November 2020 Wrap up

So here it is the first of the wrap ups, I know that I have done some summary reviews in the past, and well they seemed to be happening more and more, so let’s go with that format.  Because this is the first, it will include the final book I read from October, but after this it will just be the books I read in the current month.

15 Minutes of Flame by Christina Brecher (read 10/25 to 10/27)  ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stella sells candles in a small Nantucket Town.  While Stella is helping to plan the town's annual Halloween fundraiser. While planning she explores a deserted, boarded-up building on the property--once used as a candle-making shop-- and she discovers a terrible secret: the skeleton of a Quaker woman, wrapped in blood-soaked clothing and hidden deep within a stone hearth.   And Stella gets involved with the investigation.

So I got this from OUABC sweet Halloween box. And it was an OK read, I didn’t love it I didn’t hate it. It was just a cozy mystery nothing too amazing. It was obvious that it was a later book in the series, I think it is #3.  The characters were fine, the mystery was fine.  It was a solid cozy.

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao (read 10/27 to 11/6) ⭐️⭐️

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

This is about two sisters from a Chinese-Indonesian family grapple with the past after one of them poisons their entire family. Gwendolyn and Estella have always been as close as sisters can be. Growing up in a wealthy, eminent, and sometimes deceitful family, they’ve relied on each other for support and confidence. But now Gwendolyn is lying in a coma, the sole survivor of Estella’s poisoning of their whole clan.  As Gwendolyn struggles to regain consciousness, she desperately retraces her memories, trying to uncover the moment that led to this shocking and brutal act.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book.  I wanted to like it, the writing was lovely, the story was engaging, and the ending I didn’t see coming.  But I wasn’t motivated to read it and I wasn’t engaged in the story or the characters.  I didn’t hate it, and I see the value in the story and the writing, but at the same time I didn’t like it. No particular reason, it just didn’t grab me.

The Guest List by Lucy Foley (read 11/7 to 11/8) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate a wedding.  The groom is a handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride is a smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher.  But as the wedding starts things go astray and someone ends up dead.

So I’ve been hearing about this book for a while, I decided to check it out from the library. Wow was it good.  I hated having to put it down to do things. I just wanted to read to find out first of all who died, and second who killed whoever died. Foley did a really good job on setting up the death and the murder itself. And it wrapped up well sort of.

Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos (read 11/10 to 11/15) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

Caroline Lawson hates her school and her life, she can’t wait to escape her rigid prep school and parents who don’t accept her as a lesbian.  She has three months to graduation and that freedom she craves.  Then her girlfriend leaves her to move to California, and her best friend Madison disappears, Caroline feels compelled to get involved in the investigation. Caroline kept her own secrets, and it seems so did others in her life.  The Caroline finds out about the other missing girls, the girls from the wrong side of the tracks who it appears police didn’t investigate.  Caroline is determined to find out what happened to them and why no one seems to notice. But as every new discovery leads Caroline closer to the connection between these girls and Madison, she faces an unsettling truth.

This was a good book, the end was surprising..I didn’t see the villain coming.  It had some slow parts and I got stuck in the middle but it ended well.

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson (read 11/15 to 11/17) ⭐️⭐️

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

When the Chatsworth library closes indefinitely, Dodie Fairisle turns her sunroom into her very own little lending library.  At first it is a hobby, but then it takes on a life of its own and the townspeople come to rely on it and on Dodie. 

I wanted to like this book, and I wanted to like the characters. But I didn’t. Maybe it was the wrong time for the story for me but the loss hit me harder then I would have thought, which meant I didn’t enjoy the read.  I didn’t like Dodie and I don’t like Shep and I really didn’t like Sullivan‘s parents. This was just a miss for me.

The Warning by James Patterson (read 11/18 to 11/21) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

In a small town called Mt. Hope, there has been an accident at the nuclear plant.  But the military tells the townspeople it is cleaned up and they can come home now.  And it does look beautiful, everything is fixed up and nicer than when they fled.  Including Jordan, suddenly he is faster and stronger and he knows things, like how to fight.  But something is wrong, no one has a cell phone signal, there is no tv or news, and the military has blocked off the two ways out of town. What are they hiding?

I enjoyed this read, it wasn’t innovative or new.  In fact it was fairly cookie cutter sci-Fi, stealing ideas from multiple other books.  But because Patterson is a good writer it still meshed well and was a fun read.  It felt comforting like a cozy mystery, but with a Sci-Fi twist!  I wish I could say which Sci-Fi twist,  it I don’t want to give it away.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey (read 11/ 17 to 11/23) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine the pain of having your husband leave you, now imagine if he left you for a more docile  version of you he had cloned.  That is the pain Evelyn was feeling when one nigjt her clone Martine called needing Evelyn’s help.  It seems Martine had murdered their husband Nathan. And it was quite the mess that needed fixing.

I had a little trouble with this one at first, I mean I liked the premise, it just wasn’t resonating with me.  Then I put it down for a day or two and flew through it.  I would say at about the 40% mark it really started to pick up. I enjoyed the story arc and the secrets Nathan held.  It was overall a good read.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (read 11/25 to 11/28) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a re-read for me.  I received my order of Ready Player Two and I wanted to reimmerse myself in the universe.  My review still hasn’t changed.  I still love the book!  Although this time as I read I was able to see subtle clues of the gates and puzzles laid early on.  And as I read, I took the time and made a play list of all the songs listed in the book.  Next re-read I’ll listen as I go.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (read 11/28 to 11/30/20) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So this is follow up to Ready Player One, I admit I ordered it without even knowing what the plot line was.  This book takes place after Wade and the gang win Halliday’s Egg.  Wade finds a technological advancement in Halliday’s Vault that will change the world the way OASIS originally did.  But it comes with a new quest and riddle to solve, Wade once again has to step up to not only save the OASIS,  but possibly all of humanity.

OK so I really liked this book, and it’s always nerve wracking to red a sequel of a favorite.  What if they ruin it?  Thankfully Cline didn’t. I still like Ready Player One better, but this was a good follow up.  Again some same old Sci-Fi tropes, which I don’t want to give away the plot of the villain...but it’s a classic and a well used plot line.  That being said it is a classic, because when it is well done it is highly entertaining.  There were far more music referenced I feel in this book than in the first book, but maybe I just caught them more easily.  I enjoyed this read, I like Clines writing style and the nostalgia he gives me for the 80’s.  I feel like it was a solid follow up.

Changes

So I have decided that I just can’t keep up with a book by book review anymore.  So I gave decided that I am going to do a “Monthly Wrap Up” format.  I don’t have. Any followers so, unless they speak this is the plan.  I am also going to incorporate some planner stuff too.  I’m in the process of working on the intro post about that.  I will start the “Monthly Wrap Up” in November. I want to do some other bookish things, I’ve joined some online book clubs, maybe talk about them?  I don’t know...if any of you loyalists out there have suggestions of what you want to see, comment on this post.

And I am also going to try and learn this hash tag thing.  Wish me luck!

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer (Read 10/23 to 10/25) - 5 Star

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

Grace’s daughter Penny is in Edgewood, a facility for the criminally insane, awaiting her trial for murdering her Birth Mother Rachel. But Penny isn’t just Penny, she is Eve, Ruby and Chloe too.  Who murdered Rachel, and is Penny really Disassociate Identity Disorder (DID) or as the head Edgewood doctor thinks Antisocial Personality Disorder, ie Penny is an expert liar.

This is the second DJ Palmer book I have read, and he has become a favorite author.  I love the twists and turns of his stories. The characters are all so engaging, and make you want to read about them. This was unputdownable for me.  I found myself wanting to know the next twist throughout my day, and I couldn’t wait to read more, even if it was only 5 mins while my coffee brewed.

Bait and Witch by Angela M. Sanders (Read 10/18 to 10/19) - 4 Star

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.A mystery, a library, a small town and a witch!  Josie is a librarian at the library of Congress, who overhears a senator making a shady deal.  When she and a co-worker whistleblow it, the co-worker disappears.  So Josie feels she needs to too.  She answers an ad for a librarian position in Wilfred, Oregon.  But not all is as ideal as it seems.  Josie finds a dead body on her first day. This was a great seasonal read, The characters in Wilfred were wonderful and colorful.  And the library itself was magical.  I’m not 100% sure I like Josie, but I don’t hate her either.  It is obvious this is meant to be a first book in the series, and I do look forward to reading more.

The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb (read10/14/20 to 10/17/20) - 3 star

I received this book as an Amazon Prime Early Reads. I was excited to read it because I had read and enjoyed two other Wendy Webb books:  The End of Temerence Dare and The Lady in the Lake, both of which had solid 3 stars from me.  Consistency is important. 

This book I was pleasantly surprised to find takes place in Wharton, the same town on Lake Superior’s shores as The Lady in the Lake.  And we got to revisit with some of the same characters, although if you haven’t read Lady in the Lake, it’s ok you will not be lost this is not a sequel.

Brynn Wilder comes to Wharton to escape an avalanche of loss in her life.  And she stays at boarding house for the summer where she meets the other long term boarders and quickly makes friends.  But there is a mystery afoot, over the winter a mysterious woman died in Room 5, and nobody knows who she was or how she got there.  Then Brynn starts dreaming of her.....

This wasn’t my favorite Wendy Webb book, it was again consistent writing. Her characters are well written and she develops the mystery well.  And the best part in my mind is that she actually resolves it in the final chapter.  However, I did not like the resolution, I felt it was a little too far out there.  If I was basing my rating on just how much I liked the story it would be a 2-star.  But her writing style and solidness of story and character development brought this book up to its 3-star rating.

Where has the year gone?

Wow we are in October already.  My last post was in June...that is craziness!

Of course I have read a ton of books between now and then, 33 to be exact.  That is far too many for a summary post.  So I’m just going to show my goodreads list...most of them in goodreads I didn’t even bother write reviews either..it’s been a tough motivation year.

The ones I did review are as follows:

Confessions on the 7:45

This was an engrossing book, the characters and story kept me guessing and staying up past my bedtime.  It was really well written and a great read.

Dark Tides

I wanted to like this book truly I did. I really liked the first one and I was excited to read this one. However the characters did not have the same resonance with me as in the first book. I hated Livia and I had trouble connecting with Sarah and Johnnie and Alys.  And I really didn’t care for the Ned storyline either.  It was well written and the story flowed, I just did not care for the characters and I read it quickly so I could get through it.

The Book of Two Ways

This was a good book right up until the end.  It was a little slow at the beginning and I felt like the chapters were long. But it worked to keep me reading later than I planned.  I missed many a bed time.  It was a solid 3 moving towards a 4. The ending or I should say lack of ending for ruined it for me. They both abruptly end with no resolution and I hated it, I almost threw my iPad against the wall I was so upset!  But luckily I was fiscally minded enough not to.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley.  I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

The-Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

To be fair when I first got this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I love Italy and the premise was great. But I wasn’t sure the sisters and the mystery was going to do it for me. Boy was I wrong this was amazing!  I was so drawn into the characters but the ones I loved and the ones I hated. I can’t say the ending was a complete surprise but it did leave me guessing up to the end.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) through NetGalley.  I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

Daughter from the Dark by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko - 2Star (Read 2/10 to 6/6)

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

This is a translated work from a Ukrainian husband and wife team.  I will admit up front that I think due to cultural differences, some of the book really was baffling to me.  There are social graces or norms, that are probably normal in the Ukrain, but are odd to a US reader.  For example the interaction with the teenagers in the first chapter had a lot of cultural nuances I felt I was missing.

Aspirin is a DJ and he finds a 10 year old girl, Alyona, on his doorstep. She says someone is looking for her. She won’t talk to him though and he leaves her, then he runs into some teenagers about a block away, who chase him with their dog. He goes back for the girl,  as they flee she tosses her teddy bear back into the alley and it kills the dog. Aspirin takes her home, he really doesn’t know what is happening or what else to do with her.  In the morning she refuses to leave.  Claiming that she is a musical prodigy, Alyona insists she must play a complicated violin piece to find her brother.  And her is where it gets a bit more confusing.  I think she is an Angel, but who she is, is never fully explained.Be aware there is a lot of cursing, like every other word.  Also there are very violent scenes when Alyona’s teddy bear defends her.

This book took me a long time to read. I put it down and came back to finish it almost 4 months after I started it.  I really couldn’t relate to the characters in the story line wasn’t as enthralling as it sounded in the description. I don’t think that it’s because of the authors, I think that it had to do with the translation. I feel like there was some sort of heart missing from the story. It was an OK story plot wise, and I like some of the interesting factors.