Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS TITLE AUTHOR RATING REVIEW

There but for the

Ali Smith

Wonderfully clever writing. It took a while for me to get into the rhythm of it, but was well worth it. Mostly philosophical musings and interesting characters not plot driven.

My Beloved Eden Butler

This was just a novella catch up to Thin Love. I mainly just wanted to see what played out with the characters from the other book. This novella feels like a soap opera and I would have been happy to have just left off with the original book and been done with it.

Forever My Girl

Heidi McLaughlin

Very cliché book about high school sweethearts. He breaks up with her to go off and become a rock star, not knowing she's pregnant. The he comes back two years later, and surprise you have a kid...and now I want the girl and the kid.

Holding Out Lila Rose

Motorcycle Club books are a vice for me since Sons of Anarchy (SOA) went off the air. Some of them are a waste of time, some of them are a quick read, and some of them are like SOA. This one was a cliché at its finest. Woman leaves her abusive husband, finds out she is pregnant. Hooks up with Alpha male biker. Husband comes to get the woman, biker takes care of it.

All Chained Up

Sophie Jordan

Quick read. Definitely a vice for me. Thought it was going to be an MC book for my SOA addiction. But it was about a felon and a girl next door type. It was cute.

Kaleidoscope Hearts

Claire Contreras

This book is about getting knocked down and standing back up. It starts a year after Estelle Reuben's fiancé has died. It’s about how she's moving on from that...and about her first love coming back into her life. It’s definitely and emotional roller coaster full of pain, regret, loss, guilt...and the phoenix that rises from those ashes.

Tell Me Olivia

Cunning

This could be a good book if it had more character development. It could also be a psychological character driven book with the messed up best friend that is obsessive, and has misguided love that uses it as manipulation, but it’s not of that.

Thin Love Eden Butler

One thing I like about this book is that it has a 16 year gap. It starts when the characters are in college and then moves to 16 years in the future. It’s both nice, and familiar to see what 19/20 year-olds are like in a relationship, and what happens when they meet again as adults 16 years later. This is one of those where passion is driven by chaos relationships. Part of you wants to root from it, but then you see how unhealthy it is, you wonder if you should root for them. It has abuse, anger, violence, secrets and venom...but it’s nice to see the push through.

The Moor Laurie R King

Going back to the Hound of Baskervilles area Laurie R King takes on one of Sherlock’s most famous cases and manages to put a fresh twist on it. One feels as if they are in the haunting depths of the moor. Sherlock and wife take I. More nefarious criminals who have created an interesting white collar crime to benefit their families and pocketbooks. Throughout this book we learn about the folk songs of the villagers, the deference to the religious elite, and the peculiarities of life on the moor as well as an intriguing mystery. At times the narrative on the moor itself can run long but overall a good read.

Seven Sisters Earlene Fowler

Earlene Fowler is the author of a mystery book series involving amateur sleuth and quilter, Benni Harper, wife of the Police Chief, in the small town of San Celino. Each book, including Seven Sisters, has a double meaning in the title. The title, "Seven Sisters", refers to a quilting pattern with seven small stars revolving around a larger star. And, in this book, "Seven Sisters" refers to the wealthy ranch family, the Browns, comprised of matron, Rose Brown, and her seven daughters. A murder takes place on the ranch during a party. The murder hides a dark family secret. Earlene Fowler develops intertwining plots and fascinating characters that move the book along on a “can’t-put-the-book-down” pace.

Number 10 Sue Townend

After being told that he is out of touch with the average man, a Prime Minister goes undercover and travels through England.

Tourist Season

Enid Shomer

Ten short stories about women at different stages of life.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS

Barons of the Beltway

Michelle Fields

Insightful (but discouraging) book that outlines the perks and elitist behavior of our Washington officials. Fields is a reporter who details how our elected officials have become the royal class and monarch of our age. She details specific incidents of hypocrisy regarding healthcare, green energy, women’s pay, cronyism and nepotism - incestuous relationships with reporters/journalists. I learned about the Emolument Clause which forbids gifts from foreign governments without the approval of Congress. With a little tweaking many of our government officials abuse this law. I found the specific details to be very eye-opening; however, I don’t feel she ever gave solutions on how to resolve the situation -except vote the officials out of office. I wish all students and all voters would read this book, to see how corrupt our Federal government has become.

A Murder in Time

Julie McElwain

This book was promoted as an Overdrive Big Library Read Summer reading book. Would definitely recommend, unless you don't like gruesome murder mysteries. I really enjoyed this book about a 21st century female FBI agent on mission in England who accidentally gets sent back in time to 1815. While there, she needs to use her skills to stop a brutal serial killer. The book does a good job explaining interrogation, autopsy techniques and applications in 1800s Jane Austen England.

Virals Kathy Reichs

Tory Brennan, (who just happens to be the niece of forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan), is living with her father who is a marine biologist at The Loggerhead Institute. Tory and her three friends find a dog tag while out looking around on the island that is very old. Tory wants to find out who it belongs to and the only way to do that is to sneak into the institute and use their equipment. While they are in the lab trying to clean up the dog tag they come across a door that is password sealed, top of the line. Tory and her friends are curious to see what is on the other side so they break the code and get in. Once inside they find that someone is doing illegal experiments on a wolf dog puppy that was living on the island. The friends rescue the puppy but are soon to find out that the experiment is contagious. So contagious that it will alter anyone's DNA that comes into contact with it.

Tarzan of the Apes

Edgar Rice Burroughs

With the release of the new Tarzan movie this summer, I thought it might be fun to read the first Tarzan novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. While it was interesting to see the differences in the book vs. the myriad movies, other than that it just is not that good. Tarzan is very much an idealized character. Smarter and stronger than everybody around him, he is capable of mental and physical feats which are impossible for anybody around him (including teaching himself to read and write fluent English). Tarzan does not seem to have any flaws; or if he does they have been idealized to such an extent that they're actually strengths. This book is also clearly a mark of the time in which it was written. Racism and misogyny runs rampant throughout the pages. The African natives exist only to highlight how amazing the white man (Tarzan) is. Jane only exists so that Tarzan has somebody to rescue and "love". Even the task of teaching Tarzan to speak goes to somebody else. Overall, this was interesting to read in order to see the origins of the Tarzan mythos, but I would not call it enjoyable.

The Snack Thief

Andrea Camilleri

There are some suspicious crimes happening in Sicily. An elderly man is stabbed in an elevator and a crewman is machine-gunned by a Tunisian patrol boat off Sicily's coast. Inspector Montalbano has the insight to connect the two events and uncover government corruption and international intrigue.

Kitty and the Silver Bullet

Carrie Vaughn

Kitty gets news that her mother is ill and decides to return to her home town of Denver to be with her mother. The only problem is she has been banished by her old pack (werewolf pack that is) and told not to return or they will kill her.

Sandman Overture

Neil Gaiman

Dream realizes that a mistake from his past is going to be the end of everything, everywhere. Only Dream has the power to go back and undo his mistake, if he can survive it.

The Terra-cotta Dog

Andrea Camilleri

Inspector Montalbano solves more mysteries. The first one is just following through in police work. The second dates back to world war ii about the time of the American landing in Sicily. It is incredible that he solves the murders.

Wild Horses B J Daniels

This is the first book in the Montana Hamilton series. The lovers go through many twists and turns before they finally find happiness together. I guess I have five more volumes to go. There are six sisters and each book tells the love story of one of them.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS Redwood

Bend Robyn Carr

This book continues the Virgin River saga. These books take place in a small mountain town in northern California. The ones involved are all trying to find a new beginning in a new place and start a new romantic relationship. Anyway I'm hooked on them.

Edgar Cayce on the

Reincarnation of Biblical

Characters

Kevin J. Todeschi

The title says it all. Of the thousands of readings that Edgar Cayce did in his lifetime, about 70 people were told that they had lived a past life that was mentioned in the Bible. What I found most interesting in the stories told was how past lives influenced the life circumstances that people experienced during their current lives.

The Lost Children

Carolyn Cohagan

This story is about a young girl named Josephine and the adventure she accidentally encounters while trying to help a new friend. Josephine lives in a grand house with her mean and disconnected father, who barely acknowledges her presence in his life. Josephine is a very sad and lonely girl but despite that she emerges as a strong young lady who has to battle the local evil "master" of the town in order to save herself and her friends. This book although dark and sorrowful in nature actually has some rays of hope and prosperity. This book was sad at times and left me in suspense as to the outcome of all the characters involved. If you are looking for a good mystery with a strong heroine then this is a great choice.

Six of Crows Leigh

Bardugo

Kaz Brekker has been hired to complete an impossible task - break a prisoner out of the most secure prison in the world. In order to complete his task he'll need a special team, built of individuals each with their own unique skill sets. If they can work together long enough to complete the job, they will all be richer than they ever could have imagined... and maybe they'll even save the world in the process. This book was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. The characters are well fleshed out and interesting. The plot keeps you guessing the entire time, never quite sure what will happen next, and whether the team will actually manage to complete the heist or not. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for the next in the series.

Orphan Master's Son

Adam Johnson

This fact-based fiction takes place in North Korea about a boy, Pak Jun Do, who is raised in an orphanage (though he believes his father is the man who runs this work camp for orphans.) The culture is extremely harsh but Jun Do is a "loyal citizen" and learns skills that help him survive in the strange, violent North Korean world. He becomes a professional kidnapper and his life begins a surrealistic path with travel to the United States and falling in love with a legendary actress. This dark tale is a little disturbing knowing that the events are based on reports from actual defectors and visits to North Korea. I was fascinated by the insight into the world and propoganda of Kim Jung Il. While Jun Do's life and events may seem absurd, the book made me observe cultures from a different perspective. I highly recommend this book.

A Thousand Miles to Freedom

Eusun Kim

This book chronicles the true story of Eunsun Kim and her escape from North Korea. The horrific conditions in the dictator run country leaves the author, her mom and sister on the brink of starving to death. The biographical account details their escape to China and nine year journey to South Korea. The book is a fairly quick read, but I kept thinking how naive this family was in their actions, but then I think that the whole culture in N.Korea does not allow self-thinking- citizens lived only through government support and did whatever Leader Kim Jon Il said to do. I felt The interrogation / interviews that South Korea subjects the N Korean defectors to and the S Korean generosity to these new citizens is insightful and pertinent in light of current US immigration issues.

Luckiest Girl Alive

Jessica Knoll

This book's main character is an emotionally damaged young woman TifFanI ( now goes by Ani). From the start, We know she had some majorly traumatic event of which she is part of the "five." So I was engaged to find out what happened - what made her so calculating, almost socio--pathic. She did some stupid things as a teenager SPOILER.. Like Going to and drinking at a party with school jocks and being the only girl ... Guess what happens?!? Other actions have consequences too. But you realize most teens do things that (in hind sight) are stupid. As long as you Do not expect this book to be the new "Gone Girl," I think most people would be entertained.

I'm Thinking Of Ending

Things Iain Reed

I was looking for a thriller to read and although this started out that way, I was left disappointed

by the way that the story was resolved.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS

Alva, That Vanderbilt-

Belmont Woman

Margaret Hayden Rector

One of America’s richest and most powerful women in the late 1800s and early 1900s was the wife of William Kissam Vanderbilt (1849-1920). Her name was Alva (1853-1933). This biography is a combination of first-person and fiction format; however, it is based on extensive research (bibliography is 13 pages) along with 90+ photographs showing the family and their many homes (exterior, interior). Alva is known for the many things she accomplished: establishing and building the Metropolitan Opera; leading and financing the Women’s Suffragette movement (right to vote); designing the architecture and interiors of the many Vanderbilt homes; yachting competitions; sponsoring automobile racing for the prized Vanderbilt Cup; and, so much more in one lifetime and two husbands. This book provides authentic insight into the life-style of the American wealthy class of the late 1800s and early 1900s, especially women: huge mansions numbering at least 3 or 4 or more; elaborate and ostentatious balls and events; social hierarchy; and, lots of money to spend to impress; for custom-made clothes, carriages, new-fangled automobiles; yachts, racehorses; European trips. I seriously doubt the word, “budget” surfaced. And then, there is Alva, a progressive and independent woman ahead of her times who went from social galas to leadership of the Suffragette Movement to bring voting rights and independence to women. This is an engaging and worthwhile book. For more information about Margaret Hayden Rector (1916-2002), the author, see http://www.prabook.org.

The Grownup Gillian Flynn

This is a short story book with an ending that leaves it up to your imagination. Definitely not a book for a teen but for an adult as the title suggests. It has interesting twists and turns.

Winter's Bone Daniel

Woodrell

This book is such a good read and it hooks you in the first chapter. It's about a strong daughter who is trying to make the best out of a very tough situation. She tries to show her younger siblings want they need to know to survive as she struggles with being their mom and dad.

Wishing Day Lauren Myracle

This book is about a thirteen year old girl named Natasha. Natasha lived in Willow Hill where there is a tradition when a girl turns thirteen she goes to the willow tree and makes three wishes. The first wish is supposed to be 1 impossible wish. The second wish is supposed to be 1 wish that she can do herself. The third and final wish was the deepest wish of her secret heart. Natasha had 2 aunt's named Aunt Vera and Aunt Elena she also had an older sister named Draya and a younger sister named Ava and her dad. Her mom died and is leaving Natasha notes.

Goodbye Stranger

Rebecca Stead

Goodbye Stranger is an interesting book to say the least. I would consider the book as a young adult novel but it was nice to look back onto the preteen years. The majority of the book is written in the third person perspective of Bridge, an 11 year old girl who faced a near death experience. Her and her two friends struggle with fitting into middle school without straining their friendship. The other chapters of the book are written in the first perspective as an unknown girl who is skipping school on Valentine's Day. The book builds suspense by teasing the merge of the two different stories by having a similar theme of friendship.

Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins

Rachel Watson, a divorced, alcoholic woman witnesses something unusual in one of the houses at the railway crossing stop on her usual train trip into the city. The next morning there is news of a murder that has taken place and the victim happens to be the woman who lived in the house. Rachel steps forward as a witness but is considered unreliable and is dismissed. So, she decides to do some investigating of her own.

Six of Crows Leigh

Bardugo

Kaz Brekker has been hired to complete an impossible task - break a prisoner out of the most secure prison in the world. In order to complete his task he'll need a special team, built of individuals each with their own unique skill sets. If they can work together long enough to complete the job, they will all be richer than they ever could have imagined... and maybe they'll even save the world in the process. This book was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. The characters are well fleshed out and interesting. The plot keeps you guessing the entire time, never quite sure what will happen next, and whether the team will actually manage to complete the heist or not. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for the next in the series.

Life Drawing Robin Black

What a dark, sad book. A tale of a couple and their life together. The struggles couples go through to keep together.

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio

Jonah Winter

A baseball picture book which tells the story of the great Joe DiMaggio with beautiful watercolor illustrations which vividly captures an era when America lived and breathed Baseball. Although intended for younger audiences, it effectively describes a time when talent, demeanor, and

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS determination could help you become one of the country's beloved stars and live the American dream regardless of your background. "He'll live in baseball's Hall of Fame. He got there blow by blow. Our kids will tell their kids his name: joltin' Joe DiMaggio."

Tracks Robyn

Davidson

Take some camels on a walkabout in Australia and you are a woman, doing it all by yourself. Imagine that! Author Robyn Davidson did that and succeeded in completing the adventure. Covered and sponsored by National Geographic, she learned a lot about herself and her inner strength.

Soul Survivor, The Reincarnation of a World War II

Fighter Pilot

Bruce & Andrea

Leininger with Ken

Gross

I thoroughly enjoyed the passages that discussed the reincarnation story. There was a lot of front porch in this story and that's why I only gave the book a 3 star. Quoting the book, this story "...is a gift to those who need some tangible proof that there is something beyond death, that life has meaning beyond the bare mathematics of a person's lifetime."

Incandescent River Savage

Had the feel of a BDSM biker book. Seems like a book geared more towards men on the fantasy level of Alpha Motorcycle male meets prissy uptight teacher…and breaks her into submission.

Unattainable Madeline Sheehan

This is the third book in the series, and the weakest thus far. The first book in her series really had me hooked, the second one wasn't as good as the first, but I still cared about the characters. This third book... I dont' care about the main characters (Tegen and Cage) or what is happening to them at all (even when one of them gets shot). The only characters I started to care about is the B story characters, Dirty and Ellie, who through painful encounters find beauty, light and healing through each other. I feel like I read it to find out the bits and pieces I could find out about the characters from the first book.

Dangerous to Know & Love

Jane Harvey-Berrick

Feels like it might start out as a teen angst book with the good girl crushing on the bad boy. But it takes a surprising turn when she finds out his biggest secret, and why he is the way she is. It takes the story on an emotional roller coaster with much more character depth than you would originally think. But my favorite part of the book is how it points out that what we perceive about people from a distance, first impressions, etc. can be so wrong, and the complete opposite of what is true. Its eye opening as a reader to rethink of taking a pause each time we assume something about someone, and trying to really see the truth of the situation.

Drums of Autumn

Diana Gabaldon

Compared to the first two in the series, this one was a slow read, like the third one was for me. What I did like about it compared to books 1-3 are that it takes place in America. So even though it’s in the late 1700s, it hits a bit closer to home. Maybe gives you a sense of the history a bit more, refreshes things you learned in school. Unlike how book 1-3 take place in different countries, so it makes it more of a fantasy to me than historical. I also like seeing the awkwardness between Jamie and Brianna when they first meet and get to know each other as father and daughter. And poor Roger...it seems that misunderstandings and misinformation can be quite dangerous and deadly in the 1700s. And for Brianna, it’s definitely a big difference as a woman to go from the 1960s/70s to the 1700s. It almost seems like she's not treating it like its reality, and doesn't understand the dangers until it affects her physically in the form of a man.

Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler

While not an easy read, I rather enjoy this translation and find it quite useful. The good news is -- once you get into it, you find it's not all that difficult to read. You begin to understand the message and the translation. He says he has not changed any wording and he has left all mistakes as they were. He adds, and probably correctly, that much was lost in the translation and that it sounded more like Murphy and less like Hitler. Murphy wrote for the intellectual while Hitler spoke to the working class. Little needs to be said about the words of Hitler. I enjoy reading Mein Kampf. That certainly is not an endorsement of the man or his movement. Mein Kampf is an interesting look into the mind of this man and it is interesting how we can see some of the same characteristics running in numerous people in office today. If we don't know history, we're apt to repeat it. Indeed, Hitler might even have won a Nobel Peace Prize based on his promises and the excitement he created in people before they really got to know him had the prize been given in those days! Certainly such greats as JFK and Churchill gave him glowing compliments. Why did people follow Hitler? Knowing what we do now, it's easy to think the German people were stupid. The truth is the country had suffered a severe punishing war and hyperinflation -- money was worthless. They needed a real leader. Hitler promised everyone everything. He was just the "right" person for that particular time. If times had been different, he would not have

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS risen to power in all likelihood. I find Hitler part genius, part psychopath. The book -- no matter what translation -- is a must-read. It's a classic. It's a book that gives you insight into one of the most important minds of the 20th Century and in all of history. Why should you read any translation of Mein Kampf? Sun Tzu said you must know your enemy. We read about those we regard as dangerous, or wrong or criminal in order to avoid that type of individual ever encroaching into power again. We also read to understand that person in relationship to the times in which he lived. Just as Hitler knew his dreaded enemy, the Communist Party and Karl Marx, we should know Hitler, the Fascist dictator. Hitler didn't take on an issue or an enemy without knowing it inside-out. In that regard, he was brilliant. He knew what he was fighting. He knew the enemy. While this translation can be awkward, I recommend it to you. It is close to the original, which gives it incredible value. Moreover, if you're a careful reader with a decent vocabulary and perhaps a good dictionary, it's not that difficult to read. It might turn out to be your preferred version. If you're interested and fascinated by World War I or World War II and most importantly, if you want to understand history and how the words of Hitler changed the course of history, you need to read all translations. Highly recommended.

The Wild Robot

Peter Brown

A great book for both kids and adults.

The Rook Daniel

O'Malley

Full of twists and turns, this book was great for those who love adventure and mystery.

The Hot Zone Richard Preston

An incredibly fascinating and horrifying account of the origins of Ebola. Not normally a book I would pick up, but I couldn't put it down!

The Glass Castle

Jeanette Walls

Such an incredible story of her childhood and facing so many challenges as she and her family traveled the country. It was amazing to see her perspective on her way of life.

Brave New World

Aldous Huxley

**Spoiler Alert** Huxley envisioned an interesting dystopia - a world where social inequality had not come about by any means of oppression, but because of our complacency. The mass distribution and acceptance of innate pleasures (primarily sex and drugs) keeps the lowest castes contented and occupied, and never allows them any time to explore their injustice. The higher castes are divided in this institution. They participate in such frivolous activities and help maintain the status quo or they are exiled from "civilization." Truth, knowledge, science, arts, and culture contradict all that this society wishes to maintain - to hinder self-expression and original thought - so anything substantial is therefore concealed from the public. I was intrigued by this premise and appreciate all the nuances that contributed to the creation of this dystopia (i.e. consumerism, lack of expression, stunted advancement in technology) but ultimately, Huxley's writing falls flat. I didn't sympathize with any of the characters (even John) and there wasn't any beauty or passion in his words. (Purposeful? Probably not.) All in all, this book gets fours stars for the originality of its premise and its power to provoke the reader to question our society and its practices. However, I just wasn't moved by the writing itself to consider Brave New World one of my favorites.

Nine Women, One Dress

Jane L. Rosen

This book follows a little black dress as it weaves its way from New York's fashion runway, where it is singled out as THE dress of the season by Women's Wear Daily, to Bloomingdale's as it is bought, returned and borrowed by nine very different women. It is a charming and clever read.

The Girl on a Train

Paula Hawkins

The Girl on a Train is a mystery thriller set in London about a drunken, jobless woman named Rachel who takes the same commuter train every day and night. It's the same train she used to take when she had a job. Every day, as she passes the homes peacefully lined a short distance away from the tracks, she passes her old house, the one she used to share with her ex-husband, Tom. She misses him desperately and hates his new wife, Anna, who had been Tom's mistress while Tom and Rachel were still married. She tries not to focus on her old house, the house she loved. Instead, she turns her attentions to the house just down the road from her old one, number fifteen. Here, she daydreams about the couple living there -- she calls them "Jess" and "Jason" -- and hopes to have a life just as perfect one day. One day as she's watching "Jess" and "Jason's" house, she sees something shocking. And a short while later, "Jess" -- real name Megan -- is reported missing, and Rachel thinks what she saw that night could help solve the case... if only she could just remember what she saw. Overall, I give the book a solid 6.5/10. I enjoyed it, and I felt compelled enough to finish reading, but the main drawbacks were 1. I

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS didn't like the characters. I found them tired and desperate and needy. 2. I felt the story lacked in some motivated plot for the first seventy-five percent. Certainly a decent book if you're looking for a mystery/thriller to pass a few days of time.

The BFG Roald Dahl

I hadn't read this book since I was young, but with the movie coming out, I picked it up again. It brought a lot of memories from when I had read it when I was younger. There's plenty of silliness and imagination in the storytelling that makes it enjoyable. The Big Friendly Giant is actually rather small when it comes to giants. The other giants call him a runt and throw him around for fun. Eventually the girl protagonist and the BFG give a nightmare to the Queen who intervenes to put a stop to the murderous intentions of the giants.

Unafraid Francine Rivers

Fictionalized account of Mary the mother of Jesus of Nazareth. Very interesting seeing her struggle with her own desires and passions. It was insightful in understanding her struggle and pain with her understanding that he was the messiah but not always accepted as such in his hometown or with his own family.

Evidence of Guilt

Jonnie Jacobs

not rated

This Kali O'Brien Mystery was enjoyable and I will probably follow this series as well. I always enjoy a good mystery.

Introverts in Love

Sophia Dembling

Unfortunately, a lot of the book is a repeat of information found in other books that introverts may have read. The anecdotes show different ways introverts have made dating and relationships work, but readers may be disappointed that there aren't more applicable practical tips and strategies.

Angry Conversations

With God

Susan E. Isaacs

Isaacs takes couples therapy with God as the other half of her couple. It's a funny and relatable look at the highs and lows of a faith journey.

A Wizard of Earthsea

Ursula K. Le Guin

not rated

As a young wizard, Ged released a shadow into the world in his quest for power. His journey to restore the balance leads him to the greatest fight within himself.

The Assistants Camille Perri

This book is about assistants getting the best out of their bosses. As an executive assistant I can relate to this book very well. White collar crime happens every day and it is a very slippery slope sometimes but if you have a good moral compass you can steer clear of it.

Winterthur Museum and

Country Estate

Leslie Greene Bowman

From 1839 to 1969, there were 3 generations of the du Pont family that called Winterthur country estate, “home.” It is in the scenic Brandywine Valley of Delaware. Winterthur is filled with antiques and is surrounded by acres of garden, rolling hills, fresh water ponds, stone bridges, greenhouses, and dairy barns. Today, Winterthur is open to the public and is a museum of decorative arts as well as a research library for graduate programs in early American culture and art.

This non-fiction book details the history of the du Pont family which left France in 1799 to escape the French Revolution. They settled in the Brandywine Creek area near Wilmington, Delaware and opened a manufacturing company. The book is filled with large, full-color photos of the interior of the estate and the beautiful gardens surrounding Winterthur, for example, Glade Garden with pools and waterfalls; Enchanted Gardens, an area for children with a tree house and outsized ceramic mushrooms; and, a Peony Garden with a huge collection of peonies in many colors and varieties. And, should you visit Winterthur, one section of the book is a “Walking Tour” from the Visitor Center (and a restaurant) which guides the visitor to other highlights of the Winterthur country estate: the Butler’s House; greenhouses; a Fire Station; a 1750 house; Coach House; bathhouses; a train station; a cottage; art galleries; and, a Conservatory.

The next best thing to visiting Winterthur Museum and Country Estate is to read this wonderful book!

Kitty Takes a Holiday

Carrie Vaughn

DJ / celebrity werewolf Kitty Norville has decided to take some time off from work at KNOB to write her memoirs but someone in the small town she has been staying in is trying to drive her away. Before she knows it she is knee deep in witch curses and battling an evil entity the likes of which she has never seen.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS

The Shape of Water

Andrea Camilleri

This Italian author writes about crime the Sicilian way. Plenty of food, wine and homicide. The descriptions of the food made me hungry for the Olive Garden. I had my doubts, but I Iiked it in the end.

Lone Rider B J Daniels

Bo Hamilton spent the weekend in the mountains camping. When she doesn't return on Monday Jace Calder volunteers to bring her home. Little does he know that she has been kidnapped by an escaped convict. He rescues her and they are now threatened by a fast moving snow storm and the convict and his father are trying to catch them and kill Jace.

Fat Angie E.E.

Charlton-Trujillo

This book is about a girl named Angie but everyone at school calls her "Fat Angie." She is a severely depressed and overweight girl who has battled suicide attempts, a disconnected family, and a horde of bullies at school. Even through all this pain and suffering, Angie still is able to hang onto a small sliver of hope. Angie is hoping to try out for the high school basketball team. Angie is just drifting along in her miserable life when her fortune changes one day as she meets the new girl at school, K.C. Romance. K.C. is beautiful and witty and clever and not at all the type of person who would ever be friends with Fat Angie but a friendship blossoms from their mutual need to survive their lives and the storms that rage within. Fat Angie has many, many lows but she begins to learn that the only highs she will have are the ones she makes for herself. I really liked this book simply for the fact that the main character was so flawed as a person but she still tried every single day and a person like that deserves a cheering team. Fat Angie's family has experienced tragedy and she is not giving up on herself and her life. If you are looking for a realistic fiction book with plenty of drama then this would be a good choice for you. You will find yourself championing for Angie too!

Racketeer John Grisham Good cliff hanger! Has an interesting twist. Ending not what I expected.

A Letter of Mary

Laurie R. King

This book is about a scroll found by Mary's friend Dorothy Ruskin that will change the course of history and the church. There is murder and robbery involved and many suspects. In the end Mary and Sherlock discover a secret motive for each and the alibis that are lies.

The Monstrous

Regiment of Women

Laurie R. King

This is a mystery starring master detective Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell his apprentice / partner. In this book Mary is investigating why a number of women are having untimely deaths after being involved with a church like organization meant to build up women's morale after they lost their jobs that were created during the war. They discover a scam and almost get killed.

Lady Vernon and her

Daughter Jane Rubino

Another Jane Austen year has begun in the movies. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," "Love and Friendship" and "Baby" (a Bridget Jones film) are marching out this year. To obtain some background on the second film, “Love and Friendship" based on Austen's Lady Susan, this book is an interesting riff. Widowed, Lady Susan Vernon and her daughter must make their way in a world that does not provide well for them. Through intelligence and some manipulative guile, solutions are done a la Lady Susan. A nice Austen take on one of her last, unfinished works.

Too Great a Lady: the

Notorious, Glorious Life of Emma

Amanda Elyot

Looking for historical fiction novels with an eye to side stories of famous figures, comes this novel about Lady Emma Hamilton, wife of Sir William Hamilton and coeur d'affaire of Lord Nelson

Everyone Brave is Forgiven

Chris Cleave

Author of Little Bee, Cleave based this story on his grandparents' stories. This book covers emotional depth of a love triangle--Mary North, privileged, idealistic and spoiled; Tom Shaw, passive dreamer, and Alistair Heath, military combatant and realist--during World War II, the bombings of London and the siege of Malta. Visceral and moving, this is another fine addition to the latest fiction covering WW II.

X Sue Grafton

I have been reading the series and I certainly enjoyed X more than W is for Wasted, I am excited to Y and Z and finish the series.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS A Catered

Fourth of July Isis Crawford

A quick read! The setting is during a Fourth of July holiday and the characters would be great for another Hallmark Mystery Movie. Two sisters that own a bakery but solve mysteries on the side.

Marriage of Inconvenience

Debbie Macomber

Typical love story. Good, fast read.

Three Little Words

Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Amazing memoir of a girl's journey through foster care and eventual adoption. Provides so many insights into the minds of children experiencing trauma. HIGHLY recommend! Her second book was recently published but is not yet at the library.

Instant Mom Nia Vardalos

Good insights and a great story. Focused a bit too much on Nia's professional life, would've loved to hear more about her child, but overall a great read!

Porch Lights Dorothea

Benton Frank

As always this author does not disappoint. It's a heartwarming story about loss and love and how family will help you keep it together. Truly inspirational.

Here's To Us Elin

Hilderbrand

This is such a great Summer beach read. The story of 3 families brought together by tragedy but finding out they can be one when in Nantucket. You really feel for the characters and you get so involved in their lives and stories you never want it to end.

The Magician: The Secrets

of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

Michael Scott

This is the 2nd book of a 5 book series of Nicholas Flamel. This book begins in Paris where Josh and Sophie, teenage twins from San Francisco who have just realized they are the most powerful magicians but have yet to have their powers of the four elements fully awaken. Sophie's powers have already been started to be awaken with the first 2 powers of air and fire. Josh was upset and decided that to have his powers awaken too he fell in line with a powerful magician who is a slave to one of the most powerful elders who wants to bring back the original elders to their rightful place as rulers of humankind as slaves and food! Exciting, easy read that follows with some real history mixed in! Will definitely make you want you to finish the series!!!

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Yuval Harari

Step aside, Mr. Van Loon, and all the other explicators of our "glorious" species. For those of us who graduated with degrees in the Social Sciences but who have no time to go back to school to consider some of the new thinking about our species history, or for those who simply enjoy a good nonfiction read that gently, often humorously, nudges you to reconsider a few long-held notions about you and your fellows, this book is for you! You needn't agree with all of Mr. Harari's ideas, but you will enjoy thinking about them in this fast-paced journey through our species' history. Remember, the unexamined life is not worth living. Enjoy!

I Know What I'm Doing

Jen Kirkman

A comic tells stories about her life on the road after her divorce.

Orphan Master's Son

Adam Johnson

This fact-based fiction takes place in North Korea about a boy, Pak Jun Do, who is raised in an orphanage (though he believes his father is the man who runs this work camp for orphans). The culture is extremely harsh but Jun Do is a "loyal citizen" and learns skills that help him survive in the strange, violent North Korean world. He becomes a professional kidnapper and his life begins a surrealistic path with travel to the United States and falling in love with a legendary actress. This dark tale is a little disturbing knowing that the events are based on reports from actual defectors and visits to North Korea. I was fascinated by the insight into the world and propaganda of Kim Jung Il. While Jun Do's life and events may seem absurd, the book made me observe cultures from a different perspective. I highly recommend this book.

Bloodfever Karen Marie

Moning

In this second installment of the Fever series Mac is starting to get used to the fact that she is no longer that sweet innocent girl from Georgia any more. Those days are never coming back. Mac has grudgingly teamed up with Jericho Barrons who seems like he is trying to help her learn how to use her abilitys to see and sense the fae and their artifacts, but is he really trying to help her or does he have some nefarious reasons of his own?

Darkfever Karen Marie

MacKayla Lane, 22 year old bartender from Georgia, finds out that her older sister Alina, who was going to college in Dublin, Ireland has been brutally murdered. No one from the police

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS Moning department seems to have any leads so Mac decides to go to Dublin herself to try to get some

answers and hopefully justice for her sister. While she is there she starts having what she thinks at first are some kind of hallucinations but Mac soon finds out she is what the locals call a sidhe-seer. Someone who can see the fae. And they do not want to be seen.

Hollow City Ransom Riggs

In the second book of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, Miss Peregrine has been turned into an owl, and the children must find a way to save her before time runs out. This was a fine follow up to the first novel, with plenty of excitement and mystery. Looking forward to reading the third book in the series.

Smile Raina

Telegmier

Raina was coming back from counseling girl scouts then the accident happened. She injured her two front teeth while running and they got Mr. and Mrs. Telegmier right away. Then she immediately has boy drama while her life is in jeopardy and throughout the story she finds a way to smile again.

The Spiral Down

Aly Martinez

Romance between a pop star and a young pilot. Loved it!!

Burn CD Reiss

“What we have isn’t something we made. It’s something that existed before we even met.” It's been a while since I last sank my teeth into the Songs of Submission series, for some reason I stopped in the middle and didn't pick it up. Well, I'm baaaacccckkkkk and loving Jonathon and all of his domineering and stalkerish ways (that just seem to work in this series). So if you haven't read this series there will be mild spoilers. If you have... well you already know lol. Burn is about Monica and Jonathon, a couple that started out as just sex but has turned into so much more. Monica has fought for years to make it in the music industry and she comes to realize her relationship with Jonathon could jeopardize that before it even begins. Jonathon wants Monica in his life, but only when she comes to him. It was very easy to get back into the swing of this series even though it had been a long time since I read the previous books. Reiss is a very eloquent writer and I could read this book without any breaks in the flow. I love how LA has such a strong presence in this series, it's my hometown and CD nails it! (Probably because she lives here too). The angst was delicious and the tension palpable. I just wish the plot was a little bit more focused; some of it seems all over the place with the side characters. But still a great, unique series with characters I love to read about. I need to get my shit together and finish this wonderful series. “I feel your hands on your phone when you read my texts. I go to the Stock after your shifts just to stand where you’ve stood. I fall asleep on the pillow you used when you were in my bed. I need to share whatever piece of the world you’re in. Tell me you don’t feel the same.”

One True Loves

Taylor Jenkins Reid

1/2

"Good things don't wait until you're ready. Sometimes they come right before, when you're almost there." Emma and Jesse were high school sweethearts who lived an adventurous and happy life. In their twenties they married and fully expected to be together forever. But fate intervenes when a year into their marriage Jesse is lost at sea from a helicopter crash and presumed dead by everyone. Three years later and Emma has moved on, her life is completely different. She lives on the east coast instead of LA, a career as a travel writer has changed into one of a bookstore owner. And Emma is engaged to Sam, an old family friend and is blissfully happy in a way she never expected to be ever again. Then Emma gets a call and finds out Jesse survived. Thus brings on the question, do we only have one true love? "You can't be loyal to two people. You can't yearn for two dreams." Taylor Jenkins Reid never pulls back her punches. I always approach her books with trepidation because so far every single one I have read by her has made me cry. This book was no exception. About 25% in I already had tears in my eyes. Despite being essentially a love triangle I really enjoyed this book. The characters are relatable and tangible. It really makes you wonder how you yourself would react if you were in a similar situation as Emma, or one of her guys. This book was more about Emma's own journey and her self-discovery of the person she wanted to be, more than just a simple love triangle in a romance book. The one thing I would have hoped for more from this book was a balance between the two men. By this we got to read more about one man and his effect on Emma and the other a little bit less. I would have liked to see more of Emma's story with the other guy, as I feel it would have provided more insight into their relationship. Thought provoking and charming, One True Loves is memorable experience and a delight to sink one's teeth into. A poignant book about the meaning of a soulmate and whether we are destined in life to have more than one true love. "When you love someone, it seeps out of everything you do, it bleeds into everything you say, it

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS becomes so ever present and ubiquitous, that eventually it becomes ordinary to hear, no matter how extraordinary it is to feel."

Particular Sadness of

Lemon Cake

Aimee Bender

Rose discovers that she can tell the emotions of the food preparer. She does not know how to handle this. She only eats from the food machines at school, but there is one lady whose service she likes. Her brother falls apart when he is not admitted to Cal Tech. His best friend has a wonderful life. He started attending a community college, but did not keep his homework up. He takes off and no one has any idea what he was working on. The whole family seems to be brilliant in their own way but don't know how to use their strange gifts.

Hard Rain B J Daniels

This in the fourth book in the series. Action starts early and does not let up until the murder is solved. It was a cold case which can make it difficult to ever resolve. The first in the series is Wild Horses. Brody McTavish and Harper Hamilton have wanted each other for a long time. The age difference does not bother them, but their families are not happy. It seems that Brody's cousin was in love with Harper's grandfather an even larger age difference. I really like this story and once the action begins it does not stop.

The Shape of Water

Andrea Camilleri

This Italian author writes about crime the Sicilian way. Plenty of food, wine and homicide. The descriptions of the food made me hungry for the Olive Garden. I had my doubts, but Iiked it in the end.

Lone Rider B J Daniels

Bo Hamilton spent the weekend in the mountains camping. When she doesn't return on Monday Jace Calder volunteers to bring her home. Little does he know that she has been kidnapped by an escape convict. He rescues her and they are now threatened by a fast moving snow storm and the convict and his father are trying to catch them and kill Jace.

After I'm Gone

Laura Lippman

Felix Brewer meets and marries Bambi Gottschalk. They have three daughters and a lovely life except that Felix's busness is gambling etc. He disappears when the Feds come for him. Bambi and the daughters don't have anything to live on. She keeps borrowing from Felix's friends. Felix's girlfriend is murdered ten years after he left. A retired policeman is trying to solve the cold case after her body was found. Keep reading!

Auggie and Me

R.J. Palacio

This book is the sequal to the book Wonder also by the same author. In this book there are three wonder stories. There is the Julian chapter, Pluto, and Shingaling.

La celestina Fernando De

Rojas

It is a tragic love story of Calisto and Melibea. Calisto used the help of Celestina. Celestina is a strong woman who understands deeply the human nature and she manipulates and uses her knowledge for her own interest. It is old Spanish; it is the beginning of the renaissance novel in Spain but there is a deeply study on the human nature. It is a slow reading but very interesting, it shows a Spain in the S. XV. The characters are not good or bad, there are changing and evolving during the reading. It is a very deep study of the character motivations.

Soul

Moments

Phil

Cousineau

The subtitle of this book is: Marvelous Stories of Synchronicity - Meaningful Coincidences from a Seemingly Random World. The stories in the book are from authors all over the world. I enjoyed the stories, although at times it dragged. I found it comforting to read the synchronicities of others. Some of the authors were not "believers" of synchronicity but they knew something happened that they couldn't explain. Easy reading that can be taken in small bites.

Heaven is for Real

Todd Burpo

The story of Colton Burpo, who died and went to Heaven, after a ruptured appendix. A comforting, loving story of an incredible afterlife. Colton also meets is little sister in the afterlife...a sister who died before being born. A warm story that is easy to read.

The Miracles of Archangel

Gabriel

Doreen Virtue

Beautiful book filled with stories and amazing prints of paintings. Gorgeous! I really relished this book, reading a chapter a month. The book is a nice size, weight, and the pages are thick and glossy. Archangel Gabriel is God's messenger and is the patron saint of writers, expectant mothers, and all types of communication. I really enjoy the way that Doreen weaves stories around her experiences, and the symbols of Gabriel together.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS Somewhere Towards the

End Diana Athill

A beautiful book about aging. What will our experiences be, what will we care about, be sad about? I was quite thrilled to find this book at a used book store. I've always been interested in our "ages." I've just stared the autumn of my life (51+) and I'm interested in where I may be headed (GOD WILLING...RIGHT?!). There's a tree fern that she plants and tends. Why? She'll never see it become a tree. Is it worth it? Read the book and find out!

Daring to Be Abigail

Rachel Vail

A tale of an 11 year old girl, reinventing herself at camp. I really enjoy reading summer books about that time period in life. It's nice to remember what you thought of at that time in life and see how far you've come. Peer pressure is such a big deal when you're a kid. But, you know what? It doesn't end when you're no longer a kid. Adults experience peer pressure, too. I never had the opportunity to go to summer camp when I was a kid, so I do enjoy reading about what it probably would have been like.

Goddesses and Angels

Doreen Virtue

I really enjoyed this book! I felt like Doreen took me as a passenger on her life adventures. She travels a lot so many of the stories were bringing in the Goddesses and beliefs of different places in the world. I especially liked the stories of Avalon and Lourdes. She also gives lots of practical advice on connecting with the spirits of a place and increasing your own psychic abilities.

You Can Create An

Exceptional Life

Louise Hay and Cheryl Richardson

This was an awesome little book! Cheryl has a comfy style of writing that makes you feel like snuggling up with a cup of tea and the book. Louise gives the feeling of drawing up to the feet of a wise woman as you hang on every wise word. I especially like the advice for loving yourself, affirmations, and mirror work, all things I've been working on during the past year. A lovely look inside both their worlds. Easy reading and thoroughly enjoyable.

Twelve Yards: The Art and

Psychology of the Perfect Penalty Kick

Ben Lyttleton

I personally don't like penalty kicks in soccer, but Ben Lyttleton creates an entertaining narrative and provides interesting anecdotes from historical penalty kicks taken in the history of the sport, insights that a fan won't otherwise easily know about. A great read for the diehard fan who likes to delve further into their favorite sport.

The Simple

Faith of

Mister Rogers

Amy Hollingsworth

This was an exceptional book. I had no idea what to expect and was immensely affected by the profound wisdom of what appeared to be a slow speaking, deliberate children's television host. From the time he took off his street shoes and jacket to put on his blue sneakers and red sweater this faithful man deeply affected generations. Each program was intended to not build up self-esteem but rather to demonstrate to each child that they were valuable. Fears, mistakes, the fallout from divorce, each unfamiliar and often overwhelming new emotion was given dignity. He taught not just the children. He taught the parents. Those adults who had watched as children were given the confidence that who they became mattered greatly. Integrity, personal honesty, the ability to ask questions when they were confused were validated. As parents then watched with their children, the second generation, they too learned. They learned how to be the nurturing and wise parents they may not have grown up having. I highly recommend this book. For such a simple man, he shares profound truths.

Dandelion Wine

Ray Bradbury

A good read to start off the summer! This is a collection of short stories about the summer of 1928 in a small town in Illinois. Twelve year old Douglas is excited for summer to begin but little does he know what lies ahead. Bradbury does a wonderful job using imagery to create a mid-west summer similar to the ones he had growing up. The feeling of the warm sun on your skin, new shoes on your feet, and the smell of freshly cut grass. Along with the happy memories of summer and youth, he also touches upon the hardships of life. Sadly, it took me a while to delve deep into this book unlike other Bradbury books. But as the book progressed, it became more enjoyable and a page turner. Some stories were difficult to fully understand what Bradbury's message was while some were quite blatant.

Conscious

Business: How

to Build Value

Through Values

Fred Kofman

Kofman presents many perspectives and simple, if not easy, ways to be more aware in communication. While based around business, he explains many of the principles with examples from his personal life that show how they apply in many settings. Later portions do seem somewhat repetitive with material that was already covered.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS Thursdays with the Crown

Jessica Day George

The next in the Castle Glower series, this book picks up where the previous left off. Celie, her siblings, and her friends learn the history of their magical castle as they try to heal it and return home.

Catacomb Madeleine

Roux

This is the third book in the Asylum series. The series follows Dan Crawford and his two friends through a series of supernatural adventures linked to his past. Although the first two books took place at a college in New England, the three friends took a road trip to New Orleans where one will be attending college that coming fall, and they find themselves entangled in a secret plot built on a legend of the city.

Maestra

L. S. Hilton

This book was categorized as a mystery/thriller but it wasn't much of that as it was more of a Fifty Shades of Grey wannabe. It jumped around a lot and some of the adult sections were either too graphic or somewhat unusual. It was not a good book to promote a woman's self-esteem or worth. It was basically use your body to get ahead and murder was ok. Sadly I will not be following this author.

Miller's Valley Anna

Quindlen

Writer and columnist Anna Quindlen's newest novel is a powerful story of family, secrets, loss and love. Mimi Miller's family has lived in low lying, flood prone Miller's Valley for generations. Mimi in her older age narrates the story looking back to the government's building of a dam and eventual desire to buy out all the farmers and flood the valley to make a recreation area. Also along the way, we learn the stories of her parents and reclusive Aunt Ruth, Mimi's quest to make something of herself, the damage Vietnam did to her brother and a dark family secret.

A Christmas

Mystery in

Provence

Mary-Jane

Deeb

This book has the feel of a PBS British mystery: a Christmas dinner celebration at Grandmother’s villa in Grasse, Provence with family and friends, including the police Inspector from Paris; a heavy snowstorm blocking the roads to the Villa; howling wind. The lights suddenly go out ~~ a scream and a noisy crash. When the lights are back on, there is a dead body and a missing 15th century illuminated manuscript. Who committed the murder and why? Who stole the valuable illuminated manuscript worth millions of dollars? Everyone, except the police Inspector, has a motive.

Mary-Jane Deeb is the author of 4 mystery books which take place in the South of France. She loves the food, culture, weather, and tradition of that area. However, Ms. Deeb is also Chief of the Middle Eastern and African Division of the Library of Congress. She has a Ph.D. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., and, a B.A. and M.A. in sociology and anthropology from American University in Cairo. Mary-Jane Deeb has also published several non-fiction books and hundreds of articles about the Middle East. www.loc.gov “loc” means “Library of Congress.”

It is my suggestion that, to enjoy this book fully, you might consider doing computer research to learn about and to see images of Grasse, France which is famous for its lavender fields used for aromatherapy and perfumes; the medieval cathedral in Grasse, and, illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages. In fact, some illuminated manuscripts can be seen at the Getty Museum (free admission) and the Huntington Library (admission fee).

Keep Me

Posted Lisa Beazley

Two sisters, who live on different continents, decide to write letters to each other in an attempt to recapture the closeness they one had while growing up. When the letters accidentally end up on the internet it leads to fallout in both of their lives.

Orphan Train Christina

Baker Kline

Set in present-day Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train highlights the real-life story of the trains that between 1854 and 1929 carried more than 200,000 abandoned children from the East Coast to the Midwest.

Kline imagines the journey of one such child, Vivian Daly, an Irish immigrant whose fate is determined by luck and chance, and her unlikely friendship with Molly Ayer, a 17-year-old Penobscot Indian girl.

Wonder R.J. Palacio

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, August Pullman (Auggie) has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now he’s going to a real school and dreading it.

Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches forever, Wonder is a funny, frank, and astonishingly moving book. A great family read, one that give you lots to talk about with your kids.

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS

The Boy Who

Saw True

Anonymous

The Victorian diary of a boy with clairvoyant abilities. The author of the diary requested that his identity never be revealed.

I believe in the afterlife and the guidance offered by Master Teachers so the book was very enjoyable. Nice to read of the experiences of a young boy who wasn't encouraged by his parents to create "fanciful" stories. I found the descriptions of the fairies and devas to be fascinating and I'll be sure to look up the referenced resources to learn more.

I'd love to know who the author was...it's a bit of a mystery! I also really enjoyed the descriptions of people, their issues, and what the author psychically saw in his world.

Bloodline of

the Gods

Nick Redfern

I bought this book because it's about RH negative blood types and I'm an RH-. The author posits that RH negatives (only 10-15% of humans have this factor in their blood) are mixed with extraterrestrial bloodline. Fascinating, right? So, I kept an open mind (and I believe I have a very open mind) and read the book. Interesting theories but not very academic. I guess I thought the author would do a better job at linking his theory with proof. I felt like the author kept trying to say the link in the extraterrestrial bloodline evolution was as certain as the link in evolution between ape and man. Not clear or certain at all. The missing link is missing and saying you've made the connection does not obscure the fact that there's still a missing link. Fun reading, although at times irritating when the author believed he had proven his points and he hadn't.

The Heart of

a Woman

Maya Angelou

My first Maya Angelou book, found it at a used book store. Wow! Wow! Wow! What a fascinating woman she was! There is so much to say but it all pales in comparison to reading her written word. She writes about raising her son as a single mother. Her meeting with Billie Holiday was sooooo cool! She wrote about her work with Martin Luther King, Jr. And her writing with the Harlem Writers Guild. I was very interested in how she described her life at that time. She always seemed like such a powerful woman to me, yet when she writes of her life, she seemed to be pushed by forces (people, events, situations) more powerful than her. I don't know if the people were just pushy or she was passive, allowing things to unfold as they would. I look forward to reading another of her books to see how her voice evolves.

Poet in New York

Federico Garcia Lorca

In 1929 the Spaniard poet Lorca traveled to New York. where he lived 1 year. His poems are intense and the most sentimental poems he wrote. He wrote about the cultural contrast and how he felt the city after the Wall Street crash 1929. It is a time travel Feeling experience.

The Land of Stories (Book 4)

Chris Colfer

This book is about Alex and Conner, The Bailey twins going to different worlds and meeting different people like Merlin, Queen of hearts, Cinderella and much more.

Ricochet

Keri Lake

“I saw darkness in her beauty, and she saw beauty in my darkness. Yin and yang. Black and white. Beauty and scars; fury and forgiveness. She should’ve been my nemesis, but in her, I found something I didn’t know I was looking for.” Great writing? Check. Tortured sexy hero? Check. Kickass heroine? Check.

RICOCHET is a dark, cunning tale of two people who have the worst cards in life coming together and blasting their way out of the shit hand they were dealt. Nick is a man who seeks revenge against those who murdered his wife and son, and who shot him in the head and left him for dead. Aubree is a prisoner in her own life, she married the wrong man and now suffers behind her public smiles. In his plan for revenge, Aubree is a key player, and Nick will do whatever it takes to get his vengeance. “Monsters did exist. They didn’t hide under the bed, though. They stormed through the fucking door and stole away everything we loved. To defeat a monster, I had to become one.”

So first things first: Keri Lake is a phenomenal writer. I don’t say this lightly at all. There’s just something about the way she uses words, they flow across the page. The way she writes is beautiful and yet not longwinded, something very hard to pull off but she did. Dark romance isn’t always my first choice when selecting a book to read. I had seen many friends in the past enjoy this book. I will admit this is a book that’s incredibly hard to set down. This is the kind of dark romance I enjoy reading! If all dark romances were like this, I would read a whole lot more. The kind with characters who aren’t perfect but are redeemable. Characters I can root for! Nick is the perfect antihero. I hate when I read dark romance and the antihero is some sort of sociopath who isn’t good in any way. I loved that Nick wasn’t entirely good, but he still had good in him. Darkness swept over him, but ultimately he fought it. Aubree is a strong heroine that I loved. I hate doormats and she’s whatever the antonym of that word would be. My heart bled

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS for her and the hardships she faced. She was the perfect counterpart to Nick, for he needed someone to protect, yet someone who would also fight.

Overall a very compelling and thrilling novel, one the reader will devour until the last page. I know I will be checking out Lake’s other books real soon, and I am so happy I took a chance on a book that isn’t normally my preferred genre to read. “The ultimate revenge isn’t the murder of my enemy. It’s the whisper of truth on my last stolen breath.”

Hold On

Kristen Ashley

“You got good, you don’t let it go. It lets you go, you hold on. It slips through your fingers, you pull out all the stops to get it back. You got somethin’ worth fighting for, you fight for it. You do not sit on your ass waitin’ for it to come back to you. You show whoever that is they mean something and you go all out on that, and the only way you go down is doin’ that shit swinging.”

HOLD ON, the final book in The Burg series, is the story of Merry and Cher. Merry is a divorced cop and Cher a former stripper and single mom. Cher has been pining for Merry for years but was waiting for him to get over his ex-wife and notice her. And one day, he did. “Is there an us?” he asked. “Goddamn it, Cher, is there an us?” he clipped. “I want there to be.” “Then there’s an us,” he declared firmly. … “And there bein’ an us, Cher, that means you’re mine. Ethan’s mine. Are you followin’ me?”

The Burg series in general is probably my least favorite Kristen Ashley series. I know this puts me in the minority, but hello, Wildcard here. Only book I truly loved from this series was At Peace and that's because that book is phenomenal. Anyways, first 50% of this book was great, a 5 star read even. The second half was like trying to walk through wet tar. I had to push myself and it made it less enjoyable hence rounding it out to 3 stars. My biggest issue with this book? It needed to be a good 100-200 pages shorter. That's right. Would have been amazing but instead everything felt dragged out and lost its emotional punch. I lost interest in the characters because it became a chore to read about them after having loved them for the previous 300 pages. So in the end, I liked this book but it doesn't stand out from the amazing work this author has delivered in the past. Obviously Kristen Ashley is The Queen of Romance and I will read anything the woman writes.

“It happens,” he replied. “What happens?” she asked. He dipped closer and held her tighter. “It happens,” he repeated. “For people like us, baby. It happens, eventually. Just as long as we hold on.”

Glittering Court

Richelle Mead

None given

This book is about a chance for young women to get a new start and a wonderful life by joining the glittering court to become prestigious women of a higher class. With the lessons they learn they are rewarded with high class marriages with men in the new prosperous land overseas. The main character who is already a countess is not thrilled with the idea of an arranged marriage. The idea of the glittering court sounds promising since she already knows everything about being a high class woman, it would be a breeze for her. But things align for her that she never thought would be possible. She falls in love and her true adventure begins.

I Am Number

Four

Pittacus Lore

Now a major motion picture, this book is about a rare race with extraordinary abilities that had to flee their planet in order to survive a war. While on Earth this race is hunted down and are being murdered in order of their importance starting with one. So far three have been killed and four is next. This book is about four and his adventures trying to navigate his way through high school as a teenage boy with gifts and a major secret. Read this book for an adventure and a fun ride into another world of mystery and suspense.

Jackaby

William Ritter

JACKABY is about Abigail Rook, young woman who arrives in the New England in 1892, and promptly takes a job as Mr. Jackaby's assistant. Mr. Jackaby is a private investigator who just happens to have the gift of noticing the supernatural. Miss Rook just happens to have the gift of noticing the ordinary. Together they work together to solve a spate of serial murders took place in their town and the surrounding areas. JACKABY is an enjoyable read, and a fast one. The characters are likeable, if not wholly original, and the plot was entertaining.

West of Eden

Jean Stein

I thought WEST OF EDEN was going to be about famous Los Angeles buildings and the famous people who lived in them; but it did not end up that way for me. Mostly it is about 5 Hollywood/Los Angeles families (Warner, Doheny. Jennifer Jones etc) who are not really that famous or instrumental in forming Los Angeles. Through quotes from other people the sad, screwed up family-parental relations and mental instability are revealed. Although I found the stories interesting, the quotes made understanding who-was-who confusing. Since the book is broken up into chapters, one can read about one family and decided whether they like the

Summer Reading Club for Grown-Ups BOOK REVIEWS writing style. I would recommend this book.

A Mother's Secret

Amy Clipston

An Amish woman meets a new man and they fall into a friendship that could led to more, but she is afraid to tell him that she had a son, born out of wedlock.