Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate - Jackson is about to go into fourth grade when suddenly his imaginary friend appears. Who happens to be a giant cat that can talk. Crenshaw first appeared when Jackson and his family were homeless and living in their minivan. It looks like that might happen again but Jackson doesn't need Crenshaw's help this time. Or so he thinks. This is a middle school/grade school book.
3 stars
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Dance of the Bones by J.A. Jance - a mishmash of a story that's billed as a J.P. Beaumont novel but he doesn't appear very much. And when he does, it's suddenly in the middle of a chapter in first person. Very jarring. A man serving 30 years for a murder he may not have committed, an unsolved murder in Seattle, blood diamonds, and Indian lore all mixed together very badly. Another of my favorite authors has lost her way.
2 stars
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Nov 1 - 7, 2015
Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb - the 41st Eve Dallas mystery. This author is very prolific, this is the pseudonym of Nora Roberts, and I'm beginning to think she has a team of ghost writers. Lots of the same ground was gone over and over in this story and the plot was icky. Two lovers leave a trail of tortured bodies on their way to New York where they make the mistake of falling into Eve's territory. Too graphic, too much sex, and too much language. I used to like these for the character development but I might be just about done with this series.
2 stars
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The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley - Thaniel Steepleton is a telegraphist for the government in London in 1883. He finds himself in possession of a watch that ends up saving him from a bomb at Scotland Yard. When he searches for the watchmaker, he finds himself caught up in impossible things. This was billed as a fantasy and I guess I just didn't understand it. Also, an element that I find very annoying was introduced late in the story.
1 star
2 stars
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The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley - Thaniel Steepleton is a telegraphist for the government in London in 1883. He finds himself in possession of a watch that ends up saving him from a bomb at Scotland Yard. When he searches for the watchmaker, he finds himself caught up in impossible things. This was billed as a fantasy and I guess I just didn't understand it. Also, an element that I find very annoying was introduced late in the story.
1 star
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Oct 25 - 31, 2015
In the Dark Places by Peter Robinson - the 22nd Inspector Banks novel starts with a stolen tractor. Then there's suspected murder, actual murder, and missing persons mixed up with lots of stolen property in the countryside of England. Banks is getting a little mopey as he gets older but one of my favorite detectives gets a romantic interest so that evened things out a little. Fairly exciting ending as things finally fall into place.
4 stars
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The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne - Angus and Sarah move to a small Scottish island after the death of one of their twin daughters. Things are already fragile and then their surviving daughter claims she's really Lydia, not Kirstie, the daughter who died. Told from both parents viewpoints, I didn't find either of them very likeable. Rather an eerie book.
3 stars
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Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience compiled by Shaun Usher - just what it says, letters from the famous and the unknown. Some funny, some sad. The letter from the woman who had a mastectomy without anesthesia is probably the one I will most remember.
3 stars
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Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt - 12 year old Jack gets a foster brother who is very much unlike him. Joseph is 14, tried to kill a teacher, and has a daughter. I liked Jack a lot, he's a great little boy. This is a short YA book that was very easy to read, I liked the writing very much.
4.5 stars
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The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck - the author becomes obsessed with the idea that portions of the Oregon Trail still exist and begins replicating the journey with his own wagon and mules. He's joined by his brother and they make the trip without any support vehicles. Lots of history about the trail and the people who traveled it. A few too many asides about his relationship with his father, religion, and politics. The history of mules was interesting to me. Quite a bit of language.
3 stars
4 stars
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The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne - Angus and Sarah move to a small Scottish island after the death of one of their twin daughters. Things are already fragile and then their surviving daughter claims she's really Lydia, not Kirstie, the daughter who died. Told from both parents viewpoints, I didn't find either of them very likeable. Rather an eerie book.
3 stars
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Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience compiled by Shaun Usher - just what it says, letters from the famous and the unknown. Some funny, some sad. The letter from the woman who had a mastectomy without anesthesia is probably the one I will most remember.
3 stars
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Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt - 12 year old Jack gets a foster brother who is very much unlike him. Joseph is 14, tried to kill a teacher, and has a daughter. I liked Jack a lot, he's a great little boy. This is a short YA book that was very easy to read, I liked the writing very much.
4.5 stars
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The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck - the author becomes obsessed with the idea that portions of the Oregon Trail still exist and begins replicating the journey with his own wagon and mules. He's joined by his brother and they make the trip without any support vehicles. Lots of history about the trail and the people who traveled it. A few too many asides about his relationship with his father, religion, and politics. The history of mules was interesting to me. Quite a bit of language.
3 stars
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Oct 18 - 24, 2015
Make Me by Lee Child - the town of Mother's Rest has secrets to keep. Jack Reacher rarely turns down a challenge. The two clash with lots of bone crunching violence. And some shootouts. Almost at the very end of the book you find out what the secret is.
4 stars
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The Drowned Boy by Karin Fossum - a toddler is found drowned in a pond near his home and the police suspect the story the mother tells. Not really a mystery as such, although it features Norwegian policeman Conrad Sejer. I kept reading only to learn what really happened. I thought the ending was an impossible coincidence.
2 stars
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The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness - the indie kids are brave, smart, clever teenagers who periodically have to save the world from attacks from other worlds. But this book isn't about them, it's about the ordinary kids who are just trying to get through the last few weeks of school, graduate and have a nice summer before they go off to college. All while trying to not get caught up in whatever the indie kids are dealing with. A YA book about friendship and true bravery. I especially enjoyed the beginning of each chapter as it told what was going on with the indie kids.
"Chapter the Second, in which indie kid Satchel writes a poem, and her mom and dad give her the loving space to do just feel what she needs to; then an indie kid called Dylan arrives at her house, terrified, to say a mysterious glowing girl has informed him of the death of indie kid Finn; Satchel and Dylan comfort each other, platonically."
PG-13
4 stars
4 stars
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The Drowned Boy by Karin Fossum - a toddler is found drowned in a pond near his home and the police suspect the story the mother tells. Not really a mystery as such, although it features Norwegian policeman Conrad Sejer. I kept reading only to learn what really happened. I thought the ending was an impossible coincidence.
2 stars
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The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness - the indie kids are brave, smart, clever teenagers who periodically have to save the world from attacks from other worlds. But this book isn't about them, it's about the ordinary kids who are just trying to get through the last few weeks of school, graduate and have a nice summer before they go off to college. All while trying to not get caught up in whatever the indie kids are dealing with. A YA book about friendship and true bravery. I especially enjoyed the beginning of each chapter as it told what was going on with the indie kids.
"Chapter the Second, in which indie kid Satchel writes a poem, and her mom and dad give her the loving space to do just feel what she needs to; then an indie kid called Dylan arrives at her house, terrified, to say a mysterious glowing girl has informed him of the death of indie kid Finn; Satchel and Dylan comfort each other, platonically."
PG-13
4 stars
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Oct 11 - 17, 2015
A book I didn't finish
My Sunshine Away by M. O. Walsh - I got 3/4's through this book and decided it was just too much. Too much teenage angst, way too much sex talk and the narrator was not relatable. Possibly because he was a teenage boy extremely focused on himself. I thought this was more of a mystery but it was a coming of age story.
My Sunshine Away by M. O. Walsh - I got 3/4's through this book and decided it was just too much. Too much teenage angst, way too much sex talk and the narrator was not relatable. Possibly because he was a teenage boy extremely focused on himself. I thought this was more of a mystery but it was a coming of age story.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Oct 4 - 10, 2015
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs - the 3rd book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. This picks up immediately after the 2nd book and I had a little trouble remembering what happened. Jacob has discovered a new gift and it may help him rescue the kidnapped peculiar children and Miss Peregrine. He travels to a time loop in a slum part of Victorian England. I found the descriptions of the place and inhabitants disturbing. A trilogy that does seem to end nicely.
4 stars
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Smoked by Elaine Macko - the vegan wife of a butcher dies under mysterious circumstances and soon the police suspect murder. Alex Harris, co-owner of a temp agency, is asked by the butcher's daughter to help clear her father. This is the 5th in a series so I'm not sure how Alex has gotten her reputation, I think she's naturally snoopy. Filled with lots of talk about family, pets, and drinking lots and lots of tea. I had it figured out long before Alex and thought I would scream if she mentioned one more time that everyone had an alibi because of the murder method. This was a free Kindle book.
2 stars
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The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman - Grace Blades was 5 when her parents committed murder/suicide. Now she's a renowned psychologist specializing in people traumatized by violence and grief. But she also has a secret side. A new patient she met in a different context is found murdered and her life takes a scary turn. About every other chapter is a flashback to Grace's previous life. I found her not an entirely sympathetic character but I sure wanted to know what was going to happen. A couple of graphic sex scenes made me unable to give this more than
4 stars
4 stars
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Smoked by Elaine Macko - the vegan wife of a butcher dies under mysterious circumstances and soon the police suspect murder. Alex Harris, co-owner of a temp agency, is asked by the butcher's daughter to help clear her father. This is the 5th in a series so I'm not sure how Alex has gotten her reputation, I think she's naturally snoopy. Filled with lots of talk about family, pets, and drinking lots and lots of tea. I had it figured out long before Alex and thought I would scream if she mentioned one more time that everyone had an alibi because of the murder method. This was a free Kindle book.
2 stars
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The Murderer's Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman - Grace Blades was 5 when her parents committed murder/suicide. Now she's a renowned psychologist specializing in people traumatized by violence and grief. But she also has a secret side. A new patient she met in a different context is found murdered and her life takes a scary turn. About every other chapter is a flashback to Grace's previous life. I found her not an entirely sympathetic character but I sure wanted to know what was going to happen. A couple of graphic sex scenes made me unable to give this more than
4 stars
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Sept 27 - Oct 3, 2015
The Green Ember by S.D. Smith - two young rabbits find themselves suddenly embroiled in war, treachery, and heroism. Heather and Picket return from berry picking to find their home in flames and are set upon by wolves. Taken to safety in the hills, they learn about their family, themselves, bravery, and friendship. I didn't know this was about rabbits when I started. Somewhat reminiscent of the Redwall series. Aimed at middle graders. I'll be reading the prequel and look forward to a sequel.
3.5 stars
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Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo - Kate Burkholder is the police chief of Painter's Mill, a small community of Amish and "English" families. When a murder appears to be linked to a murder from sixteen years ago, Kate is convinced it can't be the same perpetrator. She doesn't take the proper steps and pays for her mistake. The narrative switches from first person present tense to second character past tense which I found irritating. Graphic with language, a strong PG-13. The first in a series of seven books so far, not sure I'll continue since the second seems to have the same sexual violence theme.
3 stars
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The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon - a story of sisters and secrets. Piper and Margot, along with their friend Amy, discover something one summer that ruins their friendship. Years later, Amy does something horrific and the sisters try to find out what happened. What does it have to do with two other sisters, one of them Amy's mother? Told from multiple viewpoints and time periods. I was sucked right in before I realized this was more horror/fantasy than straight mystery. Really kept me guessing until the end.
4 stars
3.5 stars
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Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo - Kate Burkholder is the police chief of Painter's Mill, a small community of Amish and "English" families. When a murder appears to be linked to a murder from sixteen years ago, Kate is convinced it can't be the same perpetrator. She doesn't take the proper steps and pays for her mistake. The narrative switches from first person present tense to second character past tense which I found irritating. Graphic with language, a strong PG-13. The first in a series of seven books so far, not sure I'll continue since the second seems to have the same sexual violence theme.
3 stars
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The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon - a story of sisters and secrets. Piper and Margot, along with their friend Amy, discover something one summer that ruins their friendship. Years later, Amy does something horrific and the sisters try to find out what happened. What does it have to do with two other sisters, one of them Amy's mother? Told from multiple viewpoints and time periods. I was sucked right in before I realized this was more horror/fantasy than straight mystery. Really kept me guessing until the end.
4 stars
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