Rise of a Legend by Kathryn Lasky - although this is the 16th in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, it's a prequel telling the story of one of the great teachers. Lyze has lots of new ideas about ways to fight the 100 year war. It has been quite awhile since I finished the series so it did take time for me to remember some owlish terms. This did have a little feel of being written for the sake of the series, not because the author had something new to say. Written for 5/6th graders.
3 stars
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Sun on Fire by Victor Arnor Ingolfsson - a businessman is found dead in the Icelandic embassy in Berlin. Two Icelandic detectives are sent to investigate. The only suspects are some of Iceland's elite. This does have an unsavory description of a pedophile.
3 stars
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Down the Rabbit Hole - this is a collection of 5 stories by 5 different authors, each with an Alice in Wonderland twist. I read it for the Eve Dallas novella by J.D. Robb. What initially looks to be a murder/suicide turns into something more with a little paranormal twist. I gave that story 3 stars. The other stories include time travel and a bodice ripper and they receive
2 stars
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After the Fire by Jane Casey - Maeve Kerrigan # 6 finds Maeve and the rest of the team investigating a fire on the Maudling Estate that has resulted in the death of four people, including a politician with no reason to be there. Maeve is still struggling with the desertion of her boyfriend. And she still has a problem with her stalker that I sincerely hope has finally been put to rest in this book. I ordered this book immediately after finishing the previous in the series and read it straight through. It really flowed right along and didn't feel like 466 pages. Maeve is one tough woman.
4 stars
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Small Wars by Lee Child - a story from Jack Reacher's past featuring his brother Joe. A lieutenant colonel is found shot execution style on a remote road. A very short e-book that packed a lot in.
3 stars
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Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights? by Lemony Snicket - the 4th and last in the All the Wrong Questions series. This was supposed to answer all the questions about the events on Stain'd By the Sea. But I must have been too tired when I read it because I was left going huh? A disappointing end.
2 stars
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We Die Alone:A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth - this is the true story of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian on a secret mission to northern Norway in 1943. Things go bad and he is the only survivor of his group. He is taken in by strangers who make it their mission to get him to Sweden under the nose of the German army. Written in 1954 by a British officer in the SOE.
4 stars
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Breakdown by Jonathan Kellerman - five years ago Alex Delaware was asked to perform an evaluation of a 5 yo boy after his mother, an actress, suffers a mental break. Now the actress has been found ranting a digging in stranger's gardens. And there is no sign of her son. The plot is a little farfetched but I enjoyed it more than the previous in the series. I have read 31 books in this series now!
4 stars
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The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens - Joe needs to do a college writing assignment by interviewing a stranger and writing their biography. He somehow stumbles upon Carl, a murderer recently released from prison because he's in the end stages of cancer. At the same time, Joe is trying to escape his dysfunctional home life while also helping his autistic brother. As Joe gets to know Carl better he can't reconcile his crime with the man. And Carl claims he's innocent. Pretty thrilling at the end.
4 stars
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The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths - the 8th Ruth Galloway book. Ruth's friend Cathbad is housesitting when one night he sees a woman in blue in a graveyard. The next day a young woman wearing a blue housecoat is found murdered. Then an old friend of Ruth's contacts her about threatening letters she's receiving. All the action centers around Walsingham, a town with many religious overtones. IMO, Ruth is back to being a little whiny again, she wants what she doesn't want. Other personal relationships come to a head. And it was a little disappointing that there is no archeological dig going on this time.
3 stars
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
Apr 24 - 30, 2016
The Great Forgetting by James Renner - what starts as a simple mystery becomes much more. Jack Felter returns to his hometown to visit his father who is suffering from Alzheimers. His old girlfriend asks him to help find her husband. And then things get really strange. A story of time and memories.
4 stars
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The House of Eyes by Kate Ellis - the 20th Wesley Peterson book starts with a missing girl. Or has she run off to London to be a model? It takes quite awhile for this story to get going and part of the problem is that there are too many cast members. I thought the ending rather farfetched. The author also throws in a health scare for Pam, Wesley's wife.
3 stars
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Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs is back in her 12th book with a much improved attitude. After returning to London from Spain, she is asked to assist her country by pretending to be the daughter of a man being released from Dachau. It's 1938 and things are more than a little dangerous in Germany. Maisie does one improbable thing near the end of the book but she seems almost her old self. The epilogue does make me wonder if the series will continue.
4 stars
4 stars
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The House of Eyes by Kate Ellis - the 20th Wesley Peterson book starts with a missing girl. Or has she run off to London to be a model? It takes quite awhile for this story to get going and part of the problem is that there are too many cast members. I thought the ending rather farfetched. The author also throws in a health scare for Pam, Wesley's wife.
3 stars
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Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs is back in her 12th book with a much improved attitude. After returning to London from Spain, she is asked to assist her country by pretending to be the daughter of a man being released from Dachau. It's 1938 and things are more than a little dangerous in Germany. Maisie does one improbable thing near the end of the book but she seems almost her old self. The epilogue does make me wonder if the series will continue.
4 stars
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Apr 17 - 23, 2016
Cat Shout for Joy by Shirley Rousseau Murphy - Joe Grey and Dulcie, the talking cats featured in 18 other books, are expecting kittens. At the same time, one or more persons are targeting the elderly by pushing them down. Two have already died from their injuries and then there is an actual murder. How are they related? The mystery part is a little incidental in this story. Once again, the jacket synopsis is inaccurate, leading you to believe one of the kittens will have a much bigger role. Maybe in a future book but certainly not in this one. A quirk of the author - she uses the most outlandish names for some of the characters. Of course, you must believe in talking cats to enjoy these books.
3 stars
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The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R King - the 14th book in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series begins with Mary being threatened in her home by a man claiming to be Mrs. Hudson's son. We then go back in time to learn Mrs. Hudson's history, beginning with her mother and father. This history takes most of the book, with brief flashes of present time and what's happening with Mary. Sherlock doesn't even appear until more than halfway through the book. The whole story seems somewhat forced and I didn't like the end. A low
3 stars
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Looking for Alaska by John Green - a YA book with lots of smoking, drinking, swearing, sex and talk of sex. Don't know why I continued but I kept waiting for it to get better. Miles Tanner goes to boarding school because he thinks life will be better there. He makes a few friends, something tragic happens, and there is much angst. I'm in the minority on Goodreads and this book won many awards.
2 stars
3 stars
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The Murder of Mary Russell by Laurie R King - the 14th book in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series begins with Mary being threatened in her home by a man claiming to be Mrs. Hudson's son. We then go back in time to learn Mrs. Hudson's history, beginning with her mother and father. This history takes most of the book, with brief flashes of present time and what's happening with Mary. Sherlock doesn't even appear until more than halfway through the book. The whole story seems somewhat forced and I didn't like the end. A low
3 stars
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Looking for Alaska by John Green - a YA book with lots of smoking, drinking, swearing, sex and talk of sex. Don't know why I continued but I kept waiting for it to get better. Miles Tanner goes to boarding school because he thinks life will be better there. He makes a few friends, something tragic happens, and there is much angst. I'm in the minority on Goodreads and this book won many awards.
2 stars
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Apr 10 - 16, 2016
The Blondes by Emily Schultz - graduate student Hazel Hayes has just discovered she's pregnant. And then she witnesses one of the first incidents caused by a pandemic affecting only blonde women. A virus is causing the women to go berserk and attack anyone in range. And it doesn't seem to matter if the blondes are natural or fake. I didn't find Hazel very likeable but was still swept up in the story. Frank and matter of fact in talk of sex and bodily functions. This is one you'll either love or hate.
4 stars
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The Kill by Jane Casey - the 5th Maeve Kerrigan book. A policeman is found dead in his car. Is it personal or is someone targeting cops? It's beginning to look like the latter and Maeve may know the reason. Maeve's superior, Derwent, is irritatingly chauvinistic and then he'll turn around and be understanding. He's part of what makes these books appealing to me but he's certainly not pc.
4.5 stars
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Of Things Gone Astray by Janina Matthewson - told in very short chapters about several different characters, all of whom have suddenly lost something important too them. Piano keys, house walls, the building where they worked. And Jake, a young boy whose mother has died, is in danger of losing the most important thing. I usually like quirky books like this but it seemed rather bland to me. And left too many questions unanswered. I'm in the minority on Goodreads.
2 stars
4 stars
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The Kill by Jane Casey - the 5th Maeve Kerrigan book. A policeman is found dead in his car. Is it personal or is someone targeting cops? It's beginning to look like the latter and Maeve may know the reason. Maeve's superior, Derwent, is irritatingly chauvinistic and then he'll turn around and be understanding. He's part of what makes these books appealing to me but he's certainly not pc.
4.5 stars
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Of Things Gone Astray by Janina Matthewson - told in very short chapters about several different characters, all of whom have suddenly lost something important too them. Piano keys, house walls, the building where they worked. And Jake, a young boy whose mother has died, is in danger of losing the most important thing. I usually like quirky books like this but it seemed rather bland to me. And left too many questions unanswered. I'm in the minority on Goodreads.
2 stars
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Apr 3 - 9, 2016
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart - Mark is a boy who has a dog, a best friend, and loving parents. He also has cancer. He decides the last thing he wants to do is climb Mt. Rainier so he runs away from home with his dog, a camera, and a notebook. I found the whole book sad and worried about the dog the whole time. Written for older children about a heavy subject. I did like the writing, just wasn't in the right mood.
2 stars
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Cold Call by Dean Wesley Smith - from a series about retired detectives who try to solve cold cases. This has the gang on the trail of a serial killer who is incredibly wealthy and thus able to thwart the law. Fortunately, the main character has a daughter with an incredibly wealthy boyfriend who makes his resources available to them! Very repetitive and like lots of ebooks, could have used some good editing. "Lot was stunned from the air that he could see the ruggedness of the wilderness they were flying over." Just one of many sentences that had me going ? I only finished this because I was waiting for an appt. to be over.
1 star
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Between the Living and the Dead by Bill Crider - the 22nd Sheriff Dan Rhodes book has the sheriff investigating the death of a drug dealer in a haunted house. Everyone jumps on the paranormal bandwagon, especially when a second body is found. Of course there are the usual county happenings, a runaway bull in the Walmart parking lot, feral pigs, and people not using their turn signals. Fits the cozy genre nicely.
3 stars
2 stars
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Cold Call by Dean Wesley Smith - from a series about retired detectives who try to solve cold cases. This has the gang on the trail of a serial killer who is incredibly wealthy and thus able to thwart the law. Fortunately, the main character has a daughter with an incredibly wealthy boyfriend who makes his resources available to them! Very repetitive and like lots of ebooks, could have used some good editing. "Lot was stunned from the air that he could see the ruggedness of the wilderness they were flying over." Just one of many sentences that had me going ? I only finished this because I was waiting for an appt. to be over.
1 star
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Between the Living and the Dead by Bill Crider - the 22nd Sheriff Dan Rhodes book has the sheriff investigating the death of a drug dealer in a haunted house. Everyone jumps on the paranormal bandwagon, especially when a second body is found. Of course there are the usual county happenings, a runaway bull in the Walmart parking lot, feral pigs, and people not using their turn signals. Fits the cozy genre nicely.
3 stars
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Mar 27 - Apr 2, 2016
The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon - the 25th Commissario Guido Brunetti book. He's asked to look into the almost drowning of a young woman that occurred 15 years ago. There is the usual finessing of his superior in order to re-open the case. I usually enjoy the family life over the mystery in these books. But this mystery is very compelling to Brunetti and I thought made for a better story.
3 stars
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The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton - Ruby and her mother arrive in Alaska to meet her father and almost immediately learn he has been killed in an accident in a native town. But Ruby's mother refuses to believe it and sets off into the dark Alaskan wild. What made this improbable plot work for me was Ruby - she's 10 and deaf and much of the story is told from her viewpoint. The other various viewpoints do get in the way. In spite of the flaws I enjoyed it quite a bit.
4 stars
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Thursday's Children by Nikki French - the 4th Freida Klein book. Freida is asked by an old school friend to talk to her daughter and this leads her to an incident from her past. She returns to her home town, reconnecting with her mother and friends. She seems very cold in this book, almost unlikable, and the ending was improbable.
2 stars
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Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean - the author wrote this book because of her own fascination with Rin Tin Tin. By the time she and I were watching the television show, the dog was already the 4th to portray Rinty. I hadn't realized the original had made so many movies. From the dog's beginnings in WWI Germany to the fairly recent lawsuits over who owns the rights to the story with some discussion of dogs in war.
3 stars
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Beastkeeper by Cat Hellison - Sarah's mother deserts her family and then things really get bad. A YA fantasy tale that I may have enjoyed if I were a tween. I just didn't get this at all and found it depressing.
1 star
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What You Left Behind by Samantha Hayes - DCI Lorraine Fisher is visiting her sister in a small village that had multiple teenage suicides two years ago. And now her nephew is moody and withdrawn. It appears two more teenagers have just taken their lives. This book seemed very disjointed to me. Told from various viewpoints. Also throw away comments relating to the first book in the series that made no sense if you hadn't read it.
2 stars
3 stars
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The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton - Ruby and her mother arrive in Alaska to meet her father and almost immediately learn he has been killed in an accident in a native town. But Ruby's mother refuses to believe it and sets off into the dark Alaskan wild. What made this improbable plot work for me was Ruby - she's 10 and deaf and much of the story is told from her viewpoint. The other various viewpoints do get in the way. In spite of the flaws I enjoyed it quite a bit.
4 stars
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Thursday's Children by Nikki French - the 4th Freida Klein book. Freida is asked by an old school friend to talk to her daughter and this leads her to an incident from her past. She returns to her home town, reconnecting with her mother and friends. She seems very cold in this book, almost unlikable, and the ending was improbable.
2 stars
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Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean - the author wrote this book because of her own fascination with Rin Tin Tin. By the time she and I were watching the television show, the dog was already the 4th to portray Rinty. I hadn't realized the original had made so many movies. From the dog's beginnings in WWI Germany to the fairly recent lawsuits over who owns the rights to the story with some discussion of dogs in war.
3 stars
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Beastkeeper by Cat Hellison - Sarah's mother deserts her family and then things really get bad. A YA fantasy tale that I may have enjoyed if I were a tween. I just didn't get this at all and found it depressing.
1 star
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What You Left Behind by Samantha Hayes - DCI Lorraine Fisher is visiting her sister in a small village that had multiple teenage suicides two years ago. And now her nephew is moody and withdrawn. It appears two more teenagers have just taken their lives. This book seemed very disjointed to me. Told from various viewpoints. Also throw away comments relating to the first book in the series that made no sense if you hadn't read it.
2 stars
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Mar 20 - 26, 2-16
Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin - John Rebus is now retired and is bored, bored, bored. So he jumps at the chance to become involved when someone shoots at his old nemesis, Big Ger Cafferty. A convoluted tale of gangsters against gangsters, or maybe not. It could be something from the past. I thought this one cheated a little in the plot. Rebus is still as ornery as ever.
3 stars
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No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd - 1920, four young women are accused of trying to drown a young man from their rowboat. They claim they were trying to rescue him. Inspector Rutledge is called to the case when the original inspector drops dead on his first day. There are only the conflicting stories of the one witness and the women. Thankfully, Hamish, the soldier ghost who haunts the mind of Rutledge is not heard from very much. I always like to see how Rutledge investigates his cases. I enjoyed this very much. Maybe not a total 5 but close enough.
5 stars
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Deep Blue by Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford has finally bungled one of his secretive missions and the mistake is going to affect everyone living at Dinkins Bay. He's made really bad people mad at him. I still don't like all the mystical Tomlinson stuff. Much better than some of the more recent books. 23rd in the series, and I've read them all.
4 stars
3 stars
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No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd - 1920, four young women are accused of trying to drown a young man from their rowboat. They claim they were trying to rescue him. Inspector Rutledge is called to the case when the original inspector drops dead on his first day. There are only the conflicting stories of the one witness and the women. Thankfully, Hamish, the soldier ghost who haunts the mind of Rutledge is not heard from very much. I always like to see how Rutledge investigates his cases. I enjoyed this very much. Maybe not a total 5 but close enough.
5 stars
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Deep Blue by Randy Wayne White - Doc Ford has finally bungled one of his secretive missions and the mistake is going to affect everyone living at Dinkins Bay. He's made really bad people mad at him. I still don't like all the mystical Tomlinson stuff. Much better than some of the more recent books. 23rd in the series, and I've read them all.
4 stars
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