Rules of Civility by Amor Towles - a story of haves and have-nots in New York City during the late '30s. A woman at an art exhibition with her husband sees the picture of an old love and spends the rest of the book reminiscing about the year she met him. The writing was lovely but I didn't like many of the characters. I'm glad I read the author's latest book first or I probably would not have after this.
3 stars
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Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane - on the first page, Rachel shoots and kills her husband. Then we explore the reasons why. Rachel seemed to be on the road to recovery from her anxiety attacks. But then she sees something that rocks her world. We don't discover what's really going on until the last fourth of the book and then it's a fast ride from there. Rather an abrupt ending.
4 stars
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Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII by Deborah Cadbury - beginning with the abdication of Edward VIII, the reluctance of George VI to take the throne and the rise of Churchill at a time when he was most needed. Not only was George VI worried about the Duke of Windsor's actions, he wasn't sure his two younger brothers would step up. Took me awhile to get into the book and figure out who all the royals were but I was glad I persevered.
3.5 stars
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In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear - war has just been declared when Maisie Dobbs is asked to look into the murder of a former Belgian refugee from WWI. Soon there's a similar murder and Maisie tries to make connections between the two. She has a feeling she's not getting the whole story from her client, a shadowy figure in the government. There's also a lesser mystery involving a little girl evacuated from London who is not speaking and no one knows where she belongs. Maisie does her usual job of not only finding the culprit but also why they acted as they did. All the while England is bracing for the war and families are changing rapidly. Characters and animals were introduced that I hope to see again.
4 stars
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Sunday, July 23, 2017
July 16 - 22, 2017
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles - in 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is condemned to house arrest at the Metropol, a luxury hotel, for being an unrepentant aristocrat. But he can't stay in his suite, he must live in a small room at top of the hotel. Here he lives as the decades pass and those in political power rise and fall. He begins to make friends with employees who previously had been acquaintances. And he makes friends with a young girl with a quick mind who will have a great impact on his life. Little bits of subtle humor and beautiful writing.
"By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration - and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion, until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour."
5 stars
"By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration - and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion, until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour."
5 stars
Sunday, July 16, 2017
July 9 - 15, 2017
He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly - Kit is an eclipse follower and when he and Laura become a couple she joins him in his obsession. At an eclipse festival in Cornwall, 1999, she witnesses a horrifying event that has ramifications for many years. Told from Laura and Kit's viewpoint in 2015, when Laura is finally pregnant with twins, and Laura's viewpoint in 1999/2000. Lot of twists and turns right up to the last sentence. I didn't find the characters sympathetic but the story was great.
4.5 stars
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The Devil Wins by Reed Farrel Coleman - this is a continuation for the Jesse Stone novels by Robert B. Parker. After a storm, a body is found in a collapsed building. And next to it are the skeletal remains of two girls who went missing 25 years ago. Now Jesse has to solve a current murder and two from the past. The villain was easy to figure out and Jesse seems more morose than ever. This one didn't hit the spot.
2 stars
4.5 stars
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The Devil Wins by Reed Farrel Coleman - this is a continuation for the Jesse Stone novels by Robert B. Parker. After a storm, a body is found in a collapsed building. And next to it are the skeletal remains of two girls who went missing 25 years ago. Now Jesse has to solve a current murder and two from the past. The villain was easy to figure out and Jesse seems more morose than ever. This one didn't hit the spot.
2 stars
Sunday, July 9, 2017
July 2 - 8, 2017
Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson - in 2065, Adri has been chosen to be one of the lucky few to be a colonist on Mars. A loner, she has has trouble connecting to people but she really doesn't want to anyway. When she finds an old journal and some letters she is very curious about what happened in Kansas in 1934 and England in 1919. The story goes back and forth between these time periods. A YA book about family and connections.
4 stars
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I Found You by Lisa Jewell - a woman finds a man sitting in the rain on the beach in front of her house. He doesn't know who he is or how he got there. A young wife in London is reporting her husband of just a few weeks missing. And 23 years earlier a brother and sister find themselves in trouble. Told from different viewpoints and moving back and forth in time. Really had me guessing who the man on the beach was.
4 stars
4 stars
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I Found You by Lisa Jewell - a woman finds a man sitting in the rain on the beach in front of her house. He doesn't know who he is or how he got there. A young wife in London is reporting her husband of just a few weeks missing. And 23 years earlier a brother and sister find themselves in trouble. Told from different viewpoints and moving back and forth in time. Really had me guessing who the man on the beach was.
4 stars
Sunday, July 2, 2017
June 25 - July 1, 2017
Woof by Spencer Quinn - the first in the author's Bowser and Birdie series for children. Told from the dog's point of view. Bowser has just been adopted from the animal shelter for Birdie's birthday present. He's already decided Birdie is the most wonderful human he's met so when she's determined to solve the mystery of a stolen heirloom he's ready to do anything she asks. I'm a big fan of the Chet and Bernie series and thought this was enjoyable for adults as well.
3 stars
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Say Nothing by Brad Parks - federal judge Scott Sampson seems to have it all, a prestigious job, beautiful wife, cute 6 yo twins. But his life begins to fall apart when his twins are kidnapped in an attempt to influence his ruling in a case. When he does as the kidnappers demand, only his son is returned and he learns his nightmare is just beginning. Because the first case isn't the one the kidnappers are really interested in. This book moved swiftly and at various points I suspected everyone in the book. Just a little too much legalese. And one disturbing video sent by the kidnappers.
4 stars
3 stars
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Say Nothing by Brad Parks - federal judge Scott Sampson seems to have it all, a prestigious job, beautiful wife, cute 6 yo twins. But his life begins to fall apart when his twins are kidnapped in an attempt to influence his ruling in a case. When he does as the kidnappers demand, only his son is returned and he learns his nightmare is just beginning. Because the first case isn't the one the kidnappers are really interested in. This book moved swiftly and at various points I suspected everyone in the book. Just a little too much legalese. And one disturbing video sent by the kidnappers.
4 stars
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