Four Days, Four Books

 I know this book-a-day trend will not continue. I know this because I am not even close to finishing any of the books I am currently reading. I am 52 percent finished into The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O'Connor; 13 percent into both The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens and Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen.

But this post is about the books did finish. 

 

 

 84, Charing Cross Road

by Helen Hanff 

 4.25
Cute, funny, witty. Not as emotional or touching as The Correspondent but an interesting  look into that era (1949-1968), made even more interesting because it’s true.

 

 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

by T.J. Klune

5.0

I’ll eventually write the review but right now I’m listening to T.J. Klune read his acknowledgements and he broke me. I love him more than I did 2 minutes ago. Just a taste of what he said is that he wants to be the anti-J.K. Rowling.

I will say, the book is delightful & narrator Daniel Henning is very talented.

Well, I haven't written the review yet. I love this book, though, almost as much as love Cerulean Sea. A new character who joins the magical youth, David, is as endearing and quirky as the rest of them, and is running a close second to Chauncey as my favorite. I like the direction Linus and Arthur's character's have taken and I also like that we get more of Arthur's backstory which explains a lot about the hows and whys of what is happening now.

I am looking forward to part three of this captivating and enchanting series, and I do hope he plans on more than a trilogy.

 

Close Your Eyes and County to 10

by Lisa Unger 

 3.25
Not my favorite Lisa Unger book, but it was good.

Usually, it’s the characters that keep me interested in a story, or maybe a mix of characters and plot. In this book, I really didn’t care that much about any of the characters (maybe teen daughter Violet) and the story was too long. However, the theme of social media and technology and how they touch and influence every part of our lives was very interesting, and would make good book club discussions, probably. 

Bottom line: Yes, I would recommend it with the caveat of don’t expect the usual hold your breath, psychological thriller you get from Lisa Unger. I did read it in one day, so it definitely was not boring.

 

 The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club

by Martha Hall Kelly 

4.0

Martha’s Vineyard isn’t the first place that comes to mind (for most people) when they think of World War II but as we learn in this book (or are reminded) there was plenty of war-related activity there. The many ways it affects the Smith family — in particular sisters Cadence and Briar — in their personal lives, their family business, how they view the war are the themes of the book.

It’s told in a dual timeline— 1942 and 2016. Finding out exactly how the two connect (we have an idea) is a slow burn, but it is a satisfying conclusion. 

Challenge: Completed, and Then Some

 I read 115 books last year and, yes, even I was surprised by that. My original goal was 26. When I met that fairly early in the year I increased it to 33. When I met that, I just didn't increase it again. The last five or so books got on the list because of Lake Effect snow.

Yes. Lake Effect Snow. Because of a band of the nasty stuff that cuts through part of my route to work, I was allowed to work from home for two days (an advantage of working for compassionate nuns) -- December 30 and January 2 -- and needed some kind of background noise to keep me awake. Not that audio books are "background noise," but if I had turned on the TV I would have watched Rachel learn the results of the pregnancy test and heard her say, "That's a risky little game," for the 1,463,922 time. It's one of my top five favorite episodes. Anyway, these are the books that got me through those two days of working by myself in my apartment, and the rest of those weird two holiday weeks.

 

The Favorites

by Layne Fargo

 4.5
I listened to the whole thing in one day. Interesting characters. Multi-layered plot. The audiobook has several narrators and is very well done. It’s also not a typical romance with all the mushy gushy, lovey dovey  stuff. I’m not normally a romance reader (although I have read a few this year) but there is so much more to this story than the romance. Highly recommend.

 

The New Couple in 5B

by Lisa Unger 

 3.75
Not as good as I wanted it to be but it’s Lisa Unger, and she’s always worth reading. 

I did like the main character although she was a little naive sometimes, concerning certain characters.

 

Under the Tulip Tree

by Michelle Shocklee 

 

 4

I really liked it. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the “big reveal” or surprise or whatever you want to call it (It’s not really a twist, per se.) seemed too contrived.

I absolutely love Frankie, the 100-year-old formerly enslaved woman who is telling her story - starting at age 6 - to a reporter.

 

The Heiress

 By Rachel Hawkins

 4 

Very twisty & fun. 

(I guess I didn't want to go overboard with the praise.) 

 

 

As for physical books, well, book:

 

Return of the Spider

by James Patterson

 

 4.5
Exactly what you would expect in an Alex Cross book, which is exactly why I have read the previous 33. Well, 32. I didn’t know what to expect with Along Came a Spider, which introduced us to Gary Soneji. Soneji makes a comeback in this book, hence the title.  But didn’t Soneji die in a previous book? No spoilers. You’ll have to read it to find out how he still manages to mess with Alex and Sampson. 

It seems to me that Alex is about to go through some major life changes related to the soul searching he’ll be doing after the Soneji discoveries. It will be interesting to see how, as a mental health professional, he handles the effects this will have on his mental health. And Sampson’s.

In my review of last year’s The House of Cross I mentioned Alex’s grandmother, who has been “ninety something” for the duration of the series while his kids continue to age. Others must have mentioned that, too, because Patterson does address it in a satisfying way.

 

 

 And Kindle:

 

Nineteen Minutes

by Jodi Picoult 

 

 4.75
I decided to read this book because I watched an interview with the author talking about it being banned in some schools. 

This is exactly the type of book that teenagers and their parents should be reading! You want to know how and why school shootings are happening? This book will tell you. And I don’t believe it will give your child ideas about how to be violent or be a bully, but I do believe it may lead them toward being more empathetic or at least not as mean.

Banning books that paint a realistic picture of high school life is not the answer to anything.

 

 

The First Witch of Boston 

by Andrea Catalano 

 

 4.25
I wouldn’t have guessed that the spiciest book I would read this year be set in the 1600s. It was good, though. 

The story is about Maggie Jones, who is tried for being a witch, basically because she’s an intelligent, outspoken, passionate, unapologetic woman in a Puritan community in Massachusetts. 

Several parts of the book made me think, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

 

 

So far this year I have read four books: 84 Charing Cross Road, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Close Your Eyes and Count to 10, and The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club. Reviews to follow soon (I hope).

 

I am currently reading: The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O'Connor (paperback, #over40bookclub),  The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens (audio) and Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen (Kindle).

 

I have been informed that my January Book-of-the-Month Club selection has just arrived (Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston). I haven't started December's yet! I swear, cross my heart, the next book I start will be a hardcover. Now it's in writing. I am obligated to do it. (That's how it works, right?)