Congratulations to...

... our Week #4 Prize Winners:

• Judy
• Katy L.

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners

Author: Therese ONeill
Stars: 2
Review by: BKF
I was looking forward to reading this book The facts were interesting, but very early on I was turned off by the author's style...an ongoing insertion of the author's 'wit, sarcasm, and cutesy comments' forced me to skim the pages until I finished the book.

The Cuckoo's Calling

Author: Robert Galbraith
Stars: 3
Review by: TLW
Enjoyed the plot and characters. Thought the author was a bit wordy with his descriptions at times--some of which seemed unnecessary.

The Library Book

Author: Thomas R. Schiff
Stars: 4
Review by: libraryaimee
Oversized book of photos from libraries around the U.S.  Gorgeous photos of fabulous libraries that make you want to plan some road trips to visit them!

Whistling Past the Graveyard

Author: Susan Crandall
Stars: 5
Review by: Just Ada
I loved this book. The characters were great and it kept me wanting more. I was sad when it ended.

Missing Pieces

Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Stars: 3
Review by: Just Ada
Listened to this in the car.  It kept my interest, but was not outstanding.  A mystery.

Incendiary

Author: Chris Cleave
Stars: 5
Review by: argee17
Sad. Fast reading. Published in 2005, but very timely.

The Story of the Lost Child

Author: Elena Ferrante
Stars: 5
Review by: Nancy W
This is the fourth book in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series.  I read the other 3 earlier this year.  They told the life story of a pair of Italian women who were born in the 1940s.  These books were translated from Italian and the vocabulary was of a higher level.  I liked the story, but was a bit lost when it got into Italian politics.

The Round House

Author: Louise Erdrich
Stars: 3
Review by: mysterylover
A story about a crime on an Indian reservation.

Congratulations to...

... our Week #3 Prize Winners:

• SandyJ
• Rainbow

Progress So Far

Click on image to enlarge.

The Moveable Feast

Author: Ernest Hemingway
Stars: 5
Review by: Cheryl M
An autobiographical work of his days as a poor writer in Paris with his first wife.

The Underground Railroad

Author: Colson Whitehead
Stars: 5
Review by: Cheryl M
The strength of the main character Cora alone is well worth the read but the writer's prose and his ability for you to visualize the scenes enables the reader to be drawn in. For those struggling with the beginning, keep reading!

New for July

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown

Billie has been missing for almost a year after leaving on a solo hike and is about to be declared legally dead so her husband Jonathan, and he hopes in turn, teenage daughter Olive can get on with their lives.  Olive is having sightings of her mother and is certain Billie is still alive and trying to let Olive know.   As Jonathan begins to clear out the detritus of not only a marriage but of a life as well, he begins to uncover things about his wife that suggest she kept many secrets from her family.  While Jonathan and Olive struggle with whether or not Billie is dead or has just disappeared and if she did, why did she disappear, they must rearrange themselves for their lives without Billie.  This multi-layered story of a woman’s life and her leaving of that life force Jonathan to take a hard look at his marriage and the woman he married and Olive to consider her vibrant, nature-loving mother in a different light and for father and daughter to find their ways once again, together as a family and separately.  Many different themes will elicit discussion among book groups.

The Breakdown by BA Paris

Driving home one stormy night, Cass takes a short cut through the woods near her house and happens upon a woman in a car; the woman doesn’t appear to be in distress and the rain is coming down in torrents so Cass continues on her way home.  The next day she learns that the woman was murdered a short time after Cass drove on and then she realizes the woman, Jane, is the woman Cass just met and had lunch with not long before; Cass becomes wracked with guilt that she did not stop.  Slowly, Cass begins to forget things and conversations and becomes increasingly afraid she is succumbing to the same fate her mother did: early onset dementia.  But in the back of her mind, Cass thinks there is more to her “forgetfulness” it than that as she begins to receive silent calls daily and beings to wonder if someone is trying to make her mad or at least convince her she is going mad.  Little by little Cass begins to put the pieces together to reveal a picture more terrifying than she imagined.  High tension and an urgency to the narrative keeps pages turning to the shocking conclusion in this second novel from the author of Behind Closed Doors.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Isa left Salten, a boarding school located in a gothic setting on the English Channel, over fifteen years ago, married and has a new baby.  When she gets a three-word text, “I need you” from her classmate Kate she knows that two other women from school, Fatima and Thea, have received the same text and the day has come to answer for the secrets and lies they kept and told while at school.  A bone has been found along the shore in an area near Salten known as the Reach and these four women think they know to whom it belonged.  Joining Kate, who has stayed in the artist studio in which she grew up with her father, the women revisit their school years, including the Lying Game in which players garnered points for various lies and deceptions, the biggest rule being never lie to each other:  but one of them did and it has come back to haunt them.  Even as their shared past is revealed, Isa realizes that not everything is as it seems and if the focus is shifted just a bit, things take on new meanings and that maybe all lies contain a truth and maybe truth is what we tell ourselves and come to believe over time.  Creepy and gothic, this addictive novel is as gripping as it is thoughtful.

In a Dark, Dark Wood

Author: Ruth Ware
Stars: 2
Review by: Pam D
It's advertised to be a thriller along the lines of Gone Girl. It isn't. The book got silly around Chapter 29. It wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't recommend a rush to read it.

Firefly Summer

Author: Maeve Binchy
Stars: 5
Review by: BeachBarb
 I reread this Maeve Binchy book which I believe was the first of hers that I read years and years ago. I didn't remember it, just remembered how much I had liked it. It didn't disappoint me the second time around. A great story!!

A Man Called Ove

Author: Fredrik Backman
Stars: 5
Review by: BeachBarb
I loved Ove, a combination of my dad, my hubby and me.

Wonderfully Dysfunctional: It Must Be Genetic

Author: Buffi Neal
Stars: 3
Review by: BookDancer
Honest and humorous memoir by a local author.

Secrets in Summer

Author: Nancy Thayer
Stars: 3
Review by: BookDancer
Sweet summer romance, set in Nantucket. Good read, on or off the beach!

How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

Author: Louise Penny
Stars: 5
Review by: BookDancer
I'm hooked on listening to these mysteries set in the fictional community of Three Pines, Quebec, performed by Ralph Cosham. They combine the best elements of great whodunits; wonderful characters, great setting and suspenseful, well-crafted plots. Won't stop until I've finished all 12 of them...Louise Penny is my new favorite author!

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

Author: Lisa See
Stars: 5
Review by: PKB
Best book I've read all year! Love the history, the setting, the characters and the TEA!

A Voice in the Night

Author: Andrea Camilleri
Stars: 3
Review by: LZ99
Quick, easy read. Enjoyable.

Full Wolf Moon

Author: Lincoln Child
Stars: 3
Review by: jambob
Someone is metamorphing into a werewolf during the full moon! Grisly murders, dark nights, screams and a mystery. A fast summer read by a master thriller author.

The Ship of Brides

Author: Jojo Moyes
Stars: 5
Review by: Just Ada
Excellent read. End of World War 2. Not something I ever knew about--war brides.

The Greek Yogurt Kitchen

Author: Toby Amidor
Stars: 4
Review by: Rainbow
These are great recipes using Greek yogurt, I can't wait to try them.

Everything I Never Told You

Author: Celeste Ng
Stars: 5
Review by: Judy
Wonderful, emotionally moving book about a death and a family. The dynamics within the family both before and after the death are what causes the reader to react emotionally.

"A Rich Spot of Earth": Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello

Author: Peter Hatch
Stars: 5
Review by: Shapoppa
 What an interesting read about Thomas Jefferson's experimental garden written by Monticello's Director of Gardens & Grounds Emeritus, Peter Hatch. If you're an avid gardener, it's a must-read. If you're like me, a lover of American history and someone who likes the idea of an expansive garden, but will settle for a couple of pots on the deck, it's still a must-read! Jefferson kept such detailed notes about his garden and Hatch describes the history of how Jefferson devised his garden, how seeds were tracked, and how the garden was organized, dug, and maintained back then, and today. He even writes about the restoration of the garden in later years. Part II of the book is a catalog of various "fruits, roots, and leaves" that were planted at Monticello. A horticultural achievement.

What We Find

Author: Robyn Carr
Stars: 2
Review by: Amanda Hodge
Read like a Nicholas Sparks book; predictable and cheesy.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Author: J.K. Rowling
Stars: 4
Review by:Amanda Hodge
Nice to be back in the world of Harry Potter! Very quick read as it is in screenplay format.

Congratulations to...

... our Week #2 Prize Winners:

• argee17
• Pam D

Progress So Far

Click on image to enlarge.

The Boston Girl

Author: Anita Diamant
Stars: 4
Review by: Just Ada
I listened to this in the car. I had read it a long time ago, but it was very good to listen to.

Ford County

Author: John Grisham
Stars: 2
Review by: BKF
Short stories. Not my favorite John Grisham book.

Three Junes

Author: Julia Glass
Stars: 5
Review by: BKF
Terrific book! It's about a family-- father, mother, three adult sons -- over the course of about ten years and how their lives intersect and take some really surprising turns. It was very adult reading, not at all sappy.

Faithful

Author: Alice Hoffman
Stars: 5
Review by: Kerstin
Compelling story about guilt, forgiveness, and learning to love.

The Man Who Never Stopped Sleeping

Author: Aharon Appelfeld
Stars: 2
Review by: Lizzytish
I get the premise of this book. Somehow it felt flat. Two dimensional. Erwin annoyed me somehow. And the pacing was enough to put me to sleep. I felt for the other characters more and was silently cheering them on. Then there was the ending which felt so abrupt. This is just my opinion and I know other people love the book.

The Breakdown

Author: B.A. Paris
Stars: 4
Review by: Linda
I received an advanced copy of this book...it was a fast read, I couldn't put it down.

River Road

Author: Carol Goodman
Stars: 3.5
Review by: bandit

Decent mystery!

 

 

Maid of the King's Court

Author: Lucy Worsley
Stars: 4
Review by: libraryaimee

A YA book about a young girl who becomes a member of the court during Henry VIII's reign.  It doesn't go well for her fellow lady-in-waiting, Katherine Howard!

 

Everything I Never Told You

Author: Celeste Ng
Stars: 4
Review by: libraryaimee

While reading it I thought it was slow, but after it was over I missed the characters.  A character study of a repressed, bi-racial family.  No one discusses anything emotional which leads to big consequences...emotional and moving.  You don't realize its effect until after it is over!

Whistling Past the Graveyard

Author: Susan Crandall
Stars: 5
Review by: Lizzytish

I loved this book! I love Starla and Eula. A great perspective on blacks in the Deep South during the early 1960's. A story of love and redemption. What is family? What makes one display courage and strength. The author knows how to weave words to tear at your heartstrings.

 

God's job ain't to make our lives easier, it's to make us better souls by the lessons he give us.

 

The Light Between Oceans

Author: M.L. Stedman
Stars: 3
Review by: Spring J

Very quick read.  By the third part I couldn't put it down.  Grew to empathize with Tom and Izzy.

 

Little Bee

Author: Chris Cleave
Stars: 3
Review by: Pam D

Sarah and her husband are vacationing on a beach in Nigeria when they come across Little Bee and her sister.  No one's life is ever the same again.

 

Each chapter alternates between Little Bee's voice and Sarah's which got confusing at times.  The pivotal moment in the book focuses around the murder of Nigerian villagers for the valuable oil beneath their land.  This one moment, told as a memory, will not be soon forgotten.

 

It's a good book, but not anything I'd rush out to read.

Truly Madly Guilty

Author: Liane Moriarty
Stars: 5
Review by: Angel

This is the second book I've read by this author.  I really enjoy her writing style.

 

The Light Between Oceans

Author: M.L. Stedman
Stars: 5
Review by: jambob

I know this was a bestseller of 2015, but I just got around to reading it now. It's a very well written story of a heartbreaking moral dilemma with the background of a desolate lighthouse off the coast of Australia. I actually rented the movie at the same time I was reading the end of the book. The movie was filmed from New Zealand, but the scenery was breathtaking.

I highly recommend reading this book and seeing the perspective of the different characters. It is very thought-provoking. I also recommend watching the movie because the wind swept story stays with you for quite a while.

 

Picture Perfect

Author: Jodi Picoult
Stars: 1
Review by: LZ99

I used to think I liked everything Jodi Picoult wrote...but this one proved me wrong.

Not only could I not relate to any of the characters in the book on any level, I found nothing about any of them to be attractive or believable. A personal quirk of mine is to continue reading a book to the end once I have gotten through a certain number of pages...I kept reading this one waiting for the twist or excitement or anything that typically makes Picoult's work so engaging, but this piece fell flat. Extremely repetitive, dull, and predictable. This has me wondering if it's worth picking up another Picoult book ever again.

 

After You

Author: Jojo Moyes
Stars: 4
Review by: Just Ada

You should read her previous book as this is a follow-up.  Both were very good.  I listened to this one.  Good readers.

 

The Secret Life of Bees

Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Stars: 5
Review by: Juli

The Secret Life of Bees was an excellent read; it tackles tough topics in an endearing and graceful manner.  It is a heartwarming story that redefines the meaning of family.  Women and girls of all ages will be moved by the beautiful relationships described in the novel.

Missing Pieces

Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Stars: 4
Review by: bandit

Enjoyable mystery with some unexpected twists.

 

James and the Giant Peach

Author: Roald Dahl
Stars: 5
Review by: PattiK

Realized a few months ago that I have a TON of children's books in my personal library that I have not yet read. This summer I plan to change that reality. This was an easy, quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

You Changed My Life

Author: Abdel Sellou
Stars: 3
Review by: PattiK

I'd heard about the movie The Intouchables when I was in Utah recently but wanted to read the book.  I actually got the wrong book ~ this one was written by Driss, the caregiver.  The book I wanted was Second Wind written by the gentleman who Driss cared for.  I have since ordered Second Wind since the library doesn't have a copy.  That said, it was interesting reading Driss' perspective.  I want to read both books before watching the movie which has been HIGHLY recommended.  Perhaps it was his writing style which had me give it a 3 instead of a 4, but nonetheless their story is worth a "look see".

 

A Girl's Guide to Moving On

Author: Debbie Macomber
Stars: 1
Review by: bandit

No depth to the subject matter.

Any Day Now

Author: Robin Carr
Stars: 4
Review by: Keeread

Sequel to her book called What We Find.

Cryptonomicon

Author: Neal Stephenson
Stars: 5
Review by: ReadsWithCats

This is a 910 page novel and it has some mathematics in it, so it is a heavy duty read. Part science fiction and part historical novel it flips back and forth between WWII and almost the present day. During WWII you meet an eccentric cryptographer and his friend Alan Turing and a gung-ho Marine who occasionally serves with the cryptographer. During the present day you meet their descendants, who are also intertwined in each other's lives, as well as a couple of characters who are present in both timelines.

 

Stephenson is a very verbose writer. He weaves a large tapestry of details through several plot lines. If you like to get lost in a book this is a good one to pick.

Stars Over Clear Lake

Author: Loretta Ellsworth
Stars: 4
Review by: BNbook

A mystery and romance with some history.  Takes place in the recent past and the 1940s.

 

Death of a Toy Soldier

Author: Barbara Early
Stars: 3
Review by: Lizzytish

Another debut cozy. However, this is an upscale version. Most cozies are like fast food, where as this one is like an upscale cafe. Delightful characters with a love for puns, bring enjoyment to the story. A retired police officer owns a vintage toy shop which his daughter, Liz, helps run. There is a murder one night in the shop. Liz's Dad can't recall what happened, though he was there. Is it amnesia? Is dementia setting in? She must help clear her dad. It's not all play as she searches for a Clue, while taking a Risk and we're not talking the game of Life here. Or are we?

 

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency

Author: Mandy Morton
Stars: 2
Review by: Lizzytish

A debut cozy mystery series involving felines. I love cats, I love mysteries. This book? Not so much. There are a few bizarre murders, mixed along with the mundane musings of the 2 main characters. It's a fun concept, and it even had some quirky twists. It was amusing, but not captivating enough to continue the series.

 

Hidden Figures

Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Stars: 4
Review by: Ann Mc

Amazing true story of the black female mathematicians that worked for Langley, supporting the space program.  Many started as human calculators, but were able to get promoted as they were phenomenal.

 

Banana Cream Pie Murder

Author: Joanne Fluke
Stars: 3
Review by: mysterylover

So far I like this Hannah Swensen Mystery the best.  This one really left you wondering until the end. The ending was different than the other books in this series.

 

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Author: Aimee Bender
Stars: 2
Review by: Just Ada

I hope someone else reads this and gives an opinion.  It was very unclear to me.

 

Little Bee

Author: Chris Cleave
Stars: 5
Review by: argee17

Beautiful writing. Fast summer read.

The Homecoming

Author: Robyn Carr
Stars: 5
Review by: Goetz

Last book in trilogy. A Thunder Point novel.

Congratulations to...

... our Week #1 Prize Winners:

• Ann Marie
• bandit

Progress So Far

Click on image to enlarge.

Released Today!

Don't miss this #1 Library Reads pick published by HarperCollins...

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

This cleverly constructed mystery is both an homage to the Golden Age of mysteries along with poking a bit of fun at the genre in a tongue-in-cheek way.  Publishing editor Susan Ryeland has holed up for the night to read mystery mega-author, the odious Alan Conway’s latest manuscript The Magpie Murders, contained within the pages of Horowitz’s book.  To Susan’s frustration, the last chapters of the book, the ones containing Atticus Pund’s solution to who killed Mary Elizabeth Blakiston, housekeeper of Pye Hall, the home of Sir Magnus Pie.  When she returns to the office, Susan learns that the chapters may be lost to time, as Conway has died over the weekend.  Susan heads to Conway’s home she deduces that he did not kill himself but in fact was murdered.  As Susan begins to investigate ala Pund, she realizes the similarities between Conway’s latest mystery and his own life, recognizing characters from the book as thinly veiled people in his life, Conway’s lover, his wife and even his next-door neighbor.  Susan returns to the manuscript to look for clues and what she finds, over the series of Atticus Pund’s oeuvre is even cleverer than she originally suspected.  Fans of traditional and contemporary mysteries will dive headlong into this latest work from the creator of Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War and not want to leave until the last suspect has been unmasked.

Just Jennifer

The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech

This sophomore offering by the author of the mystical Season of the Dragonflies introduces readers to country singer and fiddle play Jo Lover who is about to make it bigger on the country music scene than in her wildest dreams.   She has carefully cultivated her image which is about to be placed in jeopardy when her small record label merges with Columbia Records who brings along her ex-boyfriend J.D. Gunn.  When the record execs dream up a joint concert for the duo, their chemistry takes over and the pair goes viral and Jo becomes afraid of not only having to give up her dreams of being a solo artist but is also fearful that the secrets of the past that she has so carefully hidden will be revealed destroying her carefully crafted persona.   Jo soon realizes there may only be one way to get her career back, but at what cost.  Soulful and bittersweet, plays out like a country music song and illustrates the often unseen, at times uglier side of the music industry and the struggles artists, especially women, must face in order to realize their dreams.  As Jo learns, though, success and happiness don’t always go hand in hand nor do they necessary line up with one’s dreams and how success and happiness were viewed.  Creech is a fresh voice in woman’s fiction; book groups will find much to discuss, perhaps against a background of country music.

Crooked Lane Books

Crooked Lane Books is a recent newcomer to the world of mystery publishing.  Founded in 2014, they are committed to publishing high quality mysteries and getting them into the hands of the people who love them the most.  Two of their cozy mysteries coming out this spring highlight the talent of two seasoned mystery authors, E.J. Copperman and Maia Chance, each with a new series.  Copperman’s Edited Out is the second in “A Mysterious Detective Mystery” featuring a mystery author whose main character may have just come to life, and Chance’s is the first “An Agnes and Effie Mystery” featuring a great aunt and niece who team up to restore an old in to its former glory. 

Edited Out by E.J. Copperman

Mystery writer Rachel Goldman has writer’s block: after several entries into the Duffy Madison series, Duffy Madison has appeared before Rachel, seemingly sprung from the air certain he came about when Rachel created him.  Now Rachel cannot write a story for the fictional Duffy without worrying about the effects it may have on the living Duffy who is a consultant for the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office missing person’s squad, ironic because the man who claims to be Duffy may actually be a missing person himself.  Rachel decides the only way to purge herself of the real Duffy is to uncover Duffy’s past and determine once and for all whether or not he is Damien Mosley who disappeared about the same time Duffy appeared.  The unlikely pair heads off to Poughkeepsie from where Damien, and presumably Duffy, hailed, where they interview people from Damien’s past and learn that Duffy cannot be Damien---but if he’s not Damien, who is he?  Rachel is a bright young woman with a sardonic streak (which she would say she is entitled to being from New Jersey) and a soft spot for her unlikely sidekick Duffy.  Copperman has written a clever mystery in which the plot is mirrored in Rachel’s writing.  The idea that Duffy sprang to life from Rachel’s imagination is intriguing and their investigation into Duffy’s identity is sure to provide further engaging adventures for this unlikely duo.  Few out there do wry humor better than Copperman. 

Bad Housekeeping by Maia Chance

The author of two other mysteries series debuts with this humorous cozy series featuring a one-time, but still glamourous model, Great Aunt Effie, and her niece Agnes, who still harbors anger toward her aunt for suggesting to an agent that Agnes would make a good “husky” model while the girl was still in her teens.  Agnes has just been unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend and kicked out of their apartment, and finds herself back home with her father in Naneda, NY. Agnes has also just been fired from her job at the library where she breaks an artifact that the head of the historical society, Kathleen Todd believes was done on purpose.  Effie, who has just inherited the rundown Stagecoach Inn from a cousin is back in town to restore it to its former glory and may have just threatened to wring Kathleen’s neck if Agnes doesn’t get her job back.  Unfortunately for Effie (and Kathleen as well), Kathleen is murdered, strangled, and Effie becomes the prime suspect, forcing Agnes and Effie to join together to save each other’s back…but will they be able to do that without killing each other (figuratively) in the process?  This over the top cozy is filled with delightful, entertaining characters that will endear themselves to readers and keep them coming back for more.