Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris - I'm pretty sure this is the last of the Lily Bard series, it was written in 2001. I think the author is concentrating on her Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series. Or she got tired of writing about this somewhat angry young woman. This time Lily deals with being newly married and trying to figure who is stalking her new counselor.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman - a very differently written book, told in short chapters or from social services reports. A young girl tries to escape from generations of poverty, abuse and a history of very young motherhood.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Black Box by Michael Connelly - one of my favorite authors. Harry Bosch is trying to solve a crime committed 20 years ago during the riots in LA. I like how he just picks at threads until finally one leads to finding the murderers. The murderers themselves are rather caricatures but the solving is what's fun.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Unacceptable Death by Barbara Seranella - the last of the Munch Mancini mysteries, the author died shortly after this was written. I don't like when a character's life is just starting to go well and then something bad happens. Don't know if the author's illness was the reason for this.
2 stars - the story was okay but it irritated me because of the above.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich - the books in this series usually make me laugh out loud because of the outlandish things that happen to the heroine. But I do find her waffling between the two men in her life irritating. Might be a little too much sex for some.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon - a really different book told from the viewpoint of a 15 yo autistic boy. He really goes off on tangents because that's the way his mind works and this particular boy takes refuge in math and actually explains several math problems. Really quirky so I gave it
4 stars
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Feb 10-16, 2013
My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall - the actress/director talks about her childhood and how she got into directing. Her mother was odd, but no more so the Penny. I found the book rather disjointed once she got into her adult life, it seemed to move around in time. A lot of drug taking.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan - right before WWI begins, an ocean liner blows up and 39 people are trapped in a lifeboat for many days. I wanted to like this more than I did. I didn't find the protagonist very likeable.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mission Flats by William Landay - the mystery part was good but there were some twists later in the story I didn't like and ultimately found it fairly depressing.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada by Richard Ford - written by a Pulitzer prize winner and I guess that means you have to use lots of words. I found it rather repetitious and somewhat unbelievable. The parents of 15 year old twins decide to rob a bank. Once that finally happens the rest of the story is about what happens to the son.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suspect by Robert Crais - a stand alone not in his regular Elvis Cole series. A wounded cop and a wounded war veteran dog wind up together. Sometimes told from the viewpoint of the dog. Really liked this because it was a little different.
4 stars
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan - right before WWI begins, an ocean liner blows up and 39 people are trapped in a lifeboat for many days. I wanted to like this more than I did. I didn't find the protagonist very likeable.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mission Flats by William Landay - the mystery part was good but there were some twists later in the story I didn't like and ultimately found it fairly depressing.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada by Richard Ford - written by a Pulitzer prize winner and I guess that means you have to use lots of words. I found it rather repetitious and somewhat unbelievable. The parents of 15 year old twins decide to rob a bank. Once that finally happens the rest of the story is about what happens to the son.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suspect by Robert Crais - a stand alone not in his regular Elvis Cole series. A wounded cop and a wounded war veteran dog wind up together. Sometimes told from the viewpoint of the dog. Really liked this because it was a little different.
4 stars
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Feb 3-9, 2013
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan - takes place in the near future. A young man takes a job in a bookstore and discovers all is not as it seems. He tries to figure out what's going on and stumbles across a mysterious group searching for eternal life. Really much lighter than it sounds and really hard to explain.
5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starring Miss Marple by Agatha Christie - I'm on an Agatha kick lately. This was actually 3 books: A Murder is Announced, The Body in the Library and Murder With Mirrors.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler - a middle-aged man tries to come to terms with the death of his wife.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for Yesterday by Marcia Muller - the latest in the Sharon McCone series. I've read every book in this series - some are better than others. I like to catch up on all her relatives and the people she works with. I still remember reading her first, Edwin of the Iron Shoes.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Far North by Michael Ridpath - another Icelandic mystery. This time the policeman has spent time in America and become a policeman there before coming back to Iceland. Someone starts picking off the bankers and politicians they feel are responsible for Iceland's financial crisis. Didn't know who the final bad guy was till the very end.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - a young couple living on an island tending a lighthouse in the 1920's find a baby in a lifeboat along with her dead father. Decisions are made which affect many people.
5 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell - a Kay Scarpetta novel. I keep saying I'm going to quit reading these but my OCD towards series makes me keep going and hoping. Kay whines way to much. She needs to get rid of some of the people in her life. She needs to quit thinking about fooling around on her husband and that every man desires her even if she's 50.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith -this time Precious Ramotswe meets Clovis Anderson, the author of the guide to private investigation she follows.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Racketeer by John Grisham - a man in prison claims he know who has killed a federal judge and will tell for commutation of his sentence. Had no idea where this book was going and it has some twists and turns.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris - not about Shakespeare at all, instead about a cleaning woman who lives in a town by that name in Arkansas. She always gets involved in mysteries.
3 stars
5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Starring Miss Marple by Agatha Christie - I'm on an Agatha kick lately. This was actually 3 books: A Murder is Announced, The Body in the Library and Murder With Mirrors.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler - a middle-aged man tries to come to terms with the death of his wife.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for Yesterday by Marcia Muller - the latest in the Sharon McCone series. I've read every book in this series - some are better than others. I like to catch up on all her relatives and the people she works with. I still remember reading her first, Edwin of the Iron Shoes.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Far North by Michael Ridpath - another Icelandic mystery. This time the policeman has spent time in America and become a policeman there before coming back to Iceland. Someone starts picking off the bankers and politicians they feel are responsible for Iceland's financial crisis. Didn't know who the final bad guy was till the very end.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - a young couple living on an island tending a lighthouse in the 1920's find a baby in a lifeboat along with her dead father. Decisions are made which affect many people.
5 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell - a Kay Scarpetta novel. I keep saying I'm going to quit reading these but my OCD towards series makes me keep going and hoping. Kay whines way to much. She needs to get rid of some of the people in her life. She needs to quit thinking about fooling around on her husband and that every man desires her even if she's 50.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith -this time Precious Ramotswe meets Clovis Anderson, the author of the guide to private investigation she follows.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Racketeer by John Grisham - a man in prison claims he know who has killed a federal judge and will tell for commutation of his sentence. Had no idea where this book was going and it has some twists and turns.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris - not about Shakespeare at all, instead about a cleaning woman who lives in a town by that name in Arkansas. She always gets involved in mysteries.
3 stars
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Jan 27-Feb 2, 2013
Alaska Traveler Dispatches From America's Last Frontier by Dana Stabenow - a collection of magazine articles. I've read most of the author's mystery books and these were an interesting different side of Alaska from her. I really enjoyed her humor and the interesting places she went.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith - I really like these gentle books although I still can't fathom how a white man writing about a black woman in Botswana makes it all seem so plausible. I really like the musings of Mma Ramotswe as she solves the little mysteries that come to her detective agency and helps her friends with their problems.
3.5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - recently retired Harold receives a letter from an old friend and on his way to post a reply and begins a walk to see her almost by mistake. Quite a different book and I really enjoyed it.
5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tucker Peak by Archer Mayor - a Joe Gunther mystery about misdeeds at a ski resort.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie - 8 plays with stage directions and suggestions by the author. I find it a little difficult to read plays since I'm distracted by the stage directions. I knew a couple of the stories already but it was fun to re-read them. The longest book I've read so far this year.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim - the story begins with Japan's taking control of Korea and continues through WWII. I knew little about Korea and had no idea Japan took it over. The story is told mainly from the viewpoint of the daughter but some chapters are from other viewpoints. I really liked it and am not sure why I can't give it 5 stars.
4.5 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shiver by Karen Robards - this book touts itself as a thriller but it was really more like a Harlequin romance book. Yes, there were exciting parts, but in the meantime the heroine and hero are lusting after each other. Finished it because I wanted to know how they got out of their predicament but way too much sex and I figured out the real bad guy almost right away.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith - I really like these gentle books although I still can't fathom how a white man writing about a black woman in Botswana makes it all seem so plausible. I really like the musings of Mma Ramotswe as she solves the little mysteries that come to her detective agency and helps her friends with their problems.
3.5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce - recently retired Harold receives a letter from an old friend and on his way to post a reply and begins a walk to see her almost by mistake. Quite a different book and I really enjoyed it.
5 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tucker Peak by Archer Mayor - a Joe Gunther mystery about misdeeds at a ski resort.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie - 8 plays with stage directions and suggestions by the author. I find it a little difficult to read plays since I'm distracted by the stage directions. I knew a couple of the stories already but it was fun to re-read them. The longest book I've read so far this year.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim - the story begins with Japan's taking control of Korea and continues through WWII. I knew little about Korea and had no idea Japan took it over. The story is told mainly from the viewpoint of the daughter but some chapters are from other viewpoints. I really liked it and am not sure why I can't give it 5 stars.
4.5 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shiver by Karen Robards - this book touts itself as a thriller but it was really more like a Harlequin romance book. Yes, there were exciting parts, but in the meantime the heroine and hero are lusting after each other. Finished it because I wanted to know how they got out of their predicament but way too much sex and I figured out the real bad guy almost right away.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Jan 20-26, 2013
The Kidnapping by Charles Todd - a very short e-book featuring Ian Rutledge. A man runs into Scotland Yard claiming his daughter has just been kidnapped. I think this was quickly written just so the authors could get in on e-books. It was more like a chapter than a book.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mistletoe Man by Susan Wittig Albert - another China Bayles mystery. I'm still catching up on the ones I've missed in the middle of the series. This one involves a hit and run.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bloodroot by Susan Wittig Albert - this time China goes to her family plantation to help her mother care for her great aunt. Long time family mysteries are solved. A little woo-woo with ghostly visions and mysterious smells.
3.5 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indigo Dying
Dead Man's Bones both by Susan Wittig Albert - I've finally caught up on the series except for the latest book. A little too much foreshadowing in both of these books.
3.5 stars for Indigo
3 stars for Dead
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo- a new detective series for me and an older one. The first book in the series (which I haven't read yet) was published in 1965. This is the second and somewhat atypical in that the majority doesn't take place in Sweden.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death Without Company by Craig Johnson - a Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery. A little slow moving at first but finishes with a bang.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Uncommon Clay by Margaret Maron - a Judge Deborah Knott story. Takes place in a pottery community. The deaths are a little gruesome.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cat's Claw by Susan Wittig Albert - finally caught up on the China Bales series. This was different in that it alternates between China's first person view and police chief's Sheila Dawson's third person view. I'm not sure I liked that.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Unthymely Death and Other Stories by Susan Wittig Albert - just when I thought I was done I discovered there was a book of short stories featuring China. I was able to get it from the library on my Kindle so I could get the last book in this week.
2.5 stars
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mistletoe Man by Susan Wittig Albert - another China Bayles mystery. I'm still catching up on the ones I've missed in the middle of the series. This one involves a hit and run.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bloodroot by Susan Wittig Albert - this time China goes to her family plantation to help her mother care for her great aunt. Long time family mysteries are solved. A little woo-woo with ghostly visions and mysterious smells.
3.5 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indigo Dying
Dead Man's Bones both by Susan Wittig Albert - I've finally caught up on the series except for the latest book. A little too much foreshadowing in both of these books.
3.5 stars for Indigo
3 stars for Dead
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo- a new detective series for me and an older one. The first book in the series (which I haven't read yet) was published in 1965. This is the second and somewhat atypical in that the majority doesn't take place in Sweden.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death Without Company by Craig Johnson - a Sheriff Walt Longmire mystery. A little slow moving at first but finishes with a bang.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Uncommon Clay by Margaret Maron - a Judge Deborah Knott story. Takes place in a pottery community. The deaths are a little gruesome.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cat's Claw by Susan Wittig Albert - finally caught up on the China Bales series. This was different in that it alternates between China's first person view and police chief's Sheila Dawson's third person view. I'm not sure I liked that.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Unthymely Death and Other Stories by Susan Wittig Albert - just when I thought I was done I discovered there was a book of short stories featuring China. I was able to get it from the library on my Kindle so I could get the last book in this week.
2.5 stars
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Jan 13-19, 2013
Storm Track by Margaret Maron - I had forgotten about this series and somehow read the latest while missing quite a few previous books. Deborah Knott is a judge and the youngest and only daughter in a family of 11 sons. She usually finds herself involved in a murder but she doesn't try to actively solve them. This one takes place right before a hurricane hits.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - the first Hercules Poirot story. I'm sure I've read this before, but it may have been as long ago as 6th grade. So I didn't remember it. Hercules is my favorite detective of Agatha's. A couple of good twists at the end.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie - the second Hercules Poirot. Almost too convoluted, I got a little confused at the end. Another surprise murderer.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - the first Tommy and Tuppence book. Takes place after WWI and I had to overlook all the slang and bright chatter. I don't have any idea if that's how young people talked then or if that's how Agatha thought they talked. It really kept me interested, though, and I couldn't know who the mysterious, evil Mr. Brown was until the end.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Wolf by Kathryn Lasky - the sixth book in the Wolves of the Beyond series and I think maybe the last. This is a children's book but I've really enjoyed the whole series. I got hooked on the Owls of Ga'hoole when the movie came out and then moved on to this series.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bookseller by Mark Pryor - this is called the first Hugo Marston novel but I don't know how the author knows that until he sells the second. Anyway, someone is killing the keepers of the bookstalls along the Seine in Paris. Hugo Marston is head of security for the American Embassy and he's not satisfied with the answers when his friend disappears. Quite exciting at the end.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd - a novel set in Dickens time. A disgraced detective is hired to find the author of two letters and of course it develops into so much more. The only thing I didn't like was that it was written in present tense and with us knowing much more than the detective. Also, I've not read any Dickens so missed those references.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voices by Arnaldur Indridason - set in Iceland and very dark in tone. A hotel doorman/Santa is found murdered in his squalid room in the basement. But it's also as much about the main detective and something that happened in his childhood.
4.5 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey - I loved everything about this book. It had such a fairy-tale, dreamy quality to it. An older couple homesteading in Alaska make a snowgirl that seemingly turns into a real girl. Delves into grieving and communication.
5 stars
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - the first Hercules Poirot story. I'm sure I've read this before, but it may have been as long ago as 6th grade. So I didn't remember it. Hercules is my favorite detective of Agatha's. A couple of good twists at the end.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie - the second Hercules Poirot. Almost too convoluted, I got a little confused at the end. Another surprise murderer.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - the first Tommy and Tuppence book. Takes place after WWI and I had to overlook all the slang and bright chatter. I don't have any idea if that's how young people talked then or if that's how Agatha thought they talked. It really kept me interested, though, and I couldn't know who the mysterious, evil Mr. Brown was until the end.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Wolf by Kathryn Lasky - the sixth book in the Wolves of the Beyond series and I think maybe the last. This is a children's book but I've really enjoyed the whole series. I got hooked on the Owls of Ga'hoole when the movie came out and then moved on to this series.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bookseller by Mark Pryor - this is called the first Hugo Marston novel but I don't know how the author knows that until he sells the second. Anyway, someone is killing the keepers of the bookstalls along the Seine in Paris. Hugo Marston is head of security for the American Embassy and he's not satisfied with the answers when his friend disappears. Quite exciting at the end.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd - a novel set in Dickens time. A disgraced detective is hired to find the author of two letters and of course it develops into so much more. The only thing I didn't like was that it was written in present tense and with us knowing much more than the detective. Also, I've not read any Dickens so missed those references.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Voices by Arnaldur Indridason - set in Iceland and very dark in tone. A hotel doorman/Santa is found murdered in his squalid room in the basement. But it's also as much about the main detective and something that happened in his childhood.
4.5 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey - I loved everything about this book. It had such a fairy-tale, dreamy quality to it. An older couple homesteading in Alaska make a snowgirl that seemingly turns into a real girl. Delves into grieving and communication.
5 stars
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Jan 6-12, 2013
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - as she says, everyone's happiness project is different, so this is her research into what makes people happy and her experiment in becoming happier over a year's time. I'm actually going to read this again and jot down some ideas. I'll be reading her second book, too, in preparation for a scrapbooking project.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cat Bearing Gifts by Shirley Rousseau Murphy - this is the 18th in the Joe Grey series about talking cats. I started out loving this series but I think this will probably be the last I read. At first the stories were just about Joe Grey and how his humans discovered he could talk and how together they solved mysteries. But now the author involves every.single.person.and.cat she has introduced and it's just too much. Also, getting a little woo-woo with the reason the cats can talk.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Art Forger by B A Shapiro - is a Degas a forgery or the real thing? There are two stories in this book - the main character is making a copy of a Degas that is supposed to be an original and at the same time she is becoming convinced that the original is a forgery. Small amount of sex, not blatant.
5 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Son by Lois Lowry - the fourth and last book in The Giver series. This one wraps everything up in a nice way, although a character introduced at the end seemed off to me. Still, I don't have to wonder what happened to everyone anymore.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin - really liked his first book and this has some of the same characters. Takes place on an island off Sweden and the weather is almost another character in the book. The story has ghostly elements that I found a little off-putting. If a third book is translated, I'll be looking at it more closely before I read.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin - the sequel to her 1st book. I found this to be pretty repetitious, besides repeating many ideas from the first book, she also repeated herself a lot within this book.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill by Gretchen Rubin - a different take on a biography as the author writes 40 very short chapters, some of them taking opposing views of Churchill. A quick read and I learned a lot more than I got from the 250 pages I read of a 1,043 page book I couldn't finish.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Child's Child by Barbara Vine aka Ruth Rendell - this was a book within a book, with the book withing much longer than the book without. The inner book takes place in 1929 and the outer 2011. It's supposed to be about the difference in public opinion toward homosexuals and unwed mothers in those time periods. But I found it to be more about the danger of loving the wrong person. I've read quite a few books by this author and found myself disappointed in this one.
2 stars
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cat Bearing Gifts by Shirley Rousseau Murphy - this is the 18th in the Joe Grey series about talking cats. I started out loving this series but I think this will probably be the last I read. At first the stories were just about Joe Grey and how his humans discovered he could talk and how together they solved mysteries. But now the author involves every.single.person.and.cat she has introduced and it's just too much. Also, getting a little woo-woo with the reason the cats can talk.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Art Forger by B A Shapiro - is a Degas a forgery or the real thing? There are two stories in this book - the main character is making a copy of a Degas that is supposed to be an original and at the same time she is becoming convinced that the original is a forgery. Small amount of sex, not blatant.
5 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Son by Lois Lowry - the fourth and last book in The Giver series. This one wraps everything up in a nice way, although a character introduced at the end seemed off to me. Still, I don't have to wonder what happened to everyone anymore.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Darkest Room by Johan Theorin - really liked his first book and this has some of the same characters. Takes place on an island off Sweden and the weather is almost another character in the book. The story has ghostly elements that I found a little off-putting. If a third book is translated, I'll be looking at it more closely before I read.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin - the sequel to her 1st book. I found this to be pretty repetitious, besides repeating many ideas from the first book, she also repeated herself a lot within this book.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill by Gretchen Rubin - a different take on a biography as the author writes 40 very short chapters, some of them taking opposing views of Churchill. A quick read and I learned a lot more than I got from the 250 pages I read of a 1,043 page book I couldn't finish.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Child's Child by Barbara Vine aka Ruth Rendell - this was a book within a book, with the book withing much longer than the book without. The inner book takes place in 1929 and the outer 2011. It's supposed to be about the difference in public opinion toward homosexuals and unwed mothers in those time periods. But I found it to be more about the danger of loving the wrong person. I've read quite a few books by this author and found myself disappointed in this one.
2 stars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)