Sand Sharks
Death's Half Acre
Christmas Mourning
Three Day Town all by Margaret Maron - and now I'm all caught up on this series. To me the mysteries take second place to seeing what's going on with Judge Knotts and her immediate and extended family.
3 stars for all
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala - the author's two sons, her husband and parents were killed by the tsunami of 2004 when it hit Sri Lanka. This is an almost stream of consciousness account of the wave and her reactions afterward. Quite sad.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadly Stakes by J. A. Jance - this is one of her Ali Reynolds books. I used to really like this author's books but the last couple have been duds for me. I just can't get invested in them.
2 stars
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
April 14-20, 2013
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - a story told in the present and the past about one girl's experience. About a year after being in America, she is orphaned by a fire and put on a train to the midwest in the hopes of getting a new family.
4 stars
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Rituals of the Season
Winter's Child
Hard Row all by Margaret Maron - more of the Judge Deborah Knott series. The first leads up to her marriage and the second takes place about a month after. The third follows shortly after and talks a little about the plight of migrant workers.
3 stars for all
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Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll by Ann and Nancy Wilson and Charles R. Cross - the story of Heart. I'm fairly sure this was "written" by the two sisters reminiscing to Mr. Cross. They take turns telling their story and every once in awhile we hear from someone else about their memories from that time. I liked the book more than I thought I would. We went to a Heart concert last week and they were interviewed by Mr. Cross. That's what gave me an interest in reading the book.
3 stars
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People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - a fictionalized story of the Bosnian Haggadah. A book conservator is brought to Bosnia not long after the war is over to look at a Haggadah. The story then goes back in time until finally arriving at the origin of the book.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gatekeeper by Archer Mayor - another Joe Gunther book. I didn't think this one really went anywhere.
2 stars
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Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson - the 3rd book in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series. This time he's in Philadelphia to visit his daughter when she is attacked and goes into a coma.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enchanting Lily by Anjali Banerjee - not really what I was expecting. A kind of Harlequin romance but with a sort of psychic cat. Thought it ended rather abruptly.
2 stars
4 stars
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Rituals of the Season
Winter's Child
Hard Row all by Margaret Maron - more of the Judge Deborah Knott series. The first leads up to her marriage and the second takes place about a month after. The third follows shortly after and talks a little about the plight of migrant workers.
3 stars for all
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll by Ann and Nancy Wilson and Charles R. Cross - the story of Heart. I'm fairly sure this was "written" by the two sisters reminiscing to Mr. Cross. They take turns telling their story and every once in awhile we hear from someone else about their memories from that time. I liked the book more than I thought I would. We went to a Heart concert last week and they were interviewed by Mr. Cross. That's what gave me an interest in reading the book.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - a fictionalized story of the Bosnian Haggadah. A book conservator is brought to Bosnia not long after the war is over to look at a Haggadah. The story then goes back in time until finally arriving at the origin of the book.
4 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gatekeeper by Archer Mayor - another Joe Gunther book. I didn't think this one really went anywhere.
2 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson - the 3rd book in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series. This time he's in Philadelphia to visit his daughter when she is attacked and goes into a coma.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enchanting Lily by Anjali Banerjee - not really what I was expecting. A kind of Harlequin romance but with a sort of psychic cat. Thought it ended rather abruptly.
2 stars
Sunday, April 14, 2013
April 7-13, 2013
Six Years by Harlan Coben - a man's girlfriend suddenly marries someone else. When that man dies six years later he finds that the widow is not his old girlfriend. Mystery ensues. Just a tad of stalkerishness that I found a little uncomfortable.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - a book she wrote the year after her husband of 40 years died unexpectedly. Her daughter was quite ill at the time and died around the time the book was published. I thought her observations on how we're expected to handle grief have changed were quite interesting.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Kill Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stoshower - a non-fiction book that read rather like a mystery. A part of history I didn't know. Evidently there's controversy over whether a plot existed, if it did who discovered it, and then who's version after was correct. What I found interesting was the utter lack of security at the time. I'm surprised Lincoln wasn't at least injured by the crowds if not killed accidentally.
3 stars
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High Country Fall by Margaret Maron - another Judge Deborah Knott mystery. This time she's out of her county and in the mountains during leaf time.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd - an Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery. I found this to be a little too confusing. I absolutely could not figure out what was going on anymore than the inspector. Just a little too convoluted.
3 stars
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - a book she wrote the year after her husband of 40 years died unexpectedly. Her daughter was quite ill at the time and died around the time the book was published. I thought her observations on how we're expected to handle grief have changed were quite interesting.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Kill Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stoshower - a non-fiction book that read rather like a mystery. A part of history I didn't know. Evidently there's controversy over whether a plot existed, if it did who discovered it, and then who's version after was correct. What I found interesting was the utter lack of security at the time. I'm surprised Lincoln wasn't at least injured by the crowds if not killed accidentally.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
High Country Fall by Margaret Maron - another Judge Deborah Knott mystery. This time she's out of her county and in the mountains during leaf time.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd - an Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery. I found this to be a little too confusing. I absolutely could not figure out what was going on anymore than the inspector. Just a little too convoluted.
3 stars
Sunday, April 7, 2013
March 31-April 6, 2013
The Night and the Music by Lawrence Block - a collection of short Matthew Scudder stories. Some from the past when he's an alcoholic and some in the present when he's sober and remarried.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The End of Your Life Bookclub by Will Schwalbe - true story of the author and his mother forming a bookclub of two while she is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Somewhat depressing, but she takes her illness better than anyone else. And I got quite a list of books to read.
4 stars
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Slow Dollar by Margaret Maron - another Deborah Knott mystery.
3 stars
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The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne - another first time author that I enjoyed a lot. The book goes back and forth from the present and the past but I didn't find it irritating. It was almost like getting two mysteries in one. The book is about an 11 year old boy on trial for murder. In England, the age for being treated as an adult is 10.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear - a Masie Dobbs novel. I didn't enjoy this one as much as previous books. To me, Masie is almost whiny in the way she is not satisfied with her life. Not whiny out loud but whiny in spirit. I think I'm in the minority with that thought, though, and am influenced by my personal philsophy.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - a story of a family told from the viewpoint of the dog. And he's quite a smart dog. And of course I cried at the end.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer Falls by Amelia Williams - an e-book published by BBC Books to go along with the Dr. Who episode from last Sunday. The book was being read by one of the characters in the episode.
3 stars
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My Father's Tears by John Updike - a collection of short stories. Mostly depressing stories about people who can't stay married, connect with their children or grandchildren and have lots of regrets.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watching the Dark by Peter Robinson - an Inspector Banks mystery. The murder of a policeman leads to investigations in immigrant trafficking and a 6 year old disappearance of an English girl in Estonia. I thought it drug on just a little too much.
3 stars
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The End of Your Life Bookclub by Will Schwalbe - true story of the author and his mother forming a bookclub of two while she is being treated for pancreatic cancer. Somewhat depressing, but she takes her illness better than anyone else. And I got quite a list of books to read.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Slow Dollar by Margaret Maron - another Deborah Knott mystery.
3 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne - another first time author that I enjoyed a lot. The book goes back and forth from the present and the past but I didn't find it irritating. It was almost like getting two mysteries in one. The book is about an 11 year old boy on trial for murder. In England, the age for being treated as an adult is 10.
4 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear - a Masie Dobbs novel. I didn't enjoy this one as much as previous books. To me, Masie is almost whiny in the way she is not satisfied with her life. Not whiny out loud but whiny in spirit. I think I'm in the minority with that thought, though, and am influenced by my personal philsophy.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein - a story of a family told from the viewpoint of the dog. And he's quite a smart dog. And of course I cried at the end.
4 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer Falls by Amelia Williams - an e-book published by BBC Books to go along with the Dr. Who episode from last Sunday. The book was being read by one of the characters in the episode.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Father's Tears by John Updike - a collection of short stories. Mostly depressing stories about people who can't stay married, connect with their children or grandchildren and have lots of regrets.
2 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watching the Dark by Peter Robinson - an Inspector Banks mystery. The murder of a policeman leads to investigations in immigrant trafficking and a 6 year old disappearance of an English girl in Estonia. I thought it drug on just a little too much.
3 stars
Saturday, March 30, 2013
March 24-30, 2013
The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell - I hesitate to even put this on my list because most of my friends won't like it. And I don't normally read books with heavy swearing. But I was hooked from the very first page. It starts with two young girls burying their parents in their backyard. A very dark book but uplifting by the end. If it was a movie it would be R rated.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry - this book won 3 awards for best first novel. Another one that had me from the very first page. A woman thinks she sees a child thrown from a ferry and dives in to save it. I was a little disappointed at first by the ending but think it had to be that way to develop into a series.
4 stars
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A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry - the second book in the series. I almost liked this one better because I couldn't figure out what was going on. I'd say it lived up to the promise of the 1st book. I hope the author writes more, I really like her main character.
4 stars
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Collateral Damage by Stuart Woods - a Stone Barrington book that takes place very soon after the previous book. This one is really more about Holly Hunter though. The CIA is tracking a terrorist.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson - the first in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series. I read the second out of order because it took so long to get this one. And the second book had told me whodunnit in this one but I'd already forgotten that until the very end.
3 stars
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry - this book won 3 awards for best first novel. Another one that had me from the very first page. A woman thinks she sees a child thrown from a ferry and dives in to save it. I was a little disappointed at first by the ending but think it had to be that way to develop into a series.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry - the second book in the series. I almost liked this one better because I couldn't figure out what was going on. I'd say it lived up to the promise of the 1st book. I hope the author writes more, I really like her main character.
4 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collateral Damage by Stuart Woods - a Stone Barrington book that takes place very soon after the previous book. This one is really more about Holly Hunter though. The CIA is tracking a terrorist.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------=
The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson - the first in the Sheriff Walt Longmire series. I read the second out of order because it took so long to get this one. And the second book had told me whodunnit in this one but I'd already forgotten that until the very end.
3 stars
Sunday, March 24, 2013
March 17-23, 2013
Unwholly by Neal Shusterman - #2 in the Unwind Trilogy. I had a hard time getting into this book. The author says he never meant the first book to become a trilogy and I thought that showed in this book. It jumped around too much from character to character and just kept adding more. I finally got into the story about half way through.
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Emerald City of Oz
The Patchwork Girl of Oz both by L. Frank Baum - poor Mr. Baum, at the end of the Emerald City he has come up with a surefire way to quit writing about Oz but he is foiled and must continue writing. His publishers and finances probably had a lot to do with it. Both of these had some clever word usage which led me to give them
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sniper's Wife by Archer Mayor - the 13th in the series and somewhat of a departure. The main character isn't Joe Gunther, although he is in the book. And it takes place in New York city instead of Vermont.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Paris Wife by Paula McClain - I don't mind historical fiction but usually have a problem when it's written from a first person point of view. How can the author possibly know what the person was actually thinking? And I think it's too easy to project our today sensibilities onto historical events. However, I really enjoyed this book and the writing. Trying to decide if I want to read a biography of Hadley Hemingway now.
4 stars
3 stars
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Emerald City of Oz
The Patchwork Girl of Oz both by L. Frank Baum - poor Mr. Baum, at the end of the Emerald City he has come up with a surefire way to quit writing about Oz but he is foiled and must continue writing. His publishers and finances probably had a lot to do with it. Both of these had some clever word usage which led me to give them
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sniper's Wife by Archer Mayor - the 13th in the series and somewhat of a departure. The main character isn't Joe Gunther, although he is in the book. And it takes place in New York city instead of Vermont.
3 stars
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Paris Wife by Paula McClain - I don't mind historical fiction but usually have a problem when it's written from a first person point of view. How can the author possibly know what the person was actually thinking? And I think it's too easy to project our today sensibilities onto historical events. However, I really enjoyed this book and the writing. Trying to decide if I want to read a biography of Hadley Hemingway now.
4 stars
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Mar 10-16, 2013
Somehow deleted my post so this will just be a list, no descriptions.
The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie - 4 stars
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - 4 stars
Step By Step: A Pedestrian Memoir by Lawrence Block - 3 stars
The Marvelous Land of Oz - 2 stars
Ozma of Oz - 3 stars
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz- 3 stars
The Road To Oz - 2 stars
all by Frank L Baum
The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie - 4 stars
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - 4 stars
Step By Step: A Pedestrian Memoir by Lawrence Block - 3 stars
The Marvelous Land of Oz - 2 stars
Ozma of Oz - 3 stars
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz- 3 stars
The Road To Oz - 2 stars
all by Frank L Baum
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