tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57453949349436159762024-03-05T02:16:08.819-06:00Beth's Reading Lista blog about what i've been readingBeth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-48252531963294628612018-06-13T17:14:00.002-05:002018-06-13T17:15:43.560-05:00The Women of the Castle by Jessica Shattuck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've read many books set in WWII. But, this one is different.<br />
It isn't about the war as much as what happens before and after. What lengths would you go to for survival? What would you do to uphold the 'truth'? What is our moral responsibility and what if that understanding is different for those around you?<br />
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Marianne made a promise to her husband and her best friend to look out for the wives and children of the resistance in Germany. With that off the cuff statement her life took on a purpose - and a set of blinders dictated by her 'rightness.'<br />
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Marianne's first task after the war is to find the wife of her dear friend Connie Felderman - Benita, a farm girl more focused on pretty things than politics. But as the wife of a dead soldier who was hung for his attempt to murder of Hitler - she is expected to also be politically driven. Martin, Benita's son joins Marianne's son and two daughters at the castle.<br />
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The second family that Marianne saves is Ania Grabarek and her two sons. They were discovered in a displacement camp and were not known directly by Marianne - she knew of Ania's husband that is all.<br />
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These three fatherless families figure out how to live in a castle with no running water or electricity. And do so successfully, until they don't. Until Marianne's clear understanding of black and white clangs against both Benita and Ania's history and reality.<br />
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But, the book doesn't end there. Rather it jumps ahead to the 1990s when the castle becomes a museum honoring the resistance. Marianne is invited to return for a speech and friendships are reconnected in a different light.<br />
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This is a thought-provoking book of what happens after. What are we left with as we look backwards at the war - and how does that impact our world today.<br />
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I would highly recommend this one too!!!<br />
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#summer2018book3<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-2887017781991139282018-06-13T17:01:00.000-05:002018-06-13T17:15:28.314-05:00The Lying Game by Ruth Ware<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kate<br />
Thea<br />
Isa<br />
Fatima<br />
<br />
Four girls connected at the hip for one memorable year of boarding school.<br />
<br />
"I need you."<br />
<br />
And with those three words gather these women from the lives they have created apart and away in the big world and return them back to the paths of the school and the swamp and the stories and the lying game.<br />
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It seemed like a simple game - tell the lie and gain points when others believe. But, those lies had a way of digging deeply into the small village around the school with the remnants remaining years later as a scrap of graffiti on a bathroom wall or a whisper around the edges at the bar.<br />
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But there is more than just a story and a lie at the bottom of this book. An unexplained disappearance with rumors of abuse and then a body. As the police try to figure out who that body is - the women tumble to the truth as well.<br />
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I thought I had this figured out again and again. As Isa remembers and reveals the truth - I thought I knew. But I was left guessing until the end!!<br />
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This is great and fast read!!!<br />
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#summer2018book2Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-64448108591335460422018-06-13T16:47:00.004-05:002018-06-13T17:15:14.106-05:00Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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Kate is trying to do the right thing - but her life just isn't what she expected. Instead she is stuck in a job she doesn't really like, in a house that she has become the caretaker of watching over her father and her younger sister who seems to be on the verge of a bigger life. <br />
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And then her father comes up with an idea...his research assistant will soon be deported unless Kate is willing to marry him.<span id="goog_1321954807"></span><span id="goog_1321954808"></span></div>
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What?! Kate is taken aback at her father's request and both repelled and swept up in Pytor's kindness.</div>
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This modern telling of the Taming of the Shrew has Tyler's familiar touches - a slight bewilderment at the situation and an unexpected kindness in the end.</div>
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Greatly enjoyed this!!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-66805766674454931812018-04-15T17:17:00.001-05:002018-04-15T17:17:58.857-05:00Road TripThis is the first time I have used audio books-and I loved it! I was on a road trip and these books made the hours and miles fly!<div>
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<u>Sorry to Disrupt the Peace</u> by Patty Yumi Cottrell</div>
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<u>Chronicle of a Last Summer</u> by Yasmine El Rashidi</div>
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<u>Heroes of the Frontier</u> by Dave Eggers</div>
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I would recommend any of these books. They each had great and fully developed characters. I especially enjoyed Heroes of the Frontier. </div>
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Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-63426033257672351382017-12-29T08:22:00.001-06:002017-12-29T08:24:37.434-06:00Good GriefObviously have done horrible job of blogging about my reading-since there are no posts since July.<br />
Instead of writing to catch up...<br />
I am just going to list the books I’ve read and really try to do better in 2018!<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith</li>
<li>The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith</li>
<li>Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith</li>
<li>Origins by Dan Brown</li>
<li>The Whole Towns Talking by Fannie Flagg</li>
<li>Lost And Found by Brooke Davis</li>
<li>Invisible Ellen by Shari Shattuck</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-45050935761098788502017-07-30T17:57:00.002-05:002017-07-30T17:57:38.875-05:00Gone Girl by Gillian FlynnI really wanted to like this book - I wanted to like the Amy especially.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGA3hS7YvKR9FnfMvcBEpouMlo-2zDZmV9TviIE-rQ-uEBsPvjhcbAdOePsO1CUeKyqFU5TVCZ3FzX0_7o2bP2DBBLKBqO5lpDCUaLfrUKId3vR0dr3U9cazbfxaAqusdfiehw7Jh0EhA/s1600/gone+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="421" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGA3hS7YvKR9FnfMvcBEpouMlo-2zDZmV9TviIE-rQ-uEBsPvjhcbAdOePsO1CUeKyqFU5TVCZ3FzX0_7o2bP2DBBLKBqO5lpDCUaLfrUKId3vR0dr3U9cazbfxaAqusdfiehw7Jh0EhA/s200/gone+girl.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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But....I didn't.<br />
<br />
I didn't like Amazing Amy and I didn't like plain old Nick. <br />
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But - for this book that isn't really important - instead it's hooking me enough to see the story through to the very end. And it did that very well. There were many moments when I hoped the book would go one way - but it didn't. That kept me reading!<br />
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I did not see the movie - and I won't. <br /><br />I would not want to give Amy and Nick another minute of my time - they deserve one another - but not me!!!<br />
<br />Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-1712775622173695452017-07-30T16:22:00.000-05:002017-07-30T16:22:03.511-05:00American Gods by Neil Gaiman<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lUtiHIl5BbSabtQjfjfVKuXbpJucEKvxwcWUK9HBTpgALdS0h8nFlLL6eDn_egMSGNmKLpDmG5pE2TNo-EtG_mZFuJlfwIaEwQWHKz-t9a_tHRFMYu4nR4PZOGN7PgCYaZgkAQIQcN4/s1600/gods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="332" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lUtiHIl5BbSabtQjfjfVKuXbpJucEKvxwcWUK9HBTpgALdS0h8nFlLL6eDn_egMSGNmKLpDmG5pE2TNo-EtG_mZFuJlfwIaEwQWHKz-t9a_tHRFMYu4nR4PZOGN7PgCYaZgkAQIQcN4/s200/gods.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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This Neil Gaiman book was the perfect travel book - since most of this story is about traveling. As I <br />
flew across the country and spent time in airports I kept my eyes open for the current American gods!<br />
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This is an intriguing concept - the gods of old are being pushed aside by new gods and we creatures of earth are at all of their mercy. It would have helped me to have a better handle of mythology - but that isn't really a requirement.<br />
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As the story unfolds - I felt 3 steps behind...and I think that is what it was supposed to be. As Shadow is pulled and pushed along by Mr. Wednesday - the reader also is pulled and pushed along. That is an intriguing way to tell the story. There were parts that I really didn't like - it got a bit bogged down. But - I think that also added to the overall story.<br />
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A good one for summer reading #2Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-67822762629578191832017-07-30T15:53:00.006-05:002017-07-30T16:02:36.322-05:00The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-size: 14px; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJsCSzbk6B8cDZOIRxoDUwynpjggdpUz1BUlq_1B6T9_-j0jPO_VwrWzU7ckUVRh2q9tAyT0gAFjD9sMkvGqibEgdDIgELFNZBBvvYCwcv9pP0ARAeL9M4GUtaw4kAW2t2ShE1Idej9c/s1600/fikry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="423" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJsCSzbk6B8cDZOIRxoDUwynpjggdpUz1BUlq_1B6T9_-j0jPO_VwrWzU7ckUVRh2q9tAyT0gAFjD9sMkvGqibEgdDIgELFNZBBvvYCwcv9pP0ARAeL9M4GUtaw4kAW2t2ShE1Idej9c/s200/fikry.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: #999999;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #666666;">This was the first of my vacation reads. This was a comfortably predictable read...grouchy and out of touch bookseller meets unlikely love interest in his small NE shop. I really liked all the book references scattered throughout - it drew me in to other reading adventures. There is a baby and an island and lots and lots of books. All the elements are there!!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #666666; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">This was a great way to start my summer reading!</span><br />
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Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-46340453183154702552017-03-05T17:42:00.001-06:002017-03-05T17:42:28.655-06:003rd Degree by James Patterson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For this third installment of the Women's Murder Club Lindsay is smack dab in the middle of the an explosion on a slow Sunday morning. The women are drawn in to this search for the August Spies as they strike again and again.<br />
<br />Then the most horrible thing... August Spies becomes personal - hitting one of the team very hard.<br />
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This is another great book - enjoyed it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-58204755193919040012017-03-05T17:28:00.003-06:002017-03-05T17:28:52.096-06:00The Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OnMCL_PHqq0/WLycsd018VI/AAAAAAABBOg/p0yW8AwZZpwK1blYo5l441tRTMFKIaCegCLcB/s1600/0553393480.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OnMCL_PHqq0/WLycsd018VI/AAAAAAABBOg/p0yW8AwZZpwK1blYo5l441tRTMFKIaCegCLcB/s200/0553393480.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" width="111" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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Sebastian Rudd is one of a kind. At least I hope so! <br />
He is the defense lawyer who takes the worst and most impossible cases - the ones that no one else will touch. And in the midst of that he knows the law deeply and clearly - better than the others. And with that knowledge he is able to seeming manipulate the outcomes.<br />
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Sebastian is not in it for the greater good or anything like that - he is in it for the $$$ and the joy of proving the big guys are wrong.<br />
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It's a fast and interesting read. The chapters loosely fit together as you walk through months of his life from case to case.<br />
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I would highly recommend this one! I read it aloud to my husband as we traveled. It was the perfect book for that. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-59442561146454048552017-03-05T17:16:00.002-06:002017-03-05T17:16:56.310-06:00The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oQW3HosbPow/WLyXEBfp94I/AAAAAAABBOQ/Y8bEpPU3qfAXmFj5_UFr5bVVSz6Yso4lQCLcB/s1600/fabf7f536c8679c596f6b616b77444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oQW3HosbPow/WLyXEBfp94I/AAAAAAABBOQ/Y8bEpPU3qfAXmFj5_UFr5bVVSz6Yso4lQCLcB/s200/fabf7f536c8679c596f6b616b77444341587343.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image by LibraryThing</td></tr>
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This is one of the those books that slowly grabbed my attention and held it tightly. Simon is a reference librarian whose days are numbered living in a house on the edge of a hill whose days are numbered. And then he receives a book in the mail. The book tells the story of a long ago carnival. And at that moment the book shifts between the real life story of the carnival and the present time story of Simon and his sister Enola and their oddly cursed family. <br />
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This story is filled with Tarot cards, mermaids who can hold their breath for long minutes yet are susceptible to a curse that drowns them, and a house that is slipping into the sea. <br />
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I enjoyed Simon and his odd frozen in time life. I liked his librarian skills - searching and seeking information and sticking with a problem. I liked the fact that the library plays such a role in his story - even as the floodwaters threaten. And I cared about Amos and his choked off voice - he was also frozen in a completely different way.<br />
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Enjoyed this fast and interesting read!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-22539153703813069862017-02-08T11:09:00.001-06:002017-02-08T11:18:46.174-06:002nd Chance (Women's Murder Club) By James Patterson<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj582tMkHiT1oCCqhjpShpCQ4P4gLaemFUC2aoGyDG9xCBD-z7HGgog9tv63gwLhJ749IfrtF_tinFjwSAJCjUWpj6WwFRXei5bbpbGcVpDa6gnWPShd1qKL92fz8UDXgM83rSckslbhQ/s1600/3633bac1633e98b597858615577444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj582tMkHiT1oCCqhjpShpCQ4P4gLaemFUC2aoGyDG9xCBD-z7HGgog9tv63gwLhJ749IfrtF_tinFjwSAJCjUWpj6WwFRXei5bbpbGcVpDa6gnWPShd1qKL92fz8UDXgM83rSckslbhQ/s200/3633bac1633e98b597858615577444341587343.jpg" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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Lindsay and her club are at it again. This time it all starts with the death of an 11-year old at a church shooting. It looks racially motivated - but is it really. This is a black church in a tough but improving neighborhood - and it looks random at first. But the shooter killed only one person and that shot was pretty incredible...maybe not as random as it seemed.<br />
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The second death or maybe the first is the hanging of an elderly black woman in the basement of her apartment building. And then a police officer is gunned down responding to a domestic abuse call in a derelict building.<br />
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Lindsay and her friends are digging. Cindy becomes entangled romantically with the handsome pastor of that church. Jill has a medical emergency and Claire is pulled in to this crime when the shooter attacks her home.<br />
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And then the chief of police is gunned down outside his home.<br />
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Lindsay's father makes an appearance and is somehow tied in to this whole thing. Is he there to cover his own back and make sure the investigation moves away from him - or is he there to keep Lindsay safe??<br />
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This is another page turner and a fast read. My only complaint is the epilogue again...is this a pattern? But that won't keep me from reading the 3rd one and then moving on to the 4th!!<br />
I love a good series!!<br />
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Costa Rica book #4!Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-42444600508123486152017-02-08T11:01:00.002-06:002017-02-08T11:17:10.496-06:001st To Die (Women's Murder Club) By James Patterson<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0ZA_CL87AH-n0OrD3Lyxf7-pCJC89lPl3GUrYWYgV1daXvgeBRc7erql0mQYfSuCr2ofmAofe9rSHLLSdKhZB46qBeNQ7S6z1-4OX-QJi5T-Syu_TDgZgCuDCYnLe3FP27tTo27se94/s1600/0446696617.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0ZA_CL87AH-n0OrD3Lyxf7-pCJC89lPl3GUrYWYgV1daXvgeBRc7erql0mQYfSuCr2ofmAofe9rSHLLSdKhZB46qBeNQ7S6z1-4OX-QJi5T-Syu_TDgZgCuDCYnLe3FP27tTo27se94/s200/0446696617.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
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Brides and Grooms are being murdered on their wedding day! What a horrible way for a book to begin - but I was caught as soon as Lindsay Boxer began investigating.<br />
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Lindsay has a new partner and isn't too happy about Chris Raleigh and his PR roots. His polish is the opposite of her gritty, tough woman persona. And then the pesky reporter, Cindy Thomas gets in the way. She is trying to make a name for herself in order to move from the Metro section to crime. And she has a way of figuring out what is going on. <br />
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So, Lindsay takes a chance. She invites Cindy to accompany her to drinks with her biggest support network - Claire Washburn, the coroner. And that is the beginning of the Women's Murder Club. Three ladies who are tough and smart and on top of their careers and putting their heads together helps the investigation.That would be enough for the club - but they need legal help. Bring in the assistant District Attorney, Jill Bernhardt. And the club is complete. <br />
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The club is only one side of the story though.<br />
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This story is also told in first person by the killer - which is creepy! And as you find in all crime shows and novels - there are missteps on who this suspect is. All eyes focus on the author of a book about bride and groom crimes. Is it really him though??<br />
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Then there is a final confrontation between Lindsay and the killer.<br />
There is also a sad love story and a bunch of female bonding.<br />
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This was the perfect book to read on the beach! Quick page turner without having to put tons of energy into figuring out the story. I loved it!!<br />
Costa Rica book #3Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-5206208599731796142017-02-08T10:45:00.001-06:002017-02-08T11:13:43.297-06:00Inheriting Edith by Zoe Fishman<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOKSypNyScnVO9UU9PPctXXBIXhdOnN40le2iocFsJ1zdvF5PoLQQiNbkWapcd7UrTUtdDZTFl-RO676VOQr3chUhjhdaFbhqILJtEf-aeM-A6YXjXJCv0IwiKkwa5H3w3JkJIjLrpfI/s1600/0062378740.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOKSypNyScnVO9UU9PPctXXBIXhdOnN40le2iocFsJ1zdvF5PoLQQiNbkWapcd7UrTUtdDZTFl-RO676VOQr3chUhjhdaFbhqILJtEf-aeM-A6YXjXJCv0IwiKkwa5H3w3JkJIjLrpfI/s200/0062378740.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
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Maggie and Edith are an unlikely pair. Maggie is the cleaning lady and Edith has not been particularly close to any of her 'help.' Liza was Maggie's friend and Edith's daughter and she left a gorgeous house in Sag Harbor and Edith to Maggie in her will. How can you inherit an elderly woman? Well that was just a part of the package - the house and Edith. You see, Edith was aging and had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. <br />
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Maggie had a decision to make.<br />
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It was actually an easy decision - carrying out the decision was not quite so easy. Edith did not believe she needed to be taken care of by a gold-digger cleaning lady!<br />
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That is the simple premise of this story. From the beginning you know that they will figure it out. That's a given - and actually a comfort. You want Maggie and Edith to create a family. <br />
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The unexpected part is Edith's own story. As her short term memory fades her past becomes more and more real. And in a brilliant moment she decides to ask Maggie to write down those memories. Stories of a dancer's life in NYC and the beauty and difficulties she hid to achieve. <br />
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This is a story of mothers and daughters and the secrets that keep them apart and draw them together. It's a story of the horror of Alzheimer's and the depth of friendship. It's about making a new family from the friends you surround yourself with.<br />
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I enjoyed this one! It was a great beach read - Costa Rica book #2Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-26902353339561462682017-02-08T10:34:00.002-06:002017-02-08T11:10:10.425-06:00We Are Called To Rise by Laura McBride<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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This is not the easiest story to read. It's full of heartache and hope and reality. Reality means it's not all rainbows and unicorns. Instead, it's a hard and then it's harder and then it's wonderful!<br />
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Las Vegas is the backdrop for this story of Bashkin, 8 year old Albanian son of an ice cream truck driver. And Bashkin's exuberant Aussie teacher decides it would be a good idea to write a letter to a soldier deployed from the nearby base. That simple act sets in motion unexpected actions that impact all!<br />
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Bashkin's letter is filled with innocent questions of a curious and scared boy. The letter he receives from Specialist Luis is not innocent - instead he describes how he shot a boy in Afghanistan. And Bashkin, poor Bashkin, gets terribly sick with anxiety when he reads it.<br />
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This book is not only Bashkin's story though. It also follows Specialist Luis, recovering from a head injury that seemed to occur right after he sent off that fateful letter. And we hear from the mother of a newly instated police officer, with her fears for her recently returned soldier son. And another woman who seems to be connected with the court system someway.<br />
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Each of these characters brings a piece of the story to a final culmination when their separate stories coalesce. This is a hard story to read if you are connected to the military. There are scars from war that affect each soldier in a different way. The families sometimes bear those scars in hidden ways. This is not only the story of American war families - but also those scattered across the world wherever there is violence.<br />
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And at the heart of it all is a boy who only wants to fit in and do what is right for his family and himself. <br />
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This was a little deep for a beach read - hard to cry with the sun shining down on me!!<br />
Costa Rica book #1Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-45484708017223448342016-11-19T16:42:00.001-06:002016-11-19T16:45:05.499-06:00Memory Man and The Last Mile by David Baldacci<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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David Baldacci does not let me down! His books are the perfect travel books - short chapters and lots of action. These two were the perfect ones to take us from Iowa to California and back again this past August!!<br />
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Amos Decker is a man with a twisted past - pro football player for one play and then BOOM and his memory turns into a permanent file - nothing ever disappears from it. That made him a great cop. But when his family is murdered that never-ending memory also brought to life all his darkness. He couldn't unsee the murders - they replayed again and again until it caused him to fall off the face of the earth.<br />
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Almost.<br />
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He is drawn back into solving crimes when there is a death much like his family's. There is a school shooting and a truly twisted villian!!<br />
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So at the end he joins the FBI as a sort of quasi-cop. And that starts the next book - where he is drawn to another ex-football player's story. Melvin Mars is about to be executed for the murders of his parents. Melvin was a college ball player soon to go pro with amazing talent. When he murdered his parents and that was that - until his execution is stopped due to a confession by another soon to be executed convict. That draws Amos' team to the site and the discrepancies start to add up - especially when the confession falls apart. <br />
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I really liked both of these books. Baldacci does a great job creating characters that I root for and I like that! There are twists that I don't always see coming - but enough that you do see that keep you involved in solving the mystery. I REALLY like Amos. He is the anti-hero that I gravitate towards. He is in this situation not by his own will and he would rather not be here - but there is a goodness in him that keeps him involved for those he might be able to help in spite of himself. And yes, I know that is a crazy run-on sentence - but that is exactly how I see him!!<br />
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I would highly recommend these books.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-10888741810635466012016-11-19T16:19:00.001-06:002016-11-19T16:19:22.378-06:00To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vPLWWaDTULg/WDDMxGxzfbI/AAAAAAAA-5c/OPhrG_apJCMRO1gZv1lzedQTOr1fXsRRACLcB/s1600/d58c9790530e6ba5930512b5367444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vPLWWaDTULg/WDDMxGxzfbI/AAAAAAAA-5c/OPhrG_apJCMRO1gZv1lzedQTOr1fXsRRACLcB/s320/d58c9790530e6ba5930512b5367444341587343.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
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It's been a long time since I've read a science fiction/time travel book. This one is not like anything I've read before. It's the future in England and time travel is a thing. But - it's not what I expect of traveling to an unknown and interesting place - instead the reader is dropped into the midst of an already moving story. <br /><br />You are in England of the future and all the time traveling of the day is to learn the details of Coventry Cathedral - because it is being completely rebuilt and refurnished to the moment before it was destroyed by Nazi bombers in WWII.<br />
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And poor Ned, the main character, has been shuttling around the late 1800s trying to figure out what has happened to "The Bishop's Bird Stump." The reader doesn't even find out what in the world the bird stump is until well in to the book - a hideous vase - and that really doesn't even matter. Because Ned pulls us in to the world of Muchings End where he is to rest up and recover from his time-lagged state. But that isn't a Muchings End of current time, but one of the the past where men wear boater hats and float down the Thames and quote poetry to Victorian women. Into this world the befuddled Ned falls and his quest to find the bird stump slowly begins to make sense. <br />
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I enjoyed this book - I sort of liked the off-kilter feel I had as a reader. I felt like I had come into the middle of a movie and didn't have the energy to ask my neighbor what was going on...so I just stayed with it until it began to make sense. It's also a love story - in a very English Victorian way - and the story of a spoiled cat and a great bulldog named Cyril. By the way, there are no cats in the future. So, Ned's first contact with a purring feline is rather funny!!<br />
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This is a good one. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-86123122621961215882016-06-14T21:52:00.000-05:002016-06-14T21:53:00.305-05:00Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sarah's life is not what with think of as normal. They move a lot, whenever the cold gets especially sharp and the smell of wet dog gets especially strong. But, her mom and dad seem to figure out how to make it work, until they don't- and her mom disappears. That is when she chances to meet Alan, the beastkeeper in the little not quite forest behind her house, and life doesn't return to normal.<br />
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This is a dreamy, dark, story woven around a fire on a winter evening of old magic and curses and pain. It is beautifully written - lyrical and sharp at the same time.<br />
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When I finished I wanted to start at the beginning again, because I knew I had not paid attention to the right threads in this story! I have a feeling this will be a book you hear more about!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-70710864826479635982016-06-14T21:40:00.000-05:002016-06-14T21:41:22.287-05:00All Fall Down by Ally Carter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Grace is one messed up ambassador's granddaughter. That seems to follow here all around Adria, the country where she lands with her grandfather. She lived in Adria with her mother for ,any Summer's before the fire and her moms death. Now Grace has been bumped from therapist to clinic and finally landed at the last spot available- her grandfathers house. Grace is haunted by her moms death- she smells smoke and sees the scarred face of her moms killer everywhere. Except her mom was not killed by the scarred man, and there is a death certificate to prove it.<br />
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I had this mystery all figured out, from her moms actual killer to the shady figures appearing in the empty embassy down the road. But, I was wrong! I love it when I am wrong! And boy was I wrong!<br />
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This story didn't begin or end with this book. This continues on in the next book. But there are details that are cleared up. Grace solves part of the mystery- and realizes she is not all alone. That makes a big change for her!<br />
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I liked this- it was a mini Bond-there was spy work, some acrobatics and diplomacy between embassiesand some pretty big twists. I enjoyed this quick read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-35635695114802522732016-06-14T21:27:00.001-05:002016-06-14T21:53:39.596-05:00The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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Hallelujah, not the best name for a cool girl-so when Hallie was welcomed in to Luke's group and then his arms she as sure she had arrived. Instead, she became the butt of harassment and ridicule. And it just wouldn't stop. Life in school and church had deteriorated to the point that Hallie's only real wish is to disappear. And the it was time for the youth group camp out.<br />
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When Rachel, the new girl, tries to make friends Hallie one more time and Hallie snubs her- that is the end. Rachel breaks off the hiking group and starts back to the camp . Hallie feels bad and joins her and Jonah, Hallies old friend joins them. It should be an easy walk down the mountain.<br />
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Should be., but it isn't. There is a rain storm, a mudslide, and that is all it takes for these three to become hopelessly lost.<br />
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So- this is a pretty predictable story. The there have to depend on each other to make it back. There is a bear, some unexpected injuries, no food and a bear. The part that wasn't as predictable was their relatives bishops with God and how that is woven into the story. I appreciated the honesty and the non- preachy attitude. I also liked that it wasn't all tied up neatly at the end. Hallies questions remained.<br />
I would recommend this one. Survival stories are a hit, weave in a love story and a growing friendship and this was really good.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-63690945674405598152016-05-30T09:45:00.000-05:002016-05-30T09:56:26.819-05:00Crash by Lisa McMann<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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Jules is haunted by an image of a fiery crash and body bags. This private video plays again and again on billboards, road signs and her computer screen. Her own private hell to watch over and over. And if that isn't enough - the video slowly adds details, including the face inside one of the body bags - and she knows him!<br />
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Mental - right! On top of that, Jules father is a hoarder. His mental illness makes Jules fear that she is also losing her mind! Her dad's breakdown was traced to the beginning of a feud with a rival pizza family. And it just happens that the son of the pizza dynasty is the face in the body bag that Jules sees! Oh yeah, and he is her secret love!<br />
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What is a girl to do???<br />
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That is the story. <br />
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This premise really intrigued me. How would you convince someone else that you know something bad is/might/could happen to them without everyone thinking you are completely off your rocker? Because really, visions can't be true - right? But, what if they are true? What if ignoring this vision brings Sawyer's death?<br />
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It was a little weird to read a book that centers so much on pizza following <u>Saint Anything</u> which also focuses on pizza! It made me hungry!! Just an odd coincidence.<br />
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This is a slim book - and the first of a series, the vision seems to be moving on to other characters. There is a bit of a Romeo and Juliet feel to this - but with a vision twist. I would recommend this book. It grabs the reader quickly, with very little background and keeps your attention throughout.<br />
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<br />Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-37740935071478266912016-05-30T09:32:00.001-05:002016-05-30T10:00:43.009-05:00Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlawpcIUDVlSDI4rIoeRTdh8GzS70CVqhXgkNNy72M0stQ2LFp04FZLnI3sCUCZ7JyGRZ_z2-eMqulc7iLAYg_XXnbtztE6MS-60CU0xtfbY7Ucpzi5N48hiASU44OA7yoXcikAFL6qk/s1600/saint+anything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlawpcIUDVlSDI4rIoeRTdh8GzS70CVqhXgkNNy72M0stQ2LFp04FZLnI3sCUCZ7JyGRZ_z2-eMqulc7iLAYg_XXnbtztE6MS-60CU0xtfbY7Ucpzi5N48hiASU44OA7yoXcikAFL6qk/s320/saint+anything.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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I like a good Sarah Dessen! I can count on strong female characters, a bit of a love interest, a family plot and some sort of twist. But, most of all, I can count on a happy ending - there will be a resolution!<br />
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That is just what I found in <u>Saint Anything</u>. This is the story of a girl, Sydney, hidden in the enormous shadow of her older brother, Peyton. That is just fine - until Peyton veers farther and farther from the straight and narrow and ends up in prison. And then Sydney realizes the depth of his shadow on her parents - they simply don't see her at all!<br />
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In an attempt to start over, Syd transfers schools and slowly makes friends with Layla and her family at Seaside Pizza, the family restaurant. That sets the stage for this book. Inside the pages there is a creepy, lurking friend of Peyton's, a band competition, a moment of alcohol and a medical emergency. Through it all, Sydney learns to trust her heart and finds her voice. And her parents finally see her as the individual she is.<br />
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I would say finding what is lost in an unexpected way is the theme of this book, whether that is friendship, strength or a new and different reality. <br />
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I enjoyed this book and it's comfortable predictability! <br />
I recommended this already to my niece and my daughter! <br />
As I said - Sarah Dessen doesn't disappoint!Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-12688034607449312482016-05-30T09:18:00.003-05:002016-05-30T09:22:08.773-05:00Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijHhzdiDdy1qXI8F7CeFto1PtmiTRYqIJAyrMOAPFrVyuZJUKue_urso7R6BtmhcP2WAQbyiRm6-1C3UgDfX4qldNnp9TGxjUjKj9zJub1J-hr3WxCEsGahyphenhyphenD1v4xGRM_Dh0_W3DsDxo/s1600/red+queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijHhzdiDdy1qXI8F7CeFto1PtmiTRYqIJAyrMOAPFrVyuZJUKue_urso7R6BtmhcP2WAQbyiRm6-1C3UgDfX4qldNnp9TGxjUjKj9zJub1J-hr3WxCEsGahyphenhyphenD1v4xGRM_Dh0_W3DsDxo/s320/red+queen.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from LibraryThing</td></tr>
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I liked Mare and the premise of this book - a girl with no prospects becomes Someone (with a capital S).<br />
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But the <u>Hunger Games</u> vibe was incredibly strong - a little too strong for me in the beginning!!<br />
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Mare is from the Stilts (the lowest of the low) and she is a Red (meaning her red blood puts her in the serving class) held down by the Silvers (silver blood and special powers), the ruling class. She has a deep commitment to Kilron, an orphaned friend from the Stilts, and is committed to his welfare at all costs. And, she is falling in love with two men - who just happen to be brothers and princes - Cal and Mavern. <br />
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I can accept and even enjoy all those details. But, there was one detail that just pushed it over the edge. She is also an unwitting revolutionary - operating without seeing the big picture - a pawn for both sides. That was a little too Katniss-ish for me.<br />
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The theme is - making yourself someone when you have NO chances to be someone. That is appealing to all of us middle of the class, miss average, invisible readers. And there is LOTS of violence - swords and war and matches to the death and blood and gore - which appeals to a different part of the reader's' psyche. <br />
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My overall <br />
feeling - it was an intriguing and fast read. It is the first of a series and even with my doubts I would like to know what happens to Mare, so I would read the next one!Beth Swantzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01367604206192283084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-38208863727154790822016-02-22T21:36:00.000-06:002016-02-22T21:36:46.293-06:00The Guilty by David Baldacci<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Will Robie - the CIA operative with a heart. He stands for right and justice. And he is one messed up dude! His last job was more than he expected - a single shot took out a dictator in a foreign land and his daughter hidden behind him. It messed him up just like Jason Bourne at his last assassination attempt.<br />
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So what is Robie to do? The Blue Man sends him home to deal with his family problems - his father has been accused of murder. In typical Baldacci fashion he begins to unfurl the murder mystery. <br />
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I was hooked - sort of. This all felt more contrived than other Baldacci Robie books. I am tired of him almost finding his way out of the dark of the CIA and being pulled back in. This did it again.<br />
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I really didn't like the end of the book. The pulled and broken father/son relationship is stretched and messed with throughout this book. And then it is miraculously mended. I don't really like that. It pushes the edges of Robie in a way that I don't appreciate. And makes me even sadder when I think about it in relationship to friends with father issues - neatly tied solutions just don't ring true!<br />
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So - did I like it? It kept my interest and my focus on the beach in Mexico. But - i wouldn't recommend it.<br />
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Vacation Book #3Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5745394934943615976.post-7106439892077707542016-02-22T21:19:00.000-06:002016-02-22T21:19:41.128-06:00The Verdict by Nick Stone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My wonderful younger sister gave me a 3-month subscription to the Book Of The Month club - and this is the first installment from that club. It was a great vacation reading book!!<br />
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Terry Flynt is a great everyman - the guy who is trying to improve his life after messing up at the bottom of a bottle of booze. So to start over he is working as a law clerk in a pushy and semi-questionable law firm. <br />
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All that changes when his old best friend is accused of murder. Now that sentence may make you think that he is also a down-on-his-look Londoner. But - you would be wrong. Instead, Vernon James is someone - REALLY someone! He is rich and powerful and a little shady and an accused murderer. <br />
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So - it seems like Terry Flynt is in the best place to defend his friend. Which would be true if they were still friends, which they aren't. <br />
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This is a cat and mouse game of lies and hidden agenda and Londoners and foreigners is intriguing and involved. I enjoyed all of it -didn't quite have it figured out - which always makes me happy!<br />
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Vacation Book #2<br />
Book of the Month Book #1Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0