’t figure out why it needed to be done ahead of time, anyway.) Overall, it was ok. I won’t be continuing the series, however.

Locke & Key: Heaven and Earth / Joe Hill
3 stars

This graphic novel has a few short stories, mostly surrounding the house that was the centre of the Locke & Key books. Only one of the stories features the children in the main series. The last third of the book is mostly photos of the authors in places that inspired the fictional setting of the series.

I liked the short stories – the first one was the best one, in my opinion. The photos weren’t as interesting, but were ok and the book finished off with full page illustrations of the children in the series with other things in the background (the back of the book tells me these are additional covers). Overall, I’m rating it ok.

The Lost Boy / Dave Pelzer
3.5 stars

This continues Dave Pelzer’s memoirs after “A Child Called ‘It’”. At 12(?) years old, he is finally rescued from his abusive home life (particularly his mother) by a police officer and placed in a foster home. Until he turns 18, he goes through a number of foster homes, though except for the first one, through no fault of his own. None of his foster homes were bad to him.

This was good. The first chapter did back up just a little bit to give the reader a taste of what he’d had to endure previous to being removed from his biological family’s “care”, before moving on to follow him until he no longer needed to be taken care of via foster homes. He has all good things to say about foster care and the love and support he received after coming out of his previously abusive life. He talks more about this in an Afterword, as well as adding notes from one of his foster mothers, a teacher, and other people who helped him during this stage of his life.

Under My Skin - Lisa Unger - (New York)
-1★
What if the nightmares are actually memories? It’s been a year since Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan’s Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiraled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused wearing a tight red dress she didn’t recognize. What happened to Poppy during those lost days? And more importantly, what happened to Jack? The case was never solved, and Poppy has finally begun to move on. But those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts—there are periods of time she can’t remember, and she’s unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she’s imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband’s death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened?

I have read many Lisa Unger books and always found them to be very enjoyable...so I wasn’t expecting anything less from this one...WRONG!!! The title should have been “Everything In The World You Never Wanted to Know Or Needed To Know, Or Cared To Know...About Jack”. Of course, that would have never fit on the book cover, but they could have taken out most of the story and used some of the inside. Jack has been dead over a year...murdered. But his dialog, descriptions, repetitions live on, and are on every single page. It didn’t...as you probably tell...take me long to have had enough of Jack. May he rest in peace. Then we meet Poppy...you guessed it...Jack’s wife. She can’t let Jack go. She clings to him mercilessly. She is consumed with whom he used to be. Our Poppy isn’t without sin herself...she’s an addict...and a liar. She lies to her mother...she lies to her friends...she lies to her shrink. Sleeping pills and other drugs are her very best friends. And she chases them down with another well-known acquaintance...alcohol. Now we have Poppy’s best “friend” (?)…. Layla. Dear friend Lyla is a controlling and condescending woman who has latched onto an enormously rich husband, so she happily supplies Poppy with cash. Poppy becomes sober long enough to wonder if Layla crosses the line between caring and controlling. Got news for you Poppy...that horse left the gate a long time ago. This book is populated by characters that are not at all likable or remotely bearable. Sorry, I can’t find any pity for any of them and I really expected more from this author. Don’t believe I have ever given a book a –1 star.

Blood Heat - Josh Lanyon – (New Mexico)
Dangerous Ground series Book #3
5★
Special Agents for the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt have been partners forever and lovers for three months, but their new relationship is threatened when Will is offered a plum two-year assignment in Paris. Will believes the posting only means postponing what they both want. Taylor fears that kind of separation will mean the end of their new and still-fragile relationship. It's a bad time to find themselves in the middle of the New Mexico wilderness responsible for the health and welfare of a suspected terrorist. Especially when everyone else they run into seems determined to see their prisoner -- and them dead.

The 3rd novella in the “Dangerous Ground” series has Will and Taylor going to New Mexico where they are running down an alleged terrorist. Quite a few surprises and not all of them favorable to the plot and our two characters. Will has a decision to make that will have a monumental effect on their new 3-month-old relationship. Lots of suspense and action as well as emotional suspense. The bickering & banter between Taylor & Will is always fun. I’m looking forward to seeing what's going to happen to both of them. I do wish these stories were longer but none of them have been a disappointment by any means. What else would I expect from Josh Lanyon?

Listening For Lions – Gloria Whelan
4****

Rachel Sheridan’s missionary parents succumb to the Spanish influenza pandemic in early 20th century East Africa. She’s taken in by neighbors with less-than-charitable motives and finds herself far from the only home she’s ever known in chilly, damp England. But Rachel’s honesty, courage and pluck will see her far, and she vows that she will return to Africa and rebuild the mission hospital her parents founded.

This is a lovely YA / middle-school-grade novel with some important lessons about doing what is right, and honoring your parents and elders. Rachel is a worthy heroine; she’s intelligent, principled, compassionate and a hard worker. I love the way that she interacts with others and considers the possible effects of her words and actions before moving forward. She shows courage when it’s most important, and a fierce determination to honor her promises.

Stormy Weather -Paulette Jiles - (Texas)
4★
A poignant and unforgettable story of hardship, sacrifice, and strength in a tragic time—and of a desperate dream born of an undying faith in the arrival of a better day. Oil is king of East Texas during the darkest years of the Great Depression. The Stoddard girls—responsible Mayme, whip-smart tomboy Jeanine, and bookish Bea—know no life but an itinerant one, trailing their father from town to town as he searches for work on the pipelines and derricks; that is, when he's not spending his meager earnings at gambling joints, race tracks, and dance halls. And in every small town in which the windblown family settles, mother Elizabeth does her level best to make each sparse, temporary house they inhabit a home. But the fall of 1937 ushers in a year of devastating drought and dust storms, and the family's fortunes sink further than they ever anticipated when a questionable "accident" leaves Elizabeth and her girls alone to confront the cruelest hardships of these hardest of times. With no choice left to them, they return to the abandoned family farm. It is Jeanine, proud and stubborn, who single-mindedly devotes herself to rebuilding the farm and their lives. But hard work and good intentions won't make ends meet or pay the back taxes they owe on their land. In desperation, the Stoddard women place their last hopes for salvation in a wildcat oil well that eats up what little they have left . . . and on the back of late patriarch Jack's one true legacy, a dangerous racehorse named Smoky Joe. And Jeanine, the fatherless "daddy's girl," must decide if she will gamble it all . . . on love.

A believable story of one family's survival of the Great Depression in Texas. The characters are captivating and ones that you can really like. The author takes us through dust storms, into hot, dusty, cotton fields, poverty, the people trying to overcome it, triumphs and tragedy, among it the awakenings of love. It’s all here in this saga. While there isn't a "plot" in the traditional sense... it's a powerful story that takes you into the era so you feel as though you are living it with the characters, and it makes us modern people very glad that we aren’t. What I appreciated most was that Jiles is dealing with the lives of ordinary people as they strive to survive and prosper in harsh conditions, always facing the threat of poverty and starvation. The book is a little slow, but overall, very good.

Look Alive Twenty-Five
Janet Evanovich
4/5 stars
Stephanie and her crew are back investigating the disappearances of 3 managers of the Red River Deli and the only clues are the missing shoes of the managers in the parking lot. Always a fun light mystery!

Murphy's Law / Rhys Bowen
4 stars

It’s 1901. Molly is running from her small town in Ireland after she accidentally killed a man when he tried to rape her. In London, she meets up with a woman planning to take her children to America to meet up with her husband who is already there. Unfortunately, a medical test before they leave finds her too sick to travel. They decide that Molly will pretend to be her (Kathleen) and escort the kids to their father. Unfortunately, as they were detained overnight on Ellis Island, one of the men who had been on the same ship was murdered. Molly happened to see a guard that night in the vicinity of the men’s barracks; she had also been seen slapping the murdered man on the ship.

I really liked this one. Historical mysteries aren’t always my favourite, but I think the historical aspect of this was really well done: dealing with the hardships of arriving as an immigrant, not really knowing anyone… finding a job, so she can eat and pay for shelter. I did like her relationship with the kids she brought with her, especially the little girl. I would have liked a bit more follow-up with that, but maybe that will come in future books in the series. This might be amongst my favourite cozy mysteries, probably due to the historical setting, but that can’t be the only reason since (many) other historical mysteries don’t pull me in like this one did.

Three Little Lies_ Laura Marshall- (England)
3★
When Sasha disappears, Ellen fears the worst. Then long-buried secrets resurface, Ellen realizes she may not know Sasha -- or what she's capable of -- at all.
2005: 17 year old Ellen falls under the spell of glamorous newcomer, Sasha. As Ellen is welcomed into Sasha's family, she doesn't see the darkness that lies beneath their musical, bohemian lifestyle. At a New Year's Eve party, events come to a dramatic head, resulting in a court case (in which Ellen is a key witness) that means family life at the Corner House will never be the same again.
2018: Now 30, Ellen and Sasha are still entwined in each other's lives and sharing a flat in London. When Sasha disappears, Ellen fears the worst. She has gone missing like this before and the police won't take it seriously, but long-buried events in their shared past mean that Ellen has good reason to be frightened - not only for Sasha, but also for herself. Finding out the truth about what really happened on New Year's Eve twelve years ago puts Ellen in terrible danger, and forces her to confront not only the past, but how well she really knows her best friend.

It's mostly told from Ellen’s point of view in the present ...but we also hear from Oliva...Sasha’s grandmother from 10 years past when she testifies at the trial of her son who had been accused of rape. I really don't care much for books that offer dialog that takes place years apart and skips back and forth. I also have to admit that I was more interested in the events that happened New Year's Eve and the lies that were told then, than I was in what happened 13 years ago. I’m also sure that there was more than 3 lies told and it was more than 3 people that lied. I found the characters hard to relate to or really care much about. The book was well written though and the idea for the story was interesting. It earned 3 stars.

Life As We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer (Pennsylvania)
3.5★

I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald’s still would be open. High school sophomore Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, like "one marble hits another." The result is catastrophic. How can her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis are wiping out the coasts, earthquakes are rocking the continents, and volcanic ash is blocking out the sun? As August turns dark and wintery in northeastern Pennsylvania, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Every now and then a person needs a good disaster movie or book. Don't know why but I think it might be watching how predictable those in charge cause even more problems and how the human spirit can rise to the occasion in spite of everything. Oh...this one doesn't even have zombies:) I loved that the people facing this particular disaster stayed calm and mostly rational in the face of the crises and how the mother tries to get her family prepared as she fiercely tries to protect them. As the world becomes more isolated because of the lack of working communication devices...no cell phones folks... the daughter keeps her diary going recording her thoughts and feelings. It's through her communications with herself that we learn the story of life after the meteor hit the moon and causes tidal waves, earthquakes, volcanos and more. At first they think that the government will help...(Oh yeah like that's going to happen!)…and all will settle down and life will go back to normal. Eventually they begin to realize that nothing in their life may ever be normal again and things more than likely are going to get a whole lot worse. The global mess becomes much more personal to them as this young girl and her brothers try to adjust from proms, football games and homework, to washing the laundry by hand and staving off hunger. It's a YA book designed for 12 years and older... so just how dark and bad it could and would get if this actually happened was really down played...but it was fun seeing this young girl deal with her life changing perhaps forever.

Cutting For Stone – Abraham Verghese
Audiobook performed by Sunil Malhotra
5***** and a ❤

This is an epic story of twin boys, born of an Indian nun and a British surgeon working side-by-side in an Ethiopian hospital, but raised by two other Indian physicians and the staff of Missing Hospital. The tale is told by Marion, one of the twins, and describes not just their insular lives in the hospital compound, but the issues of poverty and political unrest in Ethiopia which so affect their ability to fulfill their mission.

Verghesse is a masterful storyteller, who wields his pen with surgical precision. The landscape and characters come to life on the page, letting the reader experience the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of Ethiopia and the hospitals both there and in New York where Marion finishes his training.

There are several themes throughout – betrayal, forgiveness, and compassion. At its core is the central question … can you forgive a betrayal from those closest to you? Whether it is a father who abandons his sons, a lover who betrays you with another, or a brother who never seems to recognize the consequences of his actions – how do you find it in yourself to forgive? Who is hurt when you cannot / will not forgive? Who benefits most when you DO?

But we also deal with the issue of compassion and responsibility to those around us. Am I my brother’s keeper? Verghesse, I think, would answer “yes.” Whether it is a family member, an orphaned child, a neighbor in distress, even a stranger – each person deserves care and compassion.

The crisis that leads to the final resolution had me in tears. I wanted to read faster to find out what happens. I wanted to read more slowly to avoid what was coming. I had to finish; I was afraid to finish.

Some reviewers have said that the book was slow … not for me. I was engaged and enthralled from beginning to end. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

* * * * * * * * * *

UPDATE - Nov 6, 2011
I read this in April for my F2F book club # 1. Now two other book clubs are discussing it in November and December, so I decided to refresh my memory by listening to the audio.

Malhotra is pitch perfect in performing this book. He shows the right emotion or restraint depending on which character he is voicing. Shiva is maddeningly flat – this came across in the text but is even more evident in the audio – which adds to Marion’s frustration and anger. The only character’s voice that truly surprised me was that of Thomas Stone; I was expecting a more “cultured” and obviously British accent.

===========================

Update: 2021
Nearly ten years later, I re-listened to the audio, and once again was transported and fully engaged in this marvelous novel. It made no difference that I knew what was coming. Verghese is an incredibly talented writer.

Dead Run - Josh Lanyon - (France)
Dangerous Ground series Book #4
5★
The boys are back in town--and Paris is burning! For Special Agents of the Department of Diplomatic Security, Taylor MacAllister and Will Brandt, the strain of a long-distance relationship is beginning to tell after eleven months of separation. A romantic holiday could be just the thing to bridge the ever-growing distance, but when Taylor spots a terrorist from the 70s, long believed dead but very much alive, it's” c'est la vie” Now instead of sipping wine and seeing the sights, the boys are chasing a wily and deadly foe through the graveyards and catacombs of Paris. Of course, it could always be worse--and soon it is.

Josh has done it again with her latest entry into the ongoing saga of Will and Taylor, agents of the deceptively tranquil sounding "Department of Diplomatic Security." While I'm sure these two are happy to find a peaceful resolution, when possible, most of their work seems to involve more high-octane adventures complete with exciting chases, hand-to-hand combat and shoot-outs. These rough-and-tumble hard-charging tough guys are also lovers. At the start of Dead Run, they've been separated for almost a year, as Will has accepted an assignment in Paris, France. Although their reunion is slightly delayed due to an unsuspected development. One of Lanyon's great strengths is her ability to combine compelling love stories with exciting genre suspense. He surpasses himself creating two people you know are meant to be together, but who suffer almost every possible obstacle on the way there. Unlike most authors, Lanyon's not afraid to show there's nothing easy about an eleventh month separation. Lesser writers would have described a joyful and conflict-free coming together, but Lanyon knows months of being apart makes everything that was once familiar and comfortable is now suddenly unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Taylor has to accept that almost everything about Will's life has changed...and the question is where does that leave him? Hope things go well in for them in book #5.

The Fallout / S. A. Bodeen
3.5 stars

Potential spoilers for book 1: Eli and his family have made it out of the underground compound without his father. They are reunited with Gram and Eli’s twin, Eddy. But it’s not easy fitting back in to a “normal” life after six years underground, especially as the well-known rich family they are as they try to hide from prying eyes. They don’t even know who they can trust.

I liked this. It did show how hard it would be to fit back in to a regular life, for Eli and the family, in addition to Eddy having to get used to this new world, as well. As I noticed at least one other review mention, the science fiction aspect of the book didn’t come into play until near the end, but that didn’t bother me, as I still thought the rest of the book was good, too. There were a couple of surprises near the end – one I’d guessed (just shortly before it was revealed), but I didn’t guess the other at all.

The Upstairs House - Julia Fine
2.5★
There’s a madwoman upstairs, and only Megan Weiler can see her.
Ravaged and sore from giving birth to her first child, Megan is mostly raising her newborn alone while her husband travels for work. Physically exhausted and mentally drained, she’s also wracked with guilt over her unfinished dissertation...a thesis on mid-century children’s literature. Enter a new upstairs neighbor: the ghost of quixotic children’s book writer Margaret Wise Brown...author of the beloved classic Goodnight Moon ...whose existence no one else will acknowledge. It seems Margaret has unfinished business with her former lover, the once-famous socialite and actress Michael Strange, and is determined to draw Megan into the fray. As Michael joins the haunting, Megan finds herself caught in the wake of a supernatural power struggle...and until she can find a way to quiet these spirits, she and her newborn daughter are in terrible danger.

The theme veers quickly off into an unusual, but fascinating trip into an imaginary life with the 1940s authors and poets, that is so real that our narrator, Megan seems to be interacting with them. I wasn’t too sure just how Julia Fine was going to carry this theme throughout an entire book and still keep the reader on track. Why is Megan hearing strange noises? How does she seemingly connect with what can only be ghost-like images? The forays into the 1940s lives of these characters really didn’t captivate me very much since I was more interested in what would happen to Megan in the present. I was also amazed by how nobody around Megan seems to notice that she was struggling. They criticized her and urged her to get out more and even suggested that she to get “help,” but instead of offering assistance or even compassion, they just seem angry with her. Megan’s oblivious husband and critical sister were additional frustrating characters for me.

On Animals
Susan Orlean
4/5 stars
Susan Orlean is one of my favorite authors and this book containing interesting short non-fiction accounts about animals doesn't disappoint. One of the most interesting stories was about the orca whale Willy, who lived in a park in a very small tank while people rallied to have him freed but she also expounds on the real life stories involving coyotes, cats, pet tigers and other animals. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Lock-Men of ESRB Hollis Shiloh
Book#5
3 ★
Drew leads an ordinary, boring life—until one day the ESRB assigns him a bodyguard because he's in danger. They don't know why, only that he is. It's the most exciting thing that's ever happened to Drew. Naturally, he develops a massive crush on his bodyguard, Neal, as the two try to figure out why he's in danger and what it has to do with the ESRB. When Drew turns out to have an unexpected—and rare—talent, things take a turn for the worse. Because Neal might not be enough to keep him safe after all.

This story is shorter than the others in the series with less than 100 pages. The beginning of the book had a some slight humor as Drew tries to deny his crush on Neal. Things soon take a turn for the worse however and Drew's sense of humor turns to fear, guilt, regret, helplessness, anger and loss of heart. It was a bit frustrating that Drew was so compliant when the complications occurred. The interaction between Drew and Neal almost bordered on cute. Drew’s shy exterior hid intelligence and a speculative nature. He was willing to ask and debate theories and processed a really moral compass that became an issue later...but the majority of the time Drew was a very likable character. This one only received 3 stars because the shortness of the story, the rushed events that left some major happenings unexplained... and that it left no room for development of background or romance between Drew and Neal. That seems to sometimes be the norm for this genre.

Devil’s Food Cake Murder – Joanne Fluke
2.5**

Book # 14 in the Hannah Swenson cozy mystery series and she STILL hasn’t made up her mind on which suitor – dentist Norman or lawman Mike – to accept. Looks like the boys may be making the decision for her.

Oh, and there is a murder that Hannah simply MUST investigate, because … well, it wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without an amateur detective. And, of course, as part of her snooping, Hannah has to make batch after batch of cookies and even invent a couple of new recipes (all to entice the various suspects into giving her information, of course).

I read this mostly because I needed a pink cover for a couple of challenges and the books in this series are great for those cover-color challenges. It’s a fast read and I do like some of the recurring supporting characters, though Hannah drives me crazy. Also, the recipes are always tempting.

Kick Start - Josh Lanyon – (California/Oregon)
Dangerous Ground Series Book #5
5★
Be Careful what you wish for. Financial pressures and a brutal workload are not quite what former DSS Agents Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister signed on for when they decided to open their own security consulting business. When they bump into an old adversary while undercover, and the job goes south, Will braces himself and suggests they head up to Oregon to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with his family. Unfortunately, not every member of the Brandt clan loves Taylor the way Will does who get in the way when the bullets start to fly. This latest adventure takes place in the beautiful setting of Oregon, at Will’s childhood home.

Will brings Taylor home to meet the family, and of course, trouble is already there. It's Will time to confirm he's not in the closet any longer, which shocks a close member of the family. Not everyone is accepting in Will's close-knit family. This book was calm and fairly uneventful compared to the previous books and the guy's adventures. Will taking Taylor home to meet his father and brother was a really good storyline. Josh Lanyon’s writing makes the reader feel they are right in the middle of the cabin in the Oregon woods and right along with Will and Taylor as they attempt to take their relationship to the next level.

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna – Juliet Grames
Digital audiobook performed by Lisa Flanagan
3.5***

In her debut novel, Grames explores the lives of two sisters and the rift between them. Spanning a century, we follow Stella Fortuna from her birth in a small Italian village at the beginning of the 20th century, through her family’s immigration to America, to the birth of successive generations, until she is an old woman mostly confined to bed and still “at war” with her younger sister, Tina, who lives just across the street.

I love family sagas and this one is epic. Stella doesn’t really realize the freedom she enjoys in her small village. Yes, the family is poor, and everyone must work to eke out a living. But they enjoy a certain independence and autonomy because Stella’s father is gone to America. They manage to immigrate just before WW2 breaks out and that freedom from Mussolini is in contrast to the restrictions Stella now faces in Connecticut; arriving at Christmas, the weather is brutally cold, her father rules with an iron hand, they don’t have the language skills, don’t even have room to grow their own tomatoes.

But Stella is a survivor. She works hard and works smart, saving and dreaming of independence. If things don’t work out exactly as she would have liked … well she keeps on.

I really enjoyed this book and this story of one family’s immigrant experience, as well as the background story of what was happening in America during this time. If I have any complaint it’s the device of “seven or eight deaths” that just seems so contrived. Even the title irritates me, as it makes it seem somehow paranormal. But maybe that’s just me.

I listened to the audiobook, performed by Lisa Flanagan, who does a marvelous job. She has a huge cast of characters to deal with and she was up to the task .

>4 Carol420: I'm re-reading the Psycop series (again), and am trying to intermingle the shorts into where they go along the way. Currently I'm on GhosTV. Also switching back and forth and reading Claimed by J.R. Ward.

By the way, thank you for suggesting the Snow and Winter series by C.S. Poe. I enjoyed them! There is a new book in the series just (or just about to be) published that I'm planning on getting soon.

>57 Jenson_AKA_DL: I didn't know that there as going to be another book in the Snow & Winter series. Thank you for telling me. I haven't read Claimed but it has received some outstanding reviews so guess I'll have to make it a part of a growing reading list. I may have already recommended these but they bear repeating. Morgan Brice has three series that I have read so many times now that I almost know them by heart. They really should be read in order. The "Witchbane" series which includes Witchbane, Burn (a novella), Dark Rivers, Unholy & Flame and Ash The "Badlands" series includes Badlands, The Rising, Loose Ends, Lucky Town (a novella). She just started a new series "Treasure Trails" that has Treasure Trails & Blink thus far. You might also like the "Adrien English" series by Josh Lanyon. It has 6 books Fatal Shadows, A Dangerous Thing, The Hell You Say, Death of The Pirate King, Dark Tide & So This Is Christmas There is suppose to be another one but I haven't found it listed anywhere yet except on Josh Lanyon's website. Almost anything she writes is very good and she has a lot of standalones. I just started another series by her called "Secrets and Scrabble". I've read Murder At Pirates Cove and the library is getting me the second book The Secret At Skull House There are I believe currently 3 more in the series but I haven't read them yet. Both authors have websites and you can sign up for newsletters.

>58 Carol420: You're welcome and thanks for the suggestions!

I already have Badlands by Morgan Brice on my Kindle, just purchased last week. She was a guest author on the "Widdershins Knows Its Own" Facebook group and it sounded pretty good. I'm looking forward to it!

>59 Jenson_AKA_DL: You will fall in love with Simon and Vic will grow on you.

When Ghosts Come Home - Wiley Cash - (North Carolina)
4★
When the roar of a low-flying plane awakens him in the middle of the night, Sheriff Winston Barnes knows something strange is happening at the nearby airfield on the coast of North Carolina. But nothing can prepare him for what he finds: A large airplane has crash-landed and is now sitting sideways on the runway, and there are no signs of a pilot or cargo. When the body of a local man is discovered - shot dead and lying on the grass near the crash site - Winston begins a murder investigation that will change the course of his life and the fate of the community that he has sworn to protect. Everyone is a suspect, including the dead man. As rumors and accusations fly, long-simmering racial tensions explode overnight, and Winston, whose own tragic past has followed him like a ghost, must do his duty while facing the painful repercussions of old decisions. Winston also knows that his days as sheriff may be numbered. He’s up for re-election against a corrupt and well-connected challenger, and his deputies are choosing sides. As if these events weren’t troubling enough, he must finally confront his daughter Colleen, who has come home grieving a shattering loss she cannot fully articulate.

Sheriff Winston Barnes has his hands full. An empty, crashed plane.... a dead man who has been shot lying next to it...a wife suffering from cancer...a daughter who has returned home months after losing her baby... and an election for his office of sheriff that he is almost certain to lose. to an avowed racist who is terrifying the local black community. Add to this mess a woman who has become a widow with a brother that has come from Atlanta to live with her after a robbery attempt. He has deputies working for him whose loyalties are more than questionable...plus an FBI pilot come to repair and demanding to take away the plane that he’s not ready to release. Add all this together and you have all the ingredients for an extremely satisfying read.

Blind Side- Josh Lanyon
Dangerous Ground series Book #6 - (California/Hawaii)
5★
It’s a good problem to have: more business than they can comfortably handle on their own. But with resources already overstretched, the last thing former DSS agents and newbie security consultants Will Brandt and Taylor MacAllister need is another client—and the last thing Will needs is for that client to turn out to be an old boyfriend of Taylor’s. Sure, Will has always known Taylor had a wild past, but he was kind of hoping he’d never have to sit down and have a beer with it. But golden boy Ashe Dekker believes someone is trying to kill him, and Taylor is determined to help, no matter the cost. It’s a bit of a jolt to have Taylor for once totally disregard his feelings, but Will is equally determined that “the cost” won’t be their relationship—or Taylor’s life.

Like all of Josh Lanyon’s books rather standalone or series... I absolutely love them and always hate to see them end. The boys are making progress in the relationship and things are better but they both know that life says they will never be perfect. in this last chapter of the series, we learn what most of us always knew...words have consequences just like deeds. We find Will and Taylor dealing with both all throughout the story. The deeper into the story you go... the greater the tug on the heart strings of the reader. The two antagonists were rather well fleshed out in their characterization which, only added to the high stakes tension. This also grew as the story progressed. I figured out some of the mystery elements before it was revealed, but my curiosity remained engaged in how it would play out. There is certainly room for these two main characters to appear in another series if Josh Lanyon would only let them. Please, please, Josh!!!!

The Devil's Mercedes: The Bizarre and Disturbing Adventures of Hitler’s Limousine in America
Robert Klara
4/5 stars
This non-fiction book revolves around two of the cars that Mercedes-Benz built for Hitler and his staff and the mystery of what happened to the car that Hitler used. The story starts when an American soldier captures one of Hitler’s cars at the end of the war and finagles his way on to a ship back to the USA with the car. After that, things get murky, the soldier believes it was Hitler’s personal car and others thought it was Himmler’s and it took years before the mystery was solved. This was quite interesting!

Sour Candy - Kealan Patrick Burke - (Maryland)
5★
At first glance, Phil Pendleton and his son Adam are just an ordinary father and son, no different from any other. They take walks in the park together, visit county fairs, museums, and zoos, and eat together overlooking the lake. Some might say the father is a little too accommodating given the lack of discipline when the child loses his temper in public. Some might say he spoils his son by allowing him to eat candy whenever he wants and set his own bedtimes. Some might say that such leniency is starting to take its toll on the father, given how his health has declined. What no one knows is that Phil is a prisoner, and that up until a few weeks ago and a chance encounter at a grocery store, he had never seen the child before in his life.

I thought I was certain that it was going in a certain direction and had it all figured out from the start, but then it flipped and went off in an unexpected direction. It gave me hope and a fleeting feeling of "oh, I'm familiar with this and everything is going to be OK" and then it did it again...pulled the rug out from under me. What a wonderfully disturbing read this was. It was insidious and mind-bending. with a strength that was just plain horrifying. If you are fan of the horror genre you will want to give this one a try.

Ask the Animals / Bruce R. Coston
3.75 stars

This is a memoir by a veterinarian. It focuses more on his life than the animal anecdotes, but those are definitely added in, as well; that is, it the larger focus is on his life in becoming and being a veterinarian (as well as some family life and his own pets).

For the most part I liked it. I found the schooling and the anecdotes interesting. Of his home life, the pets were the best part. I was disappointed, however, to read that at least one of his cats (not sure about the others) was declawed, as was the office cat at his practice.

The Last Star / Rick Yancey
2 stars

This is the last book in a YA sci-fi trilogy where aliens have arrived to take over the planet and to destroy the majority of the humans (on a very broad level).

I should have reread my review for the 2nd book before grabbing the audio from the library. My review for the 2nd one specifically stated that I should NOT do the audio for the last book. Oops! Once again, there was very little to no recap for the previous books (or if there was, I missed it). Most of the characters have two names – their real name and their nickname, so it’s hard to remember who is who sometimes, especially when not fully engaged/interested in what I’m listening to. There were two different narrators, one male and one female, but more than two different viewpoints. Each chapter did say whose viewpoint it was, but because I missed things, I still had trouble knowing between the male or female characters whose POV I was hearing (combined with the multiple names and not really remembering their background because I couldn’t recall who was who…).

Where The Truth Lies - Anna Bailey - (Colorado)
2.5★
The town of Whistling Ridge guards its secrets. When seventeen-year-old Abigail Blake disappears after a party, her best friend Emma is left with questions no one else can answer. The police initially believe Abi ran away, but Emma doesn’t believe that her friend would leave without her, and when disturbing evidence is discovered nearby, the festering secrets and longstanding resentment of both Abigail’s family and the people of Whistling Ridge begin to surface with devastating consequences. Among those secrets: Abi’s older brother’s passionate, dangerous love for a handsome Romanian immigrant who has recently made his home in the town’s trailer park; her younger brother’s feeling that he knows information he should tell the police, if only he could put it into words; her father’s mercurial rages and her mother’s silence. Then there is the rest of Whistling Ridge, where a charismatic preacher advocates for God with language that mirrors violence, all under the sway of the powerful businessman who rules the town. But Abi has secrets of her own, and the closer Emma grows to unraveling them, the further she feels from her friend. And in a tinderbox of small-town rage, all it will take is just one spark—the truth of what really happened that night—to change their community forever.

The story is told with frequent, short now and then segments, as well as from the point of view of numerous characters. The changes from one time and person to another is very confusing at times, since the “then” parts can be anywhere from days ago to 20 years ago. I was enjoying the story to begin with, despite the sudden changes...then we soon learn that this entire small town is a living, breathing, cesspool. There is no one that doesn’t have a secret or two or three. The entire town is filled with prejudices, hatred, lies, cruelty, and debauchery. It doesn’t take long for the story to become overwhelmed with corruption without anything to add any semblance of balance to the people. I trudged through the middle of the story, learning more and more about these disgusting people and not understanding why more kids and adults hadn't run away from this place as fast as they can. The last part of the story seems to pull itself together. This would have been more believable if we hadn't seen so much vileness in the main part of the story.

Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy
Leslie Brody
3.5/5 stars
This is an in-depth look at the life and times of Louise Fitzhugh, author of Harriet The Spy. I remember reading her famous book as a child and enjoying it, never knowing any of her background until I read this book. Very interesting!

The Royal Secret (aka: The Love Letter) - Lucinda Riley - (England)
2★
Keeping secrets is a dangerous game. When Sir James Harrison, one the greatest actors of his generation, passes away at the age of ninety-five, he leaves behind not just a heartbroken family but also a secret so shocking, it could rock the English establishment to its core. Joanna Haslam, an up-and-coming reporter, is assigned to cover the legendary actor’s funeral, attended by glitzy celebrities of every background. But Joanna stumbles on something dark beneath the glamour: the mention of a letter James Harrison has left behind—the contents of which many have been desperate to keep concealed for over seventy years. As she peels back the veil of lies that has shrouded the secret, she realizes that she’s close to uncovering something deadly serious—and the royal family may be implicated. Before long, someone is on her tracks, attempting to prevent her from discovering the truth. And they’ll stop at nothing to reach the letter before she does.

The plot is wildly convoluted and improbable. The characters...many of whom apparently aspire to be James Bond...are unbelievable as well as unlikeable. In spite of that there is something about it that keeps the reader staying with it. Maybe it's the assumption and unfounded hope, that it just HAS to get better at some point. After all, it is Lucinda Riley, who is a wonderful author that has been responsible of a number of books that I have really enjoyed. This book was very wordy and oh so frustrating. The plot intricacies got in the way of showing relationships actually develop, making the character motivation feeling rushed. Ms. Riley didn't even attempt to tie in some aspects of the mystery. It was for a challenge so it did serve a purpose,

Tomboy / Liz Prince
4 stars

This is a graphic novel/memoir by someone who didn’t see herself as a girl, so dressed and acted more like a stereotypical boy. For this, she was bullied and had trouble fitting in, though she mostly managed to find a few friends in her different schools. This graphic novel relives her childhood and teen years in the 1980s and 90s.

I thought this was really good. The reader gets to see some of what she was struggling with as she lived through those years as someone who refused to conform to what girls should look like or do. Though I was never a tomboy, I was certainly also not a “girly girl”, so I could see some things in her that I felt, as well. I really thought this did a good job of showing her struggles.

What Seems True / James Garrison
3.5 stars

Dan is the company lawyer for a business in Texas. In 1979, when a black supervisor is found murdered, two people – a married couple – are arrested for the murder. Dan had recently become friendly with Sheila, the wife, and can’t believe she would do something like that. Meanwhile, the union is planning a strike.

It was good, but I found the union/company stuff less interesting. The mystery itself didn’t really dig into any racism (I thought it would), though the company complained about affirmative action and having to promote the black workers, even if they weren’t as qualified as the white workers. After the book got past much of the union issues, I found it more interesting, and I thought it had a good ending – a bit of a surprise. It turns out this was based on a real murder in Texas in 1979.

Concrete Rose – Angie Thomas
Audiobook performed by Dion Graham
4****

In this prequel to The Hate U Give, Thomas gives us the young Maverick Carter, a 17-year-old gang member struggling to find his path to manhood.

I really liked her debut novel, but I have a problem with “prequels / sequels.” That’s my issue and I recognize it may be unfair, but Thomas’s sophomore effort had that hill to climb for me. And she did it marvelously well!

I can really see how this young man, hardly out of childhood, is being influenced – by his peers, by his parents, by other adults in his neighborhood and school, and by the expectations of society. The pressure on him to “be a man” is intense, and the conflicting ways in which this is evidenced or proved to others is at the core of Maverick’s difficulties.

On the one hand he honors the respect shown his father (who is incarcerated for crimes committed) by other gang members and the reputation Maverick feels he needs to live up to as “little Don.” On the other hand, are the messages he’s getting from his mother and neighbor Mr Wyatt about being responsible, and thinking for himself rather than following the crowd. On the one hand is the sense of belonging and camaraderie he feels with his fellow gang members, on the other is the love he feels for his girlfriend Lisa, and the obvious disdain shown him by her brother and parents because of his gang affiliation. I particularly liked the conversations he had with Mr Wyatt, owner of the local grocery, who gives Maverick a part-time job and some sound advice on setting goals and working to achieve them.

Maverick’s only seventeen, and for all his bravado and pronouncements about “being a man” he is not yet an adult. Teenagers make mistakes – sometimes serious mistakes – often based on the emotion of an instant rather than a coherent plan. Some poor decisions threaten to completely derail this young man’s path to adulthood. Having read the debut novel, I know he’ll survive, and yet some of the scenes had me so afraid for Maverick, my heart was in my throat and tears flowed freely.

Thomas writes about a realistic urban environment for many families, with brutal honesty and empathy. She does not shy away from the serious social issues facing these families, nor does she offer platitudes or pat answers on how to address these issues.

Dion Graham does a marvelous job performing the audiobook. He really brings these characters to life and his changes in vocal style, and inflection make it easy to understand who is speaking.

The Siren and The Specter - Jonathan Janz - (Virginia)
5★
When David Caine, a celebrated skeptic of the supernatural, is invited by an old friend to spend a month in “the most haunted house in Virginia,” he believes the case will be like any other. But the Alexander House is different. Built by a 1700s land baron to contain the madness and depravity of his eldest son, the house is plagued by shadows of the past and the lingering taint of bloodshed. David is haunted, as well. For twenty-two years ago, he turned away the woman he loved, and she took her life in sorrow. And David suspects she’s followed him to the Alexander House.

This is a classic fantastic ghost story as well as a mystery and a “creature feature”. It's got everything any horror fan would want.... ghost stories, haunted houses and spooky characters. To say "The Siren and the Specter" is a masterfully done work may be an understatement...but if you are like me and love and devour books of this kind... then to say that you should read this book is just a statement of fact.

The Weight of Heaven – Thirty Umrigar
5*****

Frank and Ellie Benton have lost their only son to a sudden illness. Reeling from grief they accept an opportunity to relocate to Girbaug, India where Frank will run his company’s factory. Their hope is that distancing themselves from the memories that surround them in Michigan will help them heal and forge a new life. But Frank becomes attached to the son of the caretakers of their company-provided cottage.

This is the third book by Umrigar that I have read, and the third time I’ve rated her work 5-stars. It is an intense and heartbreakingly real story. The grief and recriminations are so palpable they almost make my stomach hurt. Frank is clearly the more fragile of the two. He cannot let go of the anger and grief he feels and seems unaware of how obsessed he is becoming over the boy Ramesh. Ellie’s training as a psychologist is little help to them. She is too close to the issue and has her own grief, regret, and anger to process.

The cultural differences, far from distracting them from their grief, only compound their distress. They do not understand the culture and Frank, in particular, seems incapable of seeing anything in a different light. Ramesh is certainly a bright and inquisitive child, but his parents cannot possibly provide him with the advantages that Frank dangles before him. This added tension between Prakash and Frank over the affections of Ramesh spills into each of their marriages. Edna, Ramesh’s mother, is eager for the opportunities Frank provides, and gets angrier and angrier with Prakash over his “jealousy.” Ellie is more and more concerned about Frank’s obsession with the boy but voicing her concerns only strengthens Frank’s resolve and makes him more secretive about his plans.

The tragedy of this couple’s story is inevitable though none the less shocking.

The House by the Cemetery - John Everson - (Illinois)
4★

Rumor has it that the abandoned house by the cemetery is haunted by the ghost of a witch. But rumors won't stop carpenter Mike Kostner from rehabbing the place as a haunted house attraction. Soon he'll learn that fresh wood and nails can't keep decades of rumors down. There are noises in the walls, and fresh blood on the floor: secrets that would be better not to discover. And behind the rumors is a real ghost who will do whatever it takes to ensure the house reopens. She needs people to fill her house on Halloween. There's a dark, horrible ritual to fulfill. Because while the witch may have been dead... she doesn't intend to stay that way.

This would have been absolutely perfect for a Halloween read. I'm...as you can see a month behind. Oh well. I still enjoyed it. The author delivers the perfect ghostly treat for fans of gore-splashed '70s and '80s horror. The interesting aspect of this is the main character, Mike, isn't exactly hero material. He was hired to repair an old haunted house next to a cemetery in time to open in October. Mike is distracted by a pair of strange visitors. The setting is inspired by the actual Bachelor's Grove Cemetery in Midlothian, Illinois...a place rumored to be haunted. In Everson's hands, the haunted site transforms into a bloodbath of epic proportions in the final act. Another solid effort by the always reliable Everson. If you like horror...check out some of his other books.

Murder In Paint - Rodney Strong (New Zealand)
Hitchhiker series Book #1
5★
How do you get rid of a hitchhiker when it's riding around in your head? Budding novelist and full-time dad, Oliver Atkinson is hearing dead people - well, one very demanding dead person named Violet, who won't stop talking inside his head. Now he's dealing with a beautiful con artist, an inquisitive police detective, and a possible murderer. Can he do all of this and still be home in time to do the school pick up?

Loved this book. I have said that about a cozy mystery probably twice in my entire life. The dialogue between Oliver, the main character, and Violet, the ghost, was difficult to follow in the beginning, I think it had a lot to do with the punctuation the publisher used. It's an entirely different format than most mysteries are written in. It's all told from the male point of view. A househusband, who wants to write a book, suddenly finds himself with a hitchhiker in his head. A young woman who died years ago is up in arms as someone is using her name, after a visit to the cemetery with his family. Suddenly he is thrust into a world that is completely foreign to him. Tracking down the woman proves easier than dealing with the police after a dead body is found. He had managed to track her to an antique shop where she was trying establish a painting's authenticity. Now the painting has been stolen, the dealer is dead, he has a voice in his head and everyone seems to think he knows more than he does. Terrific characters - full of life mixed into a plot that's clever, witty and fun.

The Thieves of Ostia / Caroline Lawrence
3 stars

It’s ancient Rome and the dog belonging to one of Flavia’s neighbours has been killed and beheaded. Flavia and her friends plan to find out who did it.

This is a mix of children’s lit, historical fiction, and mystery. I listened to the audio, and overall it was ok. I did lose focus (as I seem to with audios more often lately) a few times, but the story was ok. There was a short author’s/historical note at the end, though being a kids’ book, it didn’t go into detail. Even with only an “ok” rating from me, it might still be a fun series to continue.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Trevor Noah
4/5 stars
Trevor Noah talks about his life with his mother and family living in South
Africa as a child and the tribulation that living as a child of mixed parentage caused because it was crime at that time. I could not put this book down. Noah does a great job writing about his life.

The Remaking of Corbin Wale - Roan Parrish (Michigan)
5★
Last month, Alex Barrow’s whole life imploded—partner, home, job, all gone in forty-eight hours. But sometimes when everything falls apart, better things appear almost like magic. Now, he’s back in his Michigan hometown, finally opening the bakery he’s always dreamed of. But the pleasure of opening day is nothing compared to the lonely and beautiful man who bewitches Alex before he even orders. Corbin Wale is a weirdo. At least, that’s what he’s heard his whole life. He knows he’s often in a fantasy world, but the things he feels are very real. And so is the reason why he can never, ever be with Alex Barrow. Even if Alex is everything he’s always fantasized about. Even if maybe, just maybe, Corbin is Alex’s fantasy too. When Corbin begins working at the bakery, he and Alex can’t deny their connection any longer. As the holiday season works its magic, Alex yearns for the man who seems out of reach. But to be with Alex, Corbin will have to challenge every truth he’s ever known. If his holiday risk pays off, two men from different worlds will get the love they’ve always longed for.

Roan Parrish has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. her Riven series and Better Than People and Best Laid Plans standalones are three of my all-time, and many times read, favorites. There was so much to like about this book. It was close to resembling a fairytale. Corbin was almost magical in his innocent. Alex was beyond gentle and understanding with him. It’s not by any means a breezy, quick read... it’s not dark...it’s just complex. It’s a slow burn, but it makes sense how Alex and Corbin come together. Even Alex’s best friend, Garth, fit perfectly into the story. I hated the name of Alex’s bake shop...and I thought that Corbin and Alex should have been portrayed as more the adults that they were, and, Corbin , especially, less childlike. Still a good story with really sweet and loveable characters A word of warning: You can gain 25 pounds just reading about the things that Alex and Corbin bake for Alex's coffee shop:)

Death of A Pirate King - Josh Lanyon- (California)
Adrien English series Book #4
5+★
Gay bookseller and reluctant amateur sleuth Adrien English's writing career is suddenly taking off. His first novel, Murder Will Out, has been optioned by notorious Hollywood actor Paul Kane. But when murder makes an appearance at a dinner party, who should be called in but Adrien's former lover, handsome closeted detective Jake Riordan, now a Lieutenant with LAPD -- which may just drive Adrien's new boyfriend, sexy UCLA professor Guy Snowden, to commit a murder of his own.

I do so like Adrien. He just picks lousy boyfriends. I just want to bring him home and wrap him in big sheets of bubble wrap. I haven’t forgiven Jake...the man that really owns Adrien’ heart... but I no longer really, really, really hate him with a fiery passion after reading this book. This is not to say, I still very much really, really, really disliked Jake for the majority of this book. This entire series is sending me very mixed feelings about him.... which I suspect is really Josh Lanyon’s evil intentions. The story is told solely in third-person from Adrien’s point of view, so Adrien’s conflicted feelings about Jake are all we really see and experience. Two years have passed since the explosive ending of the last book and Adrien hasn’t seen Jake in those two years. He is now dating Guy... the witchcraft professor who had once been a murder suspect himself Guy is quite considerate and sweet, but lacks the passion that Adrien had and still wants, with Jake. When a murder at a party puts Adrien at yet another crime scene of Hollywood’s elite, Adrien winds up in the same vicinity as Jake. Adrien perhaps has the worst luck of anyone I’ve ever read about. He’s an unwitting amateur sleuth who ends up in the middle of every murder. I love this series and had waited three months while my library tried to get the last three books in the series for me. At this writing I am still waiting for the last one. I so far believe that this is the best book of the series. There’s not really any place where the story gets bogged down by too much information, and the characters are all so very intriguing. Adrien also has some heavy contemplations about his mortality in this book. His heart is doing poorly, and it seems like he’ll need surgery soon and to make matters more dreadful, Adrien keeps everything to himself ...since the only person he ever confided in was Jake...who now is not there for him. While he’s freaking out, the only one he can really talk to is the stray cat he’s adopted...or had adopted him. I have personally found that cats are excellent listeners and always are willing to dish out advise. Hopefully Ms. Lanyon is not planning on killing off our Adrien! Fans will be happy to see that this book is populated with visits from other old friends from earlier books in the series, in particular Adrien's newly acquired step-family and a few old friends that were more than friends. Much more is going on with the plot now.

City of Secrets – Stewart O’Nan
Book on CD narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
3***

From the book jacket: In 1945, Jewish refugees by the thousands set out for Palestine. Those who made it relied on the underground to shelter them; taking false names, they blended with the population, joining the wildly different factions fighting for independence. This book follows one survivor, Brand, as he tries to regain himself after losing everyone he’s ever loved. Now driving a taxi provided – like his new identity – by the underground, he navigates the twisting streets of Jerusalem as well as the overlapping, sometimes deadly loyalties of the resistance.

My reactions:
I really like O’Nan’s writing. I like the way he gets inside the character’s psychological makeup, how he reveals his characters strengths and flaws, hopes and fears through the action of the story. This book is a very contemplative one. Brand – or Jossi Jorgenen as he is known in Jerusalem – is forced to think through the various possibilities each time he’s given a task. Is this simply a taxi fare? Or is there a coded message in the destination or time of pick up? Can he trust his landlady? What about Eva, the woman he loves and who professes to love him? Are the leaders of the resistance confident in his loyalty to them? Or will he be taken into the desert and shot, his body left for the carrion eaters to dispose of?

This is a slim volume but full of information about the time and location. I found myself searching google for more details and for pictures of the city to better understand what was happening and where the action was taking place.

All that being said, it was perhaps too intense for me, at least at this time. Yes, there is plenty of action, but I was left feeling tense and ill at ease. I’ve got enough of that in real life these days.

Edoardo Ballerini is a marvelous voice artist and narrator. I think I would listen to him read anything, even a receipt for dry cleaning.

A Very Punchable Face
Colin Jost
4/5 stars
Colin Jost has been a member of Saturday Night Live since 2005 in which he has written skits, acted on the show and has been the Weekend Update co-anchor. He grew up on Staten Island and in this book, he goes over his life and career at SNL. If you are a fan of SNL, you will definitely enjoy this book!

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

Things between Adrien and Jake changed in book #4 Death of a Pirate King...drastically. Now it's Jake's turn to wait for Adrien to make a choice. I really enjoyed seeing Jake squirm for a change...but I also felt for him... just a teeny, tiny little bit. and really hoped that Adrien would make the right choice. The books are never just about Adrien and Jakes’ on again, off again, maybe NEVER again... relationship. The mystery was front and center and it was another good one that kept me guessing and the pages turning. There is one more book in this series and I see there is also a short story featuring Adrien and Jake but so far haven’t been able to locate it. I so hate to see this series end but the good news is that I can now revisit the series whenever I want... that's what re-reads are for, right?

Sylvia / Bryce Courtenay
3.5 stars

It’s the 13th century in Germany. Sylvia was young when her mother died and her father abused her. When he died, she was driven from her mother’s home and land by the local people. As she travelled, she met up with Reinhardt, who played lovely music on his flute that often caused rats and other animals to follow him; he called himself the Pied Piper of Hamelin. They travelled together and with her angelic voice and his flute, they entertained people (and/or he drove rats away) to get food to eat and shelter. Sylvia had additional (to the singing) gifts of her own, that when combined with the fish birthmark on her back, people tended to believe she was an angel and miracles happened when she was around.

Eventually, Sylvia and Reinhardt met up with a child, Nicholas, who seemed to have a gift for preaching (at least, when he partook of the mushrooms Sylvia showed him how to consume). Nicholas drew other children to him with his preaching and he decided (well, he was told by Jesus) there would be a “Children’s Crusade” from Germany to Jerusalem.

This was good, but long. A lot of religion in this one, and it seems some of it (but what?) was historically accurate. Unfortunately, the author only included acknowledgments at the end, so the fact that some of this really happened was mentioned but not expanded on, as I was hoping. I assume what really happened was the Children’s Crusade, but I will have to look that up to find out. This is long – almost 500 pages of small font (in the physical book).

Blanky - Kealan Patrick Burke - (New York)
5★
In the wake of his infant daughter's tragic death, Steve Brannigan is struggling to keep himself together. Estranged from his wife, who refuses to be inside the house where the unthinkable happened, and unable to work, he seeks solace in an endless parade of old sitcoms and a bottle of bourbon. Until one night he hears a sound from his daughter's old room, a room now stripped bare of anything that identified it as hers...except for her security blanket, affectionately known as Blanky. Blanky, old and frayed, with its antiquated patchwork of badly sewn rabbits with black button eyes, who appear to be staring at the viewer... Blanky, purchased from a strange old man at an antique stall selling "BABY CLOSE" at a discount. The presence of Blanky in his dead daughter's room heralds nothing short of an unspeakable nightmare that threatens to take away what little light remains in Steve's shattered world. Because his daughter loved Blanky so much, he buried her with it.

From the opening line, "You say you can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a child. Let me make it easy for you. It’s the beginning of the end of the world.”...... the reader knows what to expect and this author delivers, capturing all of the emotions, the guilt, the blame, the grief and sorrow, and the heart-rending pain of parents who suddenly lose their nine-month-old daughter. For the father, Steve Brannigan, the narrator of the story, it is suddenly a lonely life and he retreats to mindless TV sitcom reruns and alcohol. His wife, Lexi, escapes to her parents’ home, unable to be in the house where her daughter died or to face her husband. The story’s tone is quickly and creepily altered when, in her empty bedroom, Steve discovers his daughter’s favorite “blanky” lying on the floor. Steve knows it can't possibly be there since he and his wife buried it with the baby. The appearance of the “blanky” not only allows for the buildup of suspense...but also for a Kealan Patrick Burke trademark...mind-numbing, goose-bump producing, terror. The story continues to vividly escalate the terror with more and more ghastly events. If you are a horror fan but dislike the gore that comes with some books of the genre...you will find the terror in this story to be personal...painful...nerve wracking...and entirely, unforgettable.

Harriet the Spy
Louise Fitzhugh
4/5 stars
This is a wonderful children’s book about Harriet, a young girl who likes to spy on others and keeps track of her efforts in a notebook. However, things are not going well with her. First, her longtime nanny leaves the family and then she loses her notebook which the other kids find. Will her friends ever forgive her? I read this a long time ago but I had just read the author's biography this year and wanted to re-visit Harriet's story.

Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital / Eric Manheimer
3.5 stars

The author is a doctor and was the head of the Bellevue Hospital in New York City for 14 years, I believe. This book dedicates a chapter each to one patient. One chapter focused on himself and his own bout with cancer.

I thought this was good. He was able to sit down with some of these patients and talk to them and find out more about their backgrounds, so he provides more than the medical information about each one. He talks about their lives, and how they came to be in New York and in the hospital. Some of the patients were immigrants and some were prisoners from the nearby Rikers Prison, and there is more variety in addition.

Given that he also looks at the people’s backgrounds, there is some politics thrown in, as well – some to do with the patients’ countries of origin, some with the way the US handles immigration, and some with public health care in the US and the costs. I have to say the chapter on his own cancer scared me a bit, as he described the treatments and such; what worried me was that I live alone and wonder how I would manage if I need to go through such treatments one day.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales of Terror – Robert Louis Stevenson
Digital audiobook performed by Scott Brick
3***

Classic horror from a master of Victorian gothic fiction.

I appreciate the atmospheric nature of Stevenson’s writing. The reader can feel the dampness of a foggy London night, smell the freshly turned earth in the graveyard, hear the clip clop of a horse’s hooves on cobblestoned streets, clearly see the horrific images of a mutilated body, and taste the bile that rises as a result of all the above.

The title story is an exploration of man’s baser instincts. Can a potion be created that will change a generous, kind, proper individual into a fiend? And once the gentleman has “tasted” the freedom from inhibition that results, can he go back? Will he want to? Of course, Dr Jekyll’s alter-ego changes physical appearance as well, further confounding those around him.

The other stories in the collection had similar psychological / ethical themes, though I didn’t like them all quite so much. The Bottle Imp explores greed and regret and selfless love. Stevenson shows that true events can be as frightening as fantasy in The Body Snatcher, which is based on the real practice of trafficking in bodies needed by medical students for dissection that happened in the 19th century. And the remote setting of The Merry Men make the ghost ships seem all the more real.

Scott Brick does a marvelous job of narrating the title story. But bear in mind that the audio version is limited to this one short story.

A Hard Call - Max Walker -(New York)
Stonewall Investigations Book #1
4★
Zane Holden hasn’t had the easiest go of things. His childhood was rough and adulthood hasn't been a walk in the park either. The only good thing in his life would be Stonewall Investigations, an investigative company he found to work primarily with the LGBTQ community. Things were ok and Zane was finally healing from a personal tragedy but the reemergence of a serial killer turns his world upside down. Lorenzo De Luca is a cocky defense attorney dripping in Italian charm. He’s well known as one of the best lawyers in New York City, a title he worked hard to achieve. When he picks up a difficult case, he finds that he needs extra help. This leads him to Stonewall, where he meets Zane for the first time and instantly feels himself falling for the mysterious and stone-cut detective. The two men have their own Hangups to work through, but both men are having a hard time denying the connection between them, even though they’re trying. When fate insists on pushing them together, Zane and Enzo give in and start exploring their feelings. They’ll need to balance their budding relationship with the stress of Enzo’s case, which takes them both on a twisting journey toward the truth, all while a bigger threat loom on the horizon.

I read the “Stonewall Investigation” series that was set in Miami, Florida, first and was a bit surprised by the crossover from that series to this series with Zane’s lover having been murdered by someone that was never caught. The same thing happened to Oliver’s lover in the Miami series. Coincidence??? Maybe. Anyway...back to this one. Zane is still recovering from the love of his life being murdered by a serial killer several years before. The killer has apparently reemerged. Taking away the peace he has achieved. They meet again when Zanes brother saves Enzo from a crazy person bent on revenge. He has not been able to move on with his life, in fact has no interest in much these days when he hears some stunning news. On the same day, he has an appointment with a new client, a rather charismatic, newsworthy and photogenic attorney who has nothing in common with Zane as an individual. Enzo (Lorenzo) brings with him a positive approach to life, and an appreciation for beautiful things. This is not exactly a suspense story..., not exactly a crime or thriller...and not exactly a romance story despite enough electric passion to light an entire city. Max Walker has given us a story that could be called is a smorgasbord. The familiar theme that I mentioned before continues throughout this story. So maybe same story, different characters and cities. We’ll see where the next one goes

The Castle / Anne Montgomery
4 stars

Maggie has had a tough time the past 10 years or so. In addition to being raped years ago, she more recently lost her son. She is a Park Ranger in Arizona and has just returned to work. Her best friend’s partner, Lily, runs a local rape crisis centre for indigenous women, and she decides to volunteer there despite being unsure if she is hallucinating the boy she has seen climbing the cliff. Unfortunately, it looks like Maggie is about to be victimized again.

This pulled me in right away. The first chapter felt almost like horror with the chills it brought, though I’d tend to classify this more of a thriller. Some chapters do show the POV of the new rapist in town, but we don’t know who it is until the end, though there are a few possibilities. There are stats on rape included (both within the book and as part of an afterword) that I found interesting. I, of course, also loved the found little puppy.

Easy Crafts for the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness and Making Things
Kelly Williams Brown
3.5/5 stars
Brown talks about her life when everything is falling apart, her marriage breaks up and she is trying to move forward. One of things that helps her is crafting and you will find craft projects in-between the chapters about her life. The memoir was well written and interesting but as for the crafts projects, I just scanned them.

Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart
Digital audiobook performed by Angus King
5*****

Stuart’s debut work explores the impoverished working-class families of 1980s Glasgow. The Bain family lives in public housing and struggles to make ends meet even with the assistance they’re given. Shuggie (Hugh) is the youngest child of Agnes, and much of the story focuses on his efforts to understand and deal with his mother’s alcoholism and depression. His father opted for divorce, and his two older siblings have pretty much left the nest, so it is the tender, kind, lonely Shuggie who is left to deal with his mother.

Oh, my heart breaks for this child. He is so tender and loving, so devoted to his mother, so trusting and naïve, and so worldly and responsible. The burden he carries is far too heavy for his small shoulders.

The novel opens in 1992, with a 16-year-old Shuggie struggling to make it on his own – out of school, working parttime at a supermarket (where he gets a discount on dented cans of fish), and living in a flop house where he is preyed upon by older men. Stuart then takes the reader back a decade to witness the child’s tender years.

Agnes is a complicated woman. She has dreams and ambitions and is tenacious about keeping herself, her children and her house clean and as fashionable as possible. Shuggie learns these lessons well; he helps her with her hair, makes sure his shoes are polished and his clothes pressed. The taunts of the children in his neighborhood do not phase him, for he knows his worth. But Agnes is an alcoholic and alcohol will ruin her life. Stuart makes the reader privy to the most intimate details of their lives, This makes their descent all the more painful to watch. There is no neat happy ending here, but there is some hope for Shuggie.

Angus King does a marvelous job of narrating the audio book. He sets a good pace and really brings these characters to life.

My apologies for posting so late! What I thought would be weekends spent reading and catching up with LT were instead spent visiting with friends out-of-town, preparing for performances, and more time with friends during Thanksgiving weekend.

Anyway, here are my review for books read in November.

Young, Damned, and Fair by Gareth Russell
5*****

On the morning of July 28, 1540, as King Henry VIII's former confidant Thomas Cromwell was being led to his execution, a teenager named Catherine Howard began her reign as queen of a country simmering with rebellion and terrifying uncertainty. Nineteen months later, she was on the scaffold, accused of adultery and high treason.

What a truly fantastic book! Gareth Russell not only delves into the short life of this unfortunate young woman, he also describes aspects of Tudor life that are merely presented as the foundation in other books. As an example, the fosterage of young men and women. Yes, we know it happened; here, Russell explains not just the household in which Catherine sic was fostered, but how it led to her early death. It was scattered, minimally supervised, and Catherine was roomed with 4 or 5 other upper class women who were also enjoying amorous liaisons with young men surrounding the Duchess of Norfolk. Also, the petitioning of a Queen for a position in her household. How exactly did that happen? Russell provides a letter from Joan Bulmer, nee Acworth, a former "ally in mischief" in their youth, and explains the particulars of what was involved in contemplating royal service.

Also important were the physical placements of the women in Queen Catherine's household: those who allowed in guests and visitors to the main apartments, which rooms were locked from the inside or not, and which pages and women had access to the hallway to the actual private quarters. All very detailed and providing an explanation that is central to the Queen's flirtations.

These were difficult times in which to live and the end of the book describes not just Queen Catherine's beheading and the mutilations and deaths of her paramours, but also the casualness with which Henry VIII condemned to death anyone who displeased him. A well-written and sympathetic biography of a tragic figure in Tudor history.

The Monster Hunter Files edited by Larry Correia and Bryan Thomas Schmidt
3***

For well over a century, Monster Hunter International has kept the world safe from supernatural threads small and large--and in some cases very, very large. Now, join us as MHI opens their archives for the first time. From experienced Hunters on their toughest cases, to total newbies' initial encounters wth the supernatural, "The Monster Hunter Files" reveals the secret history of the world's most elite monster fighting force.

While there were some stories written by favorite authors, and others by authors I have always intended to read, there was much that turned me off of this collection. I think the over-emphasis on heavy guns and ammo in several, including teenagers with assault rifles, were too over the top for me.

I appreciated the variety of what are considered monsters by the authors: not just gangs of trolls living underground and nasty werewolves, but also Imhotep and an encounter with Dippel's Oil by Benjamin Franklin. The Monster Hunters International (MHI) Organization is kept intact by all of the authors, although there do seem to be competing factions within the monster hunting world.

But, I will steer clear of this series. The idea of blowing away "Others" by great firepower is just not my thing.

24 Days by Rebecca Smith and John Emshwiller
4****

This is the story of two Wall Street Journal beat reporters--one covering the energy industry just after the chaotic California electricity crisis; the other chasing stock swindlers. Together these journalists were ideally placed to uncover one of the great cons of the century. Here is a story about the fall of a great company and the practice of journalism, marked by skill, luck, and determination.

A really good book that covers the stories written by these two Wall Street Journal reports over the course of October through December 2001. I did enjoy "The Smartest Guys in the Room" and when I saw this one, that describes the fall of Enron as happening in only 24 days, I realized I had to have it.

There is a lot of business talk in this book. I was not a business major, nor do I fully grasp how debt is anything but something to get rid of as quickly as possible. The idea of "leveraged debt" is an oxymoron in my (many) books! But all kidding aside, the fact that Enron created such complicated balance sheets and explanations for what they did was part of the problem. So was the complicity of rating agencies - they fell for guys in power who charmed their way through quarterly stock updates instead of asking the tough questions.

This book is along the lines of "All the President's Men," in that it involves the lives of the journalists who uncovered the lies and asked the right questions. And it is fascinating to remember that a couple of tough questions, and a couple of tips shared, began the questioning process that led to the collapse of this industry behemoth. In only 24 days.

Murder at Monticello / Rita Mae Brown
2 stars

This is the third book in this series. The pets in the series understand the humans and provide commentary amongst themselves, though the humans are unable to understand the pets. In this one, a skeleton is found, dating back to 1803, and it appears that the person was hit with something on the back of the head and murdered, so the townspeople are digging through history to see if they can figure out what happened. Part-way through the book, one of the current-day characters is also murdered.

I’m surprised I came up with a coherent summary, but I think it’s fairly accurate. That being said, I just wasn’t interested in what was happening in the book; when I lose interest, I skim and miss much of the goings-on. I assume both murders were cleared up at the end, but I couldn’t say for sure. The animals are somewhat cute/amusing, but even then, not always. I will not be continuing the series.