Annual reading challenge 2017-come join us

Book #23/50: Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo

From Goodreads:
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called upon by the sheriff's department in rural, upstate New York to assist on a developing situation that involves a reclusive Amish settlement and the death of a young girl. Unable to penetrate the wall of silence between the Amish and "English" communities, the sheriff asks Kate to travel to New York, pose as an Amish woman, and infiltrate the community.

Kate's long time love interest, State Agent John Tomasetti, is dead set against her taking on such an unorthodox assignment, knowing she'll have limited communication - and even less in the way of backup. But Kate can't turn her back, especially when the rumor mill boils with disturbing accounts of children in danger. She travels to New York where she's briefed and assumes her new identity as a lone widow seeking a new life.

Kate infiltrates the community and goes deep under cover. In the coming days, she unearths a world built on secrets, a series of shocking crimes, and herself, alone... trapped in a fight for her life.

Book #24/50: All the Little Children by Jo Furniss

From Goodreads:
When a family camping trip takes a dark turn, how far will one mother go to keep her family safe?

Struggling with working-mother guilt, Marlene Greene hopes a camping trip in the forest will provide quality time with her three young children—until they see fires in the distance, columns of smoke distorting the sweeping view. Overnight, all communication with the outside world is lost.

Knowing something terrible has happened, Marlene suspects that the isolation of the remote campsite is all that’s protecting her family. But the arrival of a lost boy reveals they are not alone in the woods, and as the unfolding disaster ravages the land, more youngsters seek refuge under her wing. The lives of her own children aren’t the only ones at stake.

When their sanctuary is threatened, Marlene faces the mother of all dilemmas: Should she save her own kids or try to save them all?
 
#13 The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

I bought this book at a garage sale for my daughter, but she had yet to read it so I figured I would. It's okay its like one of those books I keep thinking is gonna get better but never did. I love original ideas and this though somewhat Lemony Snicketich, it seemed original. It just never got better, and really was tough t get through. There is no way I'd get through this as a kid. Gonna have to buy a new book for my daughter now.

(If anyone is interested, I would gladly send a kindle gift version of any of my works “Written for You”, “Three Twigs for the Campfire”, “Cemetery Girl” or “Reigning”. You can see them all reviewed at Goodreads. If you are interested in reading any just message me.)
 
15/25 - The 5th Horseman by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

I'm reading my way through this series. It's typical James Patterson

16/25 - Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

This story takes place right before the California Gold Rush. It's about a girl about the age of 15 who can sense gold. It's the first book of a series. I am purchasing the next one.
 


#29/60

After The Storm by Linda Castillo

When a tornado tears through Painters Mill and unearths human remains, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder finds herself tasked with the responsibility of identifying the bones--and notifying the family. Evidence quickly emerges that the death was no accident and Kate finds herself plunged into a thirty year old case that takes her deep into the Amish community to which she once belonged.

Meanwhile, turmoil of an emotional and personal nature strikes at the very heart of Kate's budding relationship with state agent John Tomasetti. A reality that strains their fragile new love to the breaking point and threatens the refuge they've built for themselves--and their future.

Under siege from an unknown assailant--and her own personal demons--Kate digs deep into the case only to discover proof of an unimaginable atrocity, a plethora of family secrets and the lengths to which people will go to protect their own.


This is book 7 in the Kate Burkholder series and is good as always. Starting book 8 tonight.
 
#56/80: The Missing Ones (Lottie Parker #1) by Patricia Gibney (4/5) (Irish suspense/PI)
Liked the characters; will look for the next one.

#57/80: Sons and Soldiers by Bruce Henderson (4.5/5) (nonfiction/WWII)
Stories of Jewish men/boys who escaped Nazi Germany to the US then went back to fight against the Nazis - so brave!

Just started the new Louise Penny!:yay:
 
#25/50: My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

From Goodreads:
Angel Crawford is a loser.

Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.

That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she's hungriest!

Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.

Literally.
 


#41/58-"Dave Barry Is Not Taking This Sitting Down". Typically funny Dave Barry. Laugh-out-loud funny in many places, a little slow in a few spots. Not the most mature humor-maybe that's why I liked it so much! I can't wait to start the next one-"Long Mile Home", the story of the Boston Marathon bombings. I'm a former resident of the Boston area, and DH is a marathon runner. Although he didn't run Boston, many of his friends did, and every year we'd go to a spot along the route to cheer them on. I can't wait to read this book!
 
Ahhhh I have forgotten to come and update this in the last few weeks!

#39: Little Golden Book, Raggedy-Ann & Andy's Rainy-Day Circus
#40: Selected Journals of L.M.M. Montgomery Vol One
#41: Anais Nin, Little Birds
#42: Llama Llama Misses Mama
#43: How Cinderella's Mice Tricked Lucifer the Cat
#44: Maureen Lyttle, The Longest Road
#45: Rumpelstiltskin, the Edward Gorey-illustrated edition! ;)
#46: James Lamb, The Corvette Navy
#47: American Girl, Beforever Melody: No Ordinary Sound
#48: Roland Huntford, Shackleton

Thankfully I only have two books on my "currently reading" list so I can hopefully get through them soon.
 
#30/60 Among The Wicked

Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is called upon by the sheriff's department in rural, upstate New York to assist on a developing situation that involves a reclusive Amish settlement and the death of a young girl. Unable to penetrate the wall of silence between the Amish and "English" communities, the sheriff asks Kate to travel to New York, pose as an Amish woman, and infiltrate the community.

Kate's long time love interest, State Agent John Tomasetti, is dead set against her taking on such an unorthodox assignment, knowing she'll have limited communication - and even less in the way of backup. But Kate can't turn her back, especially when the rumor mill boils with disturbing accounts of children in danger. She travels to New York where she's briefed and assumes her new identity as a lone widow seeking a new life.

Kate infiltrates the community and goes deep under cover. In the coming days, she unearths a world built on secrets, a series of shocking crimes, and herself, alone... trapped in a fight for her life.

Another good one. This is book 8 of the Kate Burkholder series.
 
This is book 8 of the Kate Burkholder series
I have read a couple of books from this series and found them an enjoyable twist on the standard Amish books.

Week 35 - I read five books this weeks which makes it 140/208. The books I read this week are:

Daisy Mc Dare and the Deadly Directorial Affair -A Daisy Mc Dare Cozy Creek Mystery by K.M. Morgan. Apparently there is a whole series featuring this detective. I read this because I got it free and it was all I had available when I was struck in a waiting room for an extended period of time. It was not good and I will not get any more of the series, even for free.

P.S. From Paris by Marc Levy (translated from French). Romantic fiction. A movie star hides out in Paris after finding out about her husband's affair. She moves in with a long time friend who is a chef and spends some time helping her by waitressing. She meets an American ex pat writer and they end up together with some interesting twists along the way.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. Based on the true stories of women who served as spies for England during the First World War. It is told in two parts - one taking place in 1915 and the other in 1947 after the end of the WWII. This was very good historical fiction.

Someone Else's Love Story by Joshhilyn Jackson. Woman's romantic fiction. The characters were unique and well voiced. The plot had interesting turns leading to two happy endings and an acceptance that the third couple would not be getting back together.

The Red Door Inn (Prince Edwards Island Dreams) by Liz Johnson. Christian romance set on Prince Edward Island. It was an pleasant read with the standard happy ending.
 
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17/25 - Rising Phoenix by Kyle Mills

Has an interesting take on a way to get rid of the drug problem in America, not that I agree with what was done but in this fiction book it worked.
 
14 of 20: The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs

Robert Peace was born outside Newark in a ghetto known as "Illtown." His unwed mother worked long hours in a kitchen. His charismatic father was later convicted of a double murder. Peace's intellectual brilliance and hard-won determination earned him a full scholarship to Yale University. At college, while majoring in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, he straddled the world of academia and the world of the street, never revealing his full self in either place. Upon graduation from Yale, he went home to teach at the Catholic high school he'd attended, slid into the drug trade, and was brutally murdered at age thirty.

That's the short version of Robert Peace's life. The long version, the complete version, is this remarkable tour de force by Jeff Hobbs, a talented young novelist who was Peace's college roommate. Hobbs attended Peace's funeral, reached out to his friends from both Yale and Newark, and ultimately decided to write this harrowing and beautiful account of his life.

What does the haunting, untimely death of one man mean? Robert Peace's life doesn't reduce to easy sociological constructions. Through Hobbs's relentless research and remarkable writing, we learn the cost of living between the world Peace was born into and the one his potential allowed him to enter. We see him work, love, fail, succeed, give to others, care for his mother, travel, and dream. We witness the decisions he made for himself and the ones that life forced upon him. But most importantly, we come to understand the sheer complexity of his existence and are irrevocably changed by the fascinating, devastating, and unforgettable life of Robert Peace.

This book took me two months to get through. A very hard read, emotionally. The entire thing is just tragic. I wasn't in love with Hobbs writing style, and didn't like when he switched focus to his point of view a few times. Still, 4 out of 5 stars.
 
#58/80: Glass Houses (Gamache #13) by Louise Penny (5/5) (Canadian mystery)
Usually I don't care for story lines that jump between time periods, but this book was fantastic! I do love these characters!
 
#32 The Silent Corner - Dean Koontz

From Dean Koontz's Website:
Once in a while, a character comes so alive so quickly and with such an edge that I almost feel as if I’ve actually met this person. It often follows that if the character has such an edge, the story moves like an express train, because a character with an edge has surprises up his or her sleeve that I can’t foresee but that I’m delighted to discover in one twist after another.

When I started THE SILENT CORNER, I didn’t know what a rocket-propelled roller coaster I had just boarded. Jane Hawk, the lead of the story, is an FBI agent on leave, who quickly becomes an FBI agent gone rogue——at least in the eyes of the agency. She is 27, incredibly tough, wonderfully smart, and surprisingly tender. The story involves no supernatural element, but it has what I’d call a scientific premise in the Michael Crichton tradition, something that is not futuristic but here now in an early form with a terrible potential. While I knew that the premise would provide for a scary and exciting story, I didn’t realize just how scary and exciting until I began to explore it fully in THE SILENT CORNER.

When Jane becomes the most wanted fugitive in the country, which she is as the story opens, she is not able to use planes, trains, or buses because the security cameras in those venues can be so easily married to facial-recognition software. She cannot drive a vehicle with a GPS, have a laptop, or use a smartphone. She is so intensely hunted that she must be off the grid in a way that no one ever is——not even those very committed preppers of reality-TV fame——and yet must be able to use the Internet and travel freely and get at a series of well-protected people to wring them dry of what information they have. And she must be willing to do and endure whatever it takes to survive.



As is my history this is also part of a series (at least I started with book 1 this time). Book 2 & 3 are written but not released, yet. Can't wait to continue the story.
 
18/25 - The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

I've enjoyed this series for the most part. I put down book 1 with the intent of not reading the others but I'm glad I didn't. It's an easy read.

#32 The Silent Corner - Dean Koontz
It's been a while since I've read anything by Koontz. This intrigues me so I will put it on my list.
 
It's been a while since I've read anything by Koontz. This intrigues me so I will put it on my list.

I am usually a fan of Koontz but there have been a couple that I just couldn't get into. This was one that drew me in from the start.
 
#31/60 The Broken Road by Richard Paul Evans

Chicago celebrity, Charles James can’t shake the nightmare that wakes him each night. He sees himself walking down a long, broken highway the sides of which are lit in flames. Where is he going? Why is he walking? What is the wailing he hears around him?

By day, he wonders why he’s so haunted and unhappy when he has all he ever wanted-fame, fans and fortune and the lavish lifestyle it affords him. Coming from a childhood of poverty and pain, this is what he’s dreamed of. But now, at the pinnacle of his career, he’s started to wonder if he’s wanted the wrong things. His wealth has come legally, but questionably, from the power of his personality, seducing people out of their hard-earned money. When he learns that one of his customers has committed suicide because of financial ruin, Charles is shaken. The cracks in his façade start to break down spurring him to question everything: his choices, his relationships, his future and the type of man he's become.

Then a twist of fate changes everything. Charles is granted something very remarkable: a second chance. The question is: What will he do with it?
 
#59/80: Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton (5/5) (Kinsey Millhone mystery)
Another great book in a great series!
 

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