luvmarypoppins
<font color=darkorchid>I am debating whether to pu
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2003
Happy National Book Lovers Day to all the wonderful readers here!
Reading Challenge/Goals for 2023--2024 link added
- Thread starter willowsnn3
- Start date
Caseheidi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2012
28/52 All the Broken Places by John Boyne
I picked up this recommendation from this thread, so not going to summarize. TBH I did not finish this book, but as I read about half I am going to count it. I am not sure why, but I found myself avoiding reading and not wanting to finish it. I did find it to be well written, and and interesting concept, but there was something disturbing about the story for me that I cannot put my finger on. It was strange for me, because I have loved other stories I have read that revolved around WWII and included history and these concepts. It was just not right for me at this time. I may try to read again at a later date, and maybe then it will work for me. ( Note - I found this to be true for me with The Book Thief as well)
29/52 When They Fall In Love by Mary Lydon Simonsen
This book is a Pride and Prejudice Fan Fiction book (or at least that is what I call it). The story takes P&P, and keeps the story intact, except Mr. Darcy never came back to see Elizabeth after her rejection of his first proposal, instead the finds someone else to marry. Every other element of P&P is still there, including his working behind the scenes with the situation with Lydia, and sending Mr. Bingley back to see Jane. This story picks up when Elizabeth is Twenty and Seven years old, and she is traveling in France with Jane, Bingley and their daughter (who is 5-6). Jane had a difficult delivery, and her health has been affected. They are visiting some spa's and trying to restore her health. Bingley is still in close contact with Darcy, and their trip to the continent keeps getting delayed based on the recommendations of Darcy in his letters. At this pint in time, Darcy has been widowed and has a 6-7 year old daughter. They are living in Normandy, and convince the Bingley's to visit them before returning home. While Elizabeth has seen Mr. Darcy at her sisters house since her rejection, she is nervous as her feeling s have changed, and he is now a widow. They convince her to go, and she finds herself not only teaching her niece, but also Mr. Darcy's daughter and spending time with Mr. Darcy.
I really enjoyed this book. Some P&P fan fiction is not too good, but I found this to be well written, and holds up to the story. There are many references to the original works, and updates of the Bennett family. If you enjoy Austin and P&P, I would recommend this take.
I picked up this recommendation from this thread, so not going to summarize. TBH I did not finish this book, but as I read about half I am going to count it. I am not sure why, but I found myself avoiding reading and not wanting to finish it. I did find it to be well written, and and interesting concept, but there was something disturbing about the story for me that I cannot put my finger on. It was strange for me, because I have loved other stories I have read that revolved around WWII and included history and these concepts. It was just not right for me at this time. I may try to read again at a later date, and maybe then it will work for me. ( Note - I found this to be true for me with The Book Thief as well)
29/52 When They Fall In Love by Mary Lydon Simonsen
This book is a Pride and Prejudice Fan Fiction book (or at least that is what I call it). The story takes P&P, and keeps the story intact, except Mr. Darcy never came back to see Elizabeth after her rejection of his first proposal, instead the finds someone else to marry. Every other element of P&P is still there, including his working behind the scenes with the situation with Lydia, and sending Mr. Bingley back to see Jane. This story picks up when Elizabeth is Twenty and Seven years old, and she is traveling in France with Jane, Bingley and their daughter (who is 5-6). Jane had a difficult delivery, and her health has been affected. They are visiting some spa's and trying to restore her health. Bingley is still in close contact with Darcy, and their trip to the continent keeps getting delayed based on the recommendations of Darcy in his letters. At this pint in time, Darcy has been widowed and has a 6-7 year old daughter. They are living in Normandy, and convince the Bingley's to visit them before returning home. While Elizabeth has seen Mr. Darcy at her sisters house since her rejection, she is nervous as her feeling s have changed, and he is now a widow. They convince her to go, and she finds herself not only teaching her niece, but also Mr. Darcy's daughter and spending time with Mr. Darcy.
I really enjoyed this book. Some P&P fan fiction is not too good, but I found this to be well written, and holds up to the story. There are many references to the original works, and updates of the Bennett family. If you enjoy Austin and P&P, I would recommend this take.
mgarbowski
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2016
18 of 24 - Wool (Silo #1), Omnibus version by Hugh Howey
I was hooked by the AppleTV+ adaptation, which covers maybe half of this book so far. Two more books in the series.
I was hooked by the AppleTV+ adaptation, which covers maybe half of this book so far. Two more books in the series.
Simba's Mom
<font color=green>everything went to "H*** in a ha
- Joined
- Aug 26, 1999
#30-"The Circus Train", Anita Parikh, 4 stars
At the World of Wonders, Europe's most magnificent travelling circus, every moment is full of magic, and nothing is as it seems--especially for the people who put on the show
Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite her father's overprotection and the limits her world places on her because she is disabled. Her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. Over several years, as their friendship flourishes and Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice, World War II escalates around them. When Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena becomes separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible--herself.
A must-read for fans of The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, The Circus Train will take readers on a heart-wrenching and spectacular two-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?
#31-"Heroes Work Here"-Lucinda H. Baer, 3 stars
Discover how the nation’s largest senior living operator answered the call posed by the greatest public health crisis in one hundred years with courage and resilience.
CEO Cindy Baier shares a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes look at how Brookdale Senior Living navigated the COVID-19 pandemic as she stood at the helm of a company with $3.5 billion of revenue in 2020. Woven together with her own personal accounts, Cindy highlights the broad symphony of voices and diverse cast of players who proved pivotal in helping save lives during the most challenging crisis the senior lteiving industry has ever faced. The book is chock-full of heartfelt sentiment and granular insights that serve to redefine corporate leadership as the world enters a new normal. Heroes Work Here is the new gold standard for crisis management, a perfect primer for leaders wanting to stay one step ahead of any crisis, and a keen reminder of the wonders that result from a culture of caring.
I'll admit that for me, it was a 4star read since the book was a gift to me from Brookdale, who had cared for my mother during and after COVID. So if you have any relationship with assisted living, especially Brookdale, it may be a 4 star. But for anyone else, no more than a 3 (or less).
#33-"Phantoms", Christian Kiefer, 3 stars.
In the panoramic tradition of Charles Frazier’s fiction, Phantoms is a fierce saga of American culpability. A Vietnam vet still reeling from war, John Frazier finds himself an unwitting witness to a confrontation, decades in the making, between two steely matriarchs: his aunt, Evelyn Wilson, and her former neighbor, Kimiko Takahashi. John comes to learn that in the onslaught of World War II, the Takahashis had been displaced as once-beloved tenants of the Wilson orchard and sent to an internment camp. One question has always plagued both families: What happened to the Takahashi son, Ray, when he returned from service and found that Placer County was no longer home—that nowhere was home for a Japanese American? As layers of family secrets unravel, the harrowing truth forces John to examine his own guilt.
In prose recalling Thomas Wolfe, Phantoms is a stunning exploration of the ghosts of American exceptionalism that haunt us today.
#34 "A Night Divided", Jennifer Nielsen, 4 1/2 stars
With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.
But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?
Boy, did this book indirectly teach me a lot! It brought up so many questions I had about the Berlin Wall. And in Googling, I found myself often impressed with the facts that the author included.
#35 The Librarian Spy-Madeline Martin, 5 stars
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America’s library spies of World War II.
Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.
Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.
As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.
Fantastic! I loved it.
At the World of Wonders, Europe's most magnificent travelling circus, every moment is full of magic, and nothing is as it seems--especially for the people who put on the show
Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite her father's overprotection and the limits her world places on her because she is disabled. Her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. Over several years, as their friendship flourishes and Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice, World War II escalates around them. When Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena becomes separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible--herself.
A must-read for fans of The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, The Circus Train will take readers on a heart-wrenching and spectacular two-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?
#31-"Heroes Work Here"-Lucinda H. Baer, 3 stars
Discover how the nation’s largest senior living operator answered the call posed by the greatest public health crisis in one hundred years with courage and resilience.
CEO Cindy Baier shares a mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes look at how Brookdale Senior Living navigated the COVID-19 pandemic as she stood at the helm of a company with $3.5 billion of revenue in 2020. Woven together with her own personal accounts, Cindy highlights the broad symphony of voices and diverse cast of players who proved pivotal in helping save lives during the most challenging crisis the senior lteiving industry has ever faced. The book is chock-full of heartfelt sentiment and granular insights that serve to redefine corporate leadership as the world enters a new normal. Heroes Work Here is the new gold standard for crisis management, a perfect primer for leaders wanting to stay one step ahead of any crisis, and a keen reminder of the wonders that result from a culture of caring.
I'll admit that for me, it was a 4star read since the book was a gift to me from Brookdale, who had cared for my mother during and after COVID. So if you have any relationship with assisted living, especially Brookdale, it may be a 4 star. But for anyone else, no more than a 3 (or less).
#33-"Phantoms", Christian Kiefer, 3 stars.
In the panoramic tradition of Charles Frazier’s fiction, Phantoms is a fierce saga of American culpability. A Vietnam vet still reeling from war, John Frazier finds himself an unwitting witness to a confrontation, decades in the making, between two steely matriarchs: his aunt, Evelyn Wilson, and her former neighbor, Kimiko Takahashi. John comes to learn that in the onslaught of World War II, the Takahashis had been displaced as once-beloved tenants of the Wilson orchard and sent to an internment camp. One question has always plagued both families: What happened to the Takahashi son, Ray, when he returned from service and found that Placer County was no longer home—that nowhere was home for a Japanese American? As layers of family secrets unravel, the harrowing truth forces John to examine his own guilt.
In prose recalling Thomas Wolfe, Phantoms is a stunning exploration of the ghosts of American exceptionalism that haunt us today.
#34 "A Night Divided", Jennifer Nielsen, 4 1/2 stars
With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.
But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?
Boy, did this book indirectly teach me a lot! It brought up so many questions I had about the Berlin Wall. And in Googling, I found myself often impressed with the facts that the author included.
#35 The Librarian Spy-Madeline Martin, 5 stars
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America’s library spies of World War II.
Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.
Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.
As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.
Fantastic! I loved it.
Wood Nymph
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
23/30 - Ragtime - by E. L. Doctorow - 5/5 stars
"Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time. Published in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel could be. An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century and the First World War. The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, New York, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. And almost magically, the line between fantasy and historical fact, between real and imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J. P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud, and Emiliano Zapata slip in and out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family and other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler and a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence." -- Amazon.com
This book has been on my suggested reading list for ages. I was searching for a more "robust" book than the more recent fiction I had been reading. I love historical fiction and this book is one of the best ones. I'm glad that I finally decided to read Ragtime. really liked this book. It was loaded with fascinating characters and stories. The author took real people, like Houdini and Pierpont Morgan, and gave them a fictional persona. It was really well done.
"Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time. Published in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel could be. An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century and the First World War. The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, New York, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. And almost magically, the line between fantasy and historical fact, between real and imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J. P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud, and Emiliano Zapata slip in and out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family and other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler and a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence." -- Amazon.com
This book has been on my suggested reading list for ages. I was searching for a more "robust" book than the more recent fiction I had been reading. I love historical fiction and this book is one of the best ones. I'm glad that I finally decided to read Ragtime. really liked this book. It was loaded with fascinating characters and stories. The author took real people, like Houdini and Pierpont Morgan, and gave them a fictional persona. It was really well done.
DisneyHardin
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2010
27/26 - Palazzo - Danielle Steel - Danielle Steel is like a train wreck for me that I can't look away from. I feel compelled to keep reading her books even though they really aren't that good anymore. This one was a super predictable story that was almost the same storyline as her book 2 or 3 back called Worth Opponents. If you like Danielle Steel - you will probably like it. It's a very quick read.
bobbiwoz
I'm happy to dance with you!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2003
65/75 Until the Robin Walks on Snow by Bernice Rocque
The author describes in accurate detail the sacrifices made by the mother, the midwife, and the family of the newborn in a small New England town in 1922.
From Bruce M. Stave
With a solid foundation of research about the era,this fictional account based on her family’s history offers a charming portrait of family and community in southeastern Connecticut during the early twentieth century. It is a story shared by the many who came to America for a better life.
It’s a novella, and may read as a children’s book, but it’s not. It’s the story of a very tiny premature newborn who survived when most tiny babies were lost.
The author describes in accurate detail the sacrifices made by the mother, the midwife, and the family of the newborn in a small New England town in 1922.
From Bruce M. Stave
With a solid foundation of research about the era,this fictional account based on her family’s history offers a charming portrait of family and community in southeastern Connecticut during the early twentieth century. It is a story shared by the many who came to America for a better life.
It’s a novella, and may read as a children’s book, but it’s not. It’s the story of a very tiny premature newborn who survived when most tiny babies were lost.
Caseheidi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2012
30-34/52 The Meryton Brides Series by Kristi Rose
#30 To Have and to Hold
#31 With This Ring
#32 I Do
#33 Promise Me This
#34 Marry Me, Matchmaker
The Meryton Brides is a complete series (for now) that is a light, pleasant modernization of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with a twist on the characters. These sweet contemporary romance books are full of love, friendship, trust, and family. Darcy and Elizabeth’s story spans the series and ends in book five, but each book provides the happily ever after we seek. (from the authors website)
Each book is very short, and focus' on a different match. Book 1 is Charlotte (Lottie) Lucas and William Collins. Book 2 is Mary Bennet and Colonel Henry Fitzwilliam, Book 3 Lydia and George Wickham, Book 4 Jane and Charles (Charlie) Bingley, and book 5 is Elizabeth and William Darcy. Of course, you are actually seeing the later romances throughout all the books. In this modern retelling (set in New England) Jane and Elizabeth have started a Matchmaking business with Catherine De Bough as their backer. She comes to town demanding that the business start making a much larger profit or they buy her out. She has brought her nephews' with her to help improve or take down the business.
This is a fun take on P&P. This story is fun, and I enjoyed seeing how the author brought these characters into the modern world. I will say I thought the editing was poor as often there were sentences that need to be fixed (it appears to only be available digitally), but overall it was enjoyable. If you enjoy P&P Fan Fiction, you may enjoy these books.
#30 To Have and to Hold
#31 With This Ring
#32 I Do
#33 Promise Me This
#34 Marry Me, Matchmaker
The Meryton Brides is a complete series (for now) that is a light, pleasant modernization of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with a twist on the characters. These sweet contemporary romance books are full of love, friendship, trust, and family. Darcy and Elizabeth’s story spans the series and ends in book five, but each book provides the happily ever after we seek. (from the authors website)
Each book is very short, and focus' on a different match. Book 1 is Charlotte (Lottie) Lucas and William Collins. Book 2 is Mary Bennet and Colonel Henry Fitzwilliam, Book 3 Lydia and George Wickham, Book 4 Jane and Charles (Charlie) Bingley, and book 5 is Elizabeth and William Darcy. Of course, you are actually seeing the later romances throughout all the books. In this modern retelling (set in New England) Jane and Elizabeth have started a Matchmaking business with Catherine De Bough as their backer. She comes to town demanding that the business start making a much larger profit or they buy her out. She has brought her nephews' with her to help improve or take down the business.
This is a fun take on P&P. This story is fun, and I enjoyed seeing how the author brought these characters into the modern world. I will say I thought the editing was poor as often there were sentences that need to be fixed (it appears to only be available digitally), but overall it was enjoyable. If you enjoy P&P Fan Fiction, you may enjoy these books.
mrs. magoo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2003
23/30 - The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider - from Goodreads:
Varsity tennis captain Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.
I would give this 3.5/5 - It was a good young adult read.
24/30 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - this was an incredible book that lived up the hype for me. I absolutely adored all the characters. I would have never found this book if it was not for this page. Thank you so much
5/5 - this is very rare for me.
25/30 - Something Borrowed, Someone Dead - MC Beaton - Agatha Raisin
Incomer Gloria French is at first welcomed in the Cotswold village of Piddlebury. She seems like a do-gooder par excellence, raising funds for the church and caring for the elderly. But she has a bad habit of borrowing things and not giving them back, so when she is discovered dead, folk in the village don't mourn her passing too much.
Parish councillor Jerry Tarrant hires Agatha Raisin to track down the murderer. But the village is creepy and secretive and the residents don't seem to want Agatha to find who the murderer is. Then Agatha's investigations are hampered by the upset of discovering that her ex, James Lacey, has fallen in love with her young protégé.
4/5 - I do love me some Agatha Raisin. This was one of the better ones I have read.
Varsity tennis captain Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.
I would give this 3.5/5 - It was a good young adult read.
24/30 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - this was an incredible book that lived up the hype for me. I absolutely adored all the characters. I would have never found this book if it was not for this page. Thank you so much
5/5 - this is very rare for me.
25/30 - Something Borrowed, Someone Dead - MC Beaton - Agatha Raisin
Incomer Gloria French is at first welcomed in the Cotswold village of Piddlebury. She seems like a do-gooder par excellence, raising funds for the church and caring for the elderly. But she has a bad habit of borrowing things and not giving them back, so when she is discovered dead, folk in the village don't mourn her passing too much.
Parish councillor Jerry Tarrant hires Agatha Raisin to track down the murderer. But the village is creepy and secretive and the residents don't seem to want Agatha to find who the murderer is. Then Agatha's investigations are hampered by the upset of discovering that her ex, James Lacey, has fallen in love with her young protégé.
4/5 - I do love me some Agatha Raisin. This was one of the better ones I have read.
bobbiwoz
I'm happy to dance with you!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2003
66/75
What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan 4/5
Mrs. Magoo had mentioned this in July and I thought it was a good plot.
An 8 yr old boy goes missing while in the woods with his mom. You get alternate POV from the mother and the lead detective. It's an interesting read trying to figure out what happened.
In a heartbeat, everything changes…
Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes.
Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question, from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion.
As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that nothing is quite as she imagined it to be, not even her own judgment. And the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most.
Where is Ben? The clock is ticking...
What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan 4/5
Mrs. Magoo had mentioned this in July and I thought it was a good plot.
An 8 yr old boy goes missing while in the woods with his mom. You get alternate POV from the mother and the lead detective. It's an interesting read trying to figure out what happened.
In a heartbeat, everything changes…
Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes.
Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question, from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion.
As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that nothing is quite as she imagined it to be, not even her own judgment. And the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most.
Where is Ben? The clock is ticking...
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MGMmjl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
18/30 - Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg
Description:
"Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds that blast at near hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend.
As the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles’ history scorch the hills of Malibu, relentless arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his wild card of a new partner, Andrew Walker, a former US marshal, suspect that someone set the massive blazes intentionally, a terrifying means to an unknown end.
While the flames rage out of control, Danny pursues his brilliant scheme, unaware that Sharpe and Walker are closing in. But when they all collide in a canyon of fire, everything changes, pitting them against an unexpected enemy within an inescapable inferno."
This was an Amazon First Reads for August. I thought the premise sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed it. Evidently it is the first book in a new series, so I will try to read the 2nd one when it comes out.
Description:
"Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds that blast at near hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend.
As the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles’ history scorch the hills of Malibu, relentless arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his wild card of a new partner, Andrew Walker, a former US marshal, suspect that someone set the massive blazes intentionally, a terrifying means to an unknown end.
While the flames rage out of control, Danny pursues his brilliant scheme, unaware that Sharpe and Walker are closing in. But when they all collide in a canyon of fire, everything changes, pitting them against an unexpected enemy within an inescapable inferno."
This was an Amazon First Reads for August. I thought the premise sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed it. Evidently it is the first book in a new series, so I will try to read the 2nd one when it comes out.
RangerPooh
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
I read the book 30 years ago in high school. Can't recall much of it, but there is also a movie based on the book that was pretty good if I recall.23/30 - Ragtime - by E. L. Doctorow - 5/5 stars
This book has been on my suggested reading list for ages. I was searching for a more "robust" book than the more recent fiction I had been reading. I love historical fiction and this book is one of the best ones. I'm glad that I finally decided to read Ragtime. really liked this book. It was loaded with fascinating characters and stories. The author took real people, like Houdini and Pierpont Morgan, and gave them a fictional persona. It was really well done.
RangerPooh
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2005
Continuing the adventures of Fiona Fleming in the Fleming Investigations Cozy Mysteries.
22/25 Clinical Trials and Death (Fleming Investigations Cozy Mysteries book 8) by Patti Larsen.
23/25 Haute Couture and Death (Fleming Investigations Cozy Mysteries book 9) by Patti Larsen.
22/25 Clinical Trials and Death (Fleming Investigations Cozy Mysteries book 8) by Patti Larsen.
23/25 Haute Couture and Death (Fleming Investigations Cozy Mysteries book 9) by Patti Larsen.
mrs. magoo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2003
26/30 - Lost Boy Found by Kirsten Alexander
From Goodreads: In 1913, on a summer's day at Half Moon Lake, Louisiana, four-year-old Sonny Davenport walks into the woods and never returns.
The boy's mysterious disappearance from the family's lake house makes front-page news in their home town of Opelousas. John Henry and Mary Davenport are wealthy and influential, and will do anything to find their son. For two years, the Davenports search across the South, offer increasingly large rewards and struggle not to give in to despair. Then, at the moment when all hope seems lost, the boy is found in the company of a tramp.
But is he truly Sonny Davenport? The circumstances of his discovery raise more questions than answers. And when Grace Mill, an unwed farm worker, travels from Alabama to lay claim to the child, newspapers, townsfolk, even the Davenports' own friends, take sides.
As the tramp's kidnapping trial begins, and two desperate mothers fight for ownership of the boy, the people of Opelousas discover that truth is more complicated than they'd ever dreamed.
3.5/5 - This book was an interesting take on the social place of people in society. I felt terrible for Grace Mills and how she was treated because of her socioeconomic place. This book also brings up segregation and how formerly enslaved people continued to be treated terribly.
From Goodreads: In 1913, on a summer's day at Half Moon Lake, Louisiana, four-year-old Sonny Davenport walks into the woods and never returns.
The boy's mysterious disappearance from the family's lake house makes front-page news in their home town of Opelousas. John Henry and Mary Davenport are wealthy and influential, and will do anything to find their son. For two years, the Davenports search across the South, offer increasingly large rewards and struggle not to give in to despair. Then, at the moment when all hope seems lost, the boy is found in the company of a tramp.
But is he truly Sonny Davenport? The circumstances of his discovery raise more questions than answers. And when Grace Mill, an unwed farm worker, travels from Alabama to lay claim to the child, newspapers, townsfolk, even the Davenports' own friends, take sides.
As the tramp's kidnapping trial begins, and two desperate mothers fight for ownership of the boy, the people of Opelousas discover that truth is more complicated than they'd ever dreamed.
3.5/5 - This book was an interesting take on the social place of people in society. I felt terrible for Grace Mills and how she was treated because of her socioeconomic place. This book also brings up segregation and how formerly enslaved people continued to be treated terribly.
bobbiwoz
I'm happy to dance with you!
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2003
Last edited:
willowsnn3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2009
#38/50 With My Little Eye by Joshilyn Jackson
It started with the letters…
For actress Meribel Mills, disturbing fan mail is part of the price of fame. So when she starts getting creepy letters written in fruit-scented marker she is mostly unphased and diligently files them along with her other messages from unhinged fans. After all, she’s a single mom approaching forty, not the kind of hot young celeb who sparks dangerous obsessions. But there’s something different about Marker Man…
He’s been in her home…
Meribel’s sheets smell of unfamiliar cologne, and objects have gone missing around the house. Plus, the letters have become more perverse, with drawings of a naked Meribel tied up or chopped into pieces. While the police insist that stalkers hardly ever escalate to violence, Meribel has played the dead girl one too many times on TV to risk becoming her in real life. She and her daughter move from Los Angeles to Atlanta for a fresh start—but no distance is great enough.
He’s watching her…
Years of being in front of a camera have given Meribel a superpower—she can feel eyes on her, a creeping sensation like bees inside her skin. And someone definitely has her in their sights. Could Marker Man have followed her all the way across the country?
Who else might be watching—her ex-husband? The lover she left behind in LA? Her new neighbor? Suddenly, every man in her life is a suspect, but she can’t keep herself and her daughter safe from a monster she can’t identify. When the paths of all of these men collide, Meribel will find herself alone in the fight of her life, desperate to protect those she loves as danger closes in from all sides.
Pretty good. Kept me guessing as to who the stalker really was
#39/50 Killman Creek by Rachel Caine
Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…
You’re not safe anywhere now.
Really good. Second in the Stillhouse Lake series. Have number 3 on hold at my library.
It started with the letters…
For actress Meribel Mills, disturbing fan mail is part of the price of fame. So when she starts getting creepy letters written in fruit-scented marker she is mostly unphased and diligently files them along with her other messages from unhinged fans. After all, she’s a single mom approaching forty, not the kind of hot young celeb who sparks dangerous obsessions. But there’s something different about Marker Man…
He’s been in her home…
Meribel’s sheets smell of unfamiliar cologne, and objects have gone missing around the house. Plus, the letters have become more perverse, with drawings of a naked Meribel tied up or chopped into pieces. While the police insist that stalkers hardly ever escalate to violence, Meribel has played the dead girl one too many times on TV to risk becoming her in real life. She and her daughter move from Los Angeles to Atlanta for a fresh start—but no distance is great enough.
He’s watching her…
Years of being in front of a camera have given Meribel a superpower—she can feel eyes on her, a creeping sensation like bees inside her skin. And someone definitely has her in their sights. Could Marker Man have followed her all the way across the country?
Who else might be watching—her ex-husband? The lover she left behind in LA? Her new neighbor? Suddenly, every man in her life is a suspect, but she can’t keep herself and her daughter safe from a monster she can’t identify. When the paths of all of these men collide, Meribel will find herself alone in the fight of her life, desperate to protect those she loves as danger closes in from all sides.
Pretty good. Kept me guessing as to who the stalker really was
#39/50 Killman Creek by Rachel Caine
Gwen Proctor won the battle to save her kids from her ex-husband, serial killer Melvin Royal, and his league of psychotic accomplices. But the war isn’t over. Not since Melvin broke out of prison. Not since she received a chilling text…
You’re not safe anywhere now.
Really good. Second in the Stillhouse Lake series. Have number 3 on hold at my library.
MGMmjl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
19/30 - Truth Stained Lies by Terri Blackstock
Description:
"When truth doesn’t make sense, will lies prevail?
Cathy Cramer is a former lawyer and investigative blogger who writes commentary on high-profile homicides. When she finds a threatening note warning her that she’s about to experience the same kind of judgment and speculation that she dishes out in her blog, Cathy writes it off as mischief . . . until her brother’s wife is murdered and all the “facts” point to him. The killer has staged the crime to make the truth too far-fetched to believe. Working to solve the murder and clear her brother’s name, Cathy and her two sisters, Holly and Juliet, moonlight as part-time private investigators. Juliet, a stay-at-home mom of two boys, and Holly, a scattered ne’er-do-well who drives a taxi, put aside their fear to hunt down the real killer.
Stakes rise when their brother’s grieving five-year-old son is kidnapped. As police focus on the wrong set of clues, the three sisters and their battered detective friend are the only hope for solving this bizarre crime, saving the child, and freeing their brother."
This is another book by Blackstock I really enjoyed! First in a 3-book series.
Description:
"When truth doesn’t make sense, will lies prevail?
Cathy Cramer is a former lawyer and investigative blogger who writes commentary on high-profile homicides. When she finds a threatening note warning her that she’s about to experience the same kind of judgment and speculation that she dishes out in her blog, Cathy writes it off as mischief . . . until her brother’s wife is murdered and all the “facts” point to him. The killer has staged the crime to make the truth too far-fetched to believe. Working to solve the murder and clear her brother’s name, Cathy and her two sisters, Holly and Juliet, moonlight as part-time private investigators. Juliet, a stay-at-home mom of two boys, and Holly, a scattered ne’er-do-well who drives a taxi, put aside their fear to hunt down the real killer.
Stakes rise when their brother’s grieving five-year-old son is kidnapped. As police focus on the wrong set of clues, the three sisters and their battered detective friend are the only hope for solving this bizarre crime, saving the child, and freeing their brother."
This is another book by Blackstock I really enjoyed! First in a 3-book series.
MGMmjl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2018
20/30 - Nowhere to Run by C. J. Box
Description:
"Joe Pickett's in his last week as the temporary game warden in the town of Baggs, Wyoming, but there have been strange things going on in the mountains, and his conscience won't let him leave without checking them out: reports of camps looted, tents slashed, elk butchered. And then there's the runner who simply vanished one day. Joe doesn't mind admitting that the farther he rides, the more he wishes he could just turn around and go home. And he is right to be concerned. Because what awaits him is like nothing he's ever dealt with, like something out of an old story, except this is all too real and too deadly. When he'd first saddled up, he'd thought of this as his last patrol. What he hadn't known was just how accurate that thought might turn out to be."
This is book #10 in the Joe Pickett series. I continue to really like the series, and look forward to reading more of them.
Description:
"Joe Pickett's in his last week as the temporary game warden in the town of Baggs, Wyoming, but there have been strange things going on in the mountains, and his conscience won't let him leave without checking them out: reports of camps looted, tents slashed, elk butchered. And then there's the runner who simply vanished one day. Joe doesn't mind admitting that the farther he rides, the more he wishes he could just turn around and go home. And he is right to be concerned. Because what awaits him is like nothing he's ever dealt with, like something out of an old story, except this is all too real and too deadly. When he'd first saddled up, he'd thought of this as his last patrol. What he hadn't known was just how accurate that thought might turn out to be."
This is book #10 in the Joe Pickett series. I continue to really like the series, and look forward to reading more of them.
Caseheidi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2012
I had knee surgery last week and have been on a standing restriction for the last week (will continue to be for the next two weeks. This has given me lots of time to read - and watch TV 
35/52 - Wicked Games (#1 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
My mother was a wicked witch. And all her spells ever brought was trouble. Since her death, with no power of my own, I’ve stayed far, far away from magic . . .
In a San Francisco struggling to recover from earthquakes and rising seas, and where technology can do things that are close enough to magic anyway, Maggie Lachlan is a computer whisperer. The one they call when no one else can find the elusive bug bringing a complex system to its knees. They call her the Techwitch. But she knows there’s nothing magical about what she does. It’s just hard-earned skill.
So when Damon Riley, owner of the world’s biggest virtual reality gaming company comes calling with a problem that his entire empire of geeks can’t fix, Maggie leaps at the job. Riley Arts is the kind of place she feels at home. Wall-to-wall tech. No magic. Except, perhaps, for the unsettling chemistry she has with the man in charge.
But she never imagined stepping into one of Damon’s games would reveal her mother lied about Maggie’s magic. Or that technology could break a spell she never knew she was under. Now she has a demon hunting her and a whole world she knows nothing about to navigate. To save herself—and the world—she needs to learn fast.
Because, when it comes to magic, too many games are wicked. And if you lose, the price can be very, very high . . .
36/52 Wicked Words (#2 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
I never expected to discover that I was a witch—one being hunted by a demon. I’d taken down the demon but the price I paid was high—I lost both my best friend and the man I loved. Now all I want is to leave magic far behind . . .
Maggie Lachlan is the Techwitch. A computer whisperer, able to bring recalcitrant systems to their knees with a single keystroke. But now she knows she is more than a geek, she’s an actual witch as well. But magic has brought only pain and for the last nine months she’s been mourning her losses and ignoring her powers.
But when her ex, Damon Riley, reappears in her life, bringing in his wake a magical mystery, she will need every ounce of her computer mojo and her magic. Trouble is, she seems to have lost both. And without magic, she’s vulnerable to the kind of control demons like to wield.
With a curse to unravel and a demon’s revenge to avoid, Maggie needs to find her power and save the day and Damon. Because sticks and stones can break your bones but, when it comes to magic, words can be deadly…
37/52 Wicked Nights (#3 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
They say magic has a price. In my experience they’re right. Sure, I’m a witch and I’ve even defeated a demon or two. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve got it all figured out. Or that trouble is done with me…
Maggie Lachlan has become a Techwitch in all senses of the world. Once she was just a super geek, taming wild programs with ease, now magic has become part of her repertoire. She never wanted to inherit her mother’s talents—for magic or trouble—but she has no choice but to come to grips with her powers and try to find her happy place.
But the past doesn’t want to rest easy, and demons aren’t the only problem in town. Her lover, Damon Riley, is launching a new high stakes virtual reality gaming contest and there are those who’d love to see him fail. Supporting him means facing her fears and diving back in the virtual worlds that first led a demon to her doorstep.
With gamers and witches converging on San Francisco for the launch, things are getting strange. And Maggie’s past isn’t done with her yet. So when darkness, power, and technology collide, magic might be the only thing that gets her through the night…
38/52 Wicked Dreams (#4 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
I thought finding out I’m a witch and being hunted by a demon was bad enough. Turns out the magical world has more surprises in store…
Maggie Lachlan thought she’d figured the TechWitch thing out. Navigating how to be a new witch and the girlfriend of one of the richest men on the planet—virtual reality genius Damon Riley—wasn’t exactly easy, but she was getting the job done.
But then the Fae decided to return to San Francisco to help guard the human realm and one of their oldest powers decided Maggie needed to learn to hunt demons their way.
She doesn’t need a warning from the Cestis—the witches who keep the magical peace—to understand the risks. Anyone who’s read a fairy tale knows the Fae realm is dangerous. But the chance to defeat the demons for good isn’t something she can pass up. Now she’s dating a billionaire and trying to learn both human and Fae magic. It’s a lot. Even before an old and deadly magic starts stalking San Francisco’s nights.
If she’s wants to survive, she’s going to have master her powers, take all the help she can get from the Fae and the witches, and face down the darkness trying to turn her dreams to nightmares…
35/52 - Wicked Games (#1 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
My mother was a wicked witch. And all her spells ever brought was trouble. Since her death, with no power of my own, I’ve stayed far, far away from magic . . .
In a San Francisco struggling to recover from earthquakes and rising seas, and where technology can do things that are close enough to magic anyway, Maggie Lachlan is a computer whisperer. The one they call when no one else can find the elusive bug bringing a complex system to its knees. They call her the Techwitch. But she knows there’s nothing magical about what she does. It’s just hard-earned skill.
So when Damon Riley, owner of the world’s biggest virtual reality gaming company comes calling with a problem that his entire empire of geeks can’t fix, Maggie leaps at the job. Riley Arts is the kind of place she feels at home. Wall-to-wall tech. No magic. Except, perhaps, for the unsettling chemistry she has with the man in charge.
But she never imagined stepping into one of Damon’s games would reveal her mother lied about Maggie’s magic. Or that technology could break a spell she never knew she was under. Now she has a demon hunting her and a whole world she knows nothing about to navigate. To save herself—and the world—she needs to learn fast.
Because, when it comes to magic, too many games are wicked. And if you lose, the price can be very, very high . . .
36/52 Wicked Words (#2 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
I never expected to discover that I was a witch—one being hunted by a demon. I’d taken down the demon but the price I paid was high—I lost both my best friend and the man I loved. Now all I want is to leave magic far behind . . .
Maggie Lachlan is the Techwitch. A computer whisperer, able to bring recalcitrant systems to their knees with a single keystroke. But now she knows she is more than a geek, she’s an actual witch as well. But magic has brought only pain and for the last nine months she’s been mourning her losses and ignoring her powers.
But when her ex, Damon Riley, reappears in her life, bringing in his wake a magical mystery, she will need every ounce of her computer mojo and her magic. Trouble is, she seems to have lost both. And without magic, she’s vulnerable to the kind of control demons like to wield.
With a curse to unravel and a demon’s revenge to avoid, Maggie needs to find her power and save the day and Damon. Because sticks and stones can break your bones but, when it comes to magic, words can be deadly…
37/52 Wicked Nights (#3 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
They say magic has a price. In my experience they’re right. Sure, I’m a witch and I’ve even defeated a demon or two. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve got it all figured out. Or that trouble is done with me…
Maggie Lachlan has become a Techwitch in all senses of the world. Once she was just a super geek, taming wild programs with ease, now magic has become part of her repertoire. She never wanted to inherit her mother’s talents—for magic or trouble—but she has no choice but to come to grips with her powers and try to find her happy place.
But the past doesn’t want to rest easy, and demons aren’t the only problem in town. Her lover, Damon Riley, is launching a new high stakes virtual reality gaming contest and there are those who’d love to see him fail. Supporting him means facing her fears and diving back in the virtual worlds that first led a demon to her doorstep.
With gamers and witches converging on San Francisco for the launch, things are getting strange. And Maggie’s past isn’t done with her yet. So when darkness, power, and technology collide, magic might be the only thing that gets her through the night…
38/52 Wicked Dreams (#4 TechWitch Series) by M.J. Scott
I thought finding out I’m a witch and being hunted by a demon was bad enough. Turns out the magical world has more surprises in store…
Maggie Lachlan thought she’d figured the TechWitch thing out. Navigating how to be a new witch and the girlfriend of one of the richest men on the planet—virtual reality genius Damon Riley—wasn’t exactly easy, but she was getting the job done.
But then the Fae decided to return to San Francisco to help guard the human realm and one of their oldest powers decided Maggie needed to learn to hunt demons their way.
She doesn’t need a warning from the Cestis—the witches who keep the magical peace—to understand the risks. Anyone who’s read a fairy tale knows the Fae realm is dangerous. But the chance to defeat the demons for good isn’t something she can pass up. Now she’s dating a billionaire and trying to learn both human and Fae magic. It’s a lot. Even before an old and deadly magic starts stalking San Francisco’s nights.
If she’s wants to survive, she’s going to have master her powers, take all the help she can get from the Fae and the witches, and face down the darkness trying to turn her dreams to nightmares…
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