Happy New Year, fellow FolCs.

Here's this year's book thread. Looking forward to seeing what everyone's been reading over the year. For the 'rules' - such as they are - on the challenge part, go here:

http://www.lcficmbs.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php/topics/268307/1

Happy Reading!

LabRat

The Wild Hunt
The Conquest
Shields of Pride
The Autumn Throne

The last of my current batch of Elizabeth Chadwick novels. Which I'm kind of sad about as they've provided me with some thrilling reading over the past week. I've been so absorbed that I've been sitting up late into the night to finish them. The first three are historical romances, the last the final part of the Eleanor of Aquitaine trilogy. I'd think I'd read my favourite but the next would surpass it.

LabRat

1. Enemies & Allies, by Kevin J. Anderson

This novel about Batman and Superman is set in the 1950s. The two heroes don't start out as allies: Superman (mostly called Kal-El in this story, although he is also referred to as Superman and Clark Kent) thinks that Batman is a common thug, and Batman thinks that Superman was created by Luthorcorp and is working for Luthor. Luthor is truly evil in this novel, exploiting Cold War tensions for his own profit and almost triggering a nuclear war. Lois Lane also plays a major role in the story (she doesn't know that CK=SM, but she loves Superman and has a certain amount of affection for Clark; meanwhile, Clark/Superman/Kal-El loves Lois, but can't show it).

The story takes certain liberties with history (explained by the author in a postscript), but is a good book overall. This author has also written a book about the last days of Krypton, which I intend to read when I have a chance.

1. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly - The untold true story of the female mathematicians (focusing on the black female mathematicians) that were the backbone of the US government's aeronautical/aerospace engineering research. Before computers became boxes, they were 'girls' with pencils, slide rules, and adding machines.
2. Deadly Sky by John C. McManus - The American Combat Airman in WWII. (An oral history.)

I'm working on Paris by Edward Rutherfurd. The sucker weighs in at 805 pages. I'm also waiting for Amazon to deliver more of W. Bruce Cameron's dog stories. (I read A Dog's Purpose over the holidays.)

#1 The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Prequel to the Throne of Glass series. Series of novellas describing some of Celaena's adventures.

After finishing the third book in this series, it was jarring to revert to how the character used to be. However, my daughter insists that this book provides lots of background which will make the rest of the books in the series more enjoyable. And it did flesh out some characters and background issues.

Joan

2. The Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson

Journalist Jon Ronson took a course on identifying psychopaths using the Hare Test (developed by psychologist Bob Hare), and set out to identify and interview people who met the criteria, including a man identified as "Tony," who was in a British psychiatric facility called Broadmoor, a Haitian death squad leader, Emmanuel "Toto" Constant, imprisoned for mortgage fraud in the United States, and "Chainsaw Al" Dunlap, who gleefully fired thousands of people while for the purpose of enriching himself and the stockholders of the companies he was CEO of. Along the way, he learns that few if any people meet all of the criteria for being a psychopath (despite the statistic that psychopaths make up approximately 1% of the population as a whole, and a higher percentage of prisoners, CEOs, and politicians).

My note: Few if any people meet none of the criteria, which are quite broad and can be skewed by such factors as age, experience, and culture. An infant would score high on the Hare Test due to their level of brain development (as far as an infant is concerned, they are the center of the universe, and they have little or no empathy -- and such traits of probably necessary for their survival, and usually start to to fade as their brains develop and they become more self-sufficient), while some of the criteria, such as multiple short-term marriages and sexual promiscuity, are common in some subcultures.

3. The Dogs of Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron - POV from a human named Josh.
4. A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron - sequel to A Dog's Purpose - Journey is darker as the main human (C.J.) has a very difficult life.

5. The Dog Master by W. Bruce Cameron - a story of the very first dog (ala Jean Auel's Valley of the Horses)

Like Auel's works, Cameron's is a nicely researched speculation on life 30,000 years ago when there weren't enough modern humans to fill a football stadium and humans were pretty decent eating for predators with big sharp teeth.

My note: I laugh when scholars claim they have no idea why modern humans won out over Neanderthals - even though said scholars had just run through a list of things that would have given modern humans a leg up on the competition (lower protein requirements, ranged weapons) - but they also always forget the one piece of disruptive technology some modern humans did have - four-legged hunting partners who had come to the conclusion that humans were useful for more that just eating. We call them dogs.

6. The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. Anyone who has played D&D in the Forgotten Realms knows Drizzt Do'Urden.

3. Insane City, by Dave Barry

Seth Weinstein is en route to his destination wedding in Miami, Florida, where, to his astonishment, he is about to marry a woman out of his league in every way. Of course, nothing is smooth sailing, as he soon becomes embroiled with desperate Haitian refugees, a stripper with a heart of a gold, a pimp the size of the Death Star, an eleven-foot albino Burmese python named Blossom, and an orangutan named Trevor (and, oh yes, the bride, who cares about many causes, her parents, who can't stand him, and his parents, who eat marijuana brownies).

Classic Dave Barry -- absolutely hilarious (along with some very dark moments).

#2 Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Fourth installment in the Throne of Glass series.


This series has been slowly building up and this book did not disappoint. Lots of exciting developments.

Joan

Caught - Harlen Coben
Missing You - Harlen Coben

Coben has been one of my go to guys for lightweight, pulp thrillers for a number of years. These two were pretty much as you'd expect. An intriguing plot and characters to root for.

Nightwalk - D. Nathan Hilliard

I've been eager to read more from this author since reading Spiderstalk a while back. This horror novel reminded me a lot of King's The Mist - an idiot meddles with things he doesn't understand, causes a rift to another, deadly dimension & suddenly the sleepy little gated community of Coventry Woods is inhabited by monsters. But it was a good romp nonetheless. Lots of action, some genuinely heartstopping moments and solid characters.

The Ways of Khrem - D. Nathan Hilliard



An outing away from horror and into the fantasy market, this was an excellent fantasy novel. I loved the group of characters and the world they inhabited was well formed. And Cargill's snide, deadpan snarking manservant is an absolute joy.

It's a stand alone, but the ending gave hints that the author might return to these characters in the future. I certainly hope so.

The House of Reckoning - John Saul

The usual horror fare from Saul. It was enjoyable and the young heroine someone you could root for. The plot got a tad ridiculous towards the end but that didn't really spoil things much.

Cruel World - Joe Hart


I just loved this PA novel. Genuinely inventive, action packed and with characters you could empathise with. I saw the big revelation coming from pretty far out, but that didn't detract from the adventure.

LabRat

4. Invitation to the Game, by Monica Hughes

The year is 2154. Robots now occupy most jobs, leaving a large number of permanently unemployed people who are supported by the tax dollars of the few who can still find employment.

Lisse has been in despair since she finished school and failed to find employment. She and her friends are confined to a dirty, violent "Designated Area," which they are forbidden to leave. They have money for shelter and food, but nothing else, so all other things they need must be scrounged for.

One day, the hear about The Game. No one seems to know quite what it is or how one gets to play it, but everyone seems to have heard about it. Then, one day, they receive an invitation to play The Game.

I liked this book, although the ending was a little too easy (but then, it is a young adult novel, written in the 90's before the current spate of more sophisticated YA novels). The book makes some excellent points, like the fact that once something is done, it's very hard to undo (in this case, replacing people with robots).

Bazaar of Bad Dreams - Stephen King

A hugely disappointing short story collection. Many of the stories might have been decent enough if it weren't for the fact that they seemed like prologues that went nowhere. Barely worthy of the name story at all. I was left feeling frustrated as though I was waiting for a punchline that never came. King notes in his foreword that in his profession, phoning it in just isn't acceptable. Sadly, with this collection, I feel he did just that.

Nightwalk2 - D. Nathan Hilliard

Just as much of a rollercoaster ride as the first, this sequel kept me enthralled into the wee hours. And the ending suggests a third book may arrive at some point. I'll be hoping it's soon.

Feast of Souls: Magister Book I - Celia Friedman

It's always a red letter day these days if I find a worthwhile fantasy series and this was a joy from the start. Fantastic characters, a fascinating world, shades of grey. I devoured it in one sitting and have already started on book two.

LabRat

5. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, by Matthew Stover

This is the adult novelization of the movie Revenge of the Sith. The author looks into the minds of the characters and what they are thinking and feeling in the moment, especially for Anakin Skywalker, tracing his fall from Jedi hero to Darth Vader. The book begins and the sections of the book are divided by meditations on the Dark, but ends on a hopeful note, observing that in spite of everything, the Dark's weakness is that it can be pushed back by a single candle -- and that love, the ultimate expression of the Light, is more than a candle. It can light up the stars.

#3 The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Biography about the Wright brothers. I'm not much of a biography fan but once I got into the book, I enjoyed it.

Joan

6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson

I resisted reading this for years because it didn't look interesting to me, but my boss kept talking about this series, so I finally checked the book out of the library. For once, he was right. This is a good book. It's a good combination of mystery and thriller that kept me interested and also taught me a bit about the country my great-grandparents came from (Sweden).

The Magister Trilogy - Celia Friedman:

Wings of Wrath
Legacy of Kings

This trilogy never flagged. The great success of the author was in making characters that in any other trilogy would be the stone-cold, black-hearted villains of the piece the heroes and heroines. Given the dark evil at the heart of their existence and the casually callous way they used it, it should have been impossible to root for them - and yet....

The Fireman - Joe Hill

I did enjoy this PA novel, but I didn't find it the classic or phenomenal piece of work that the rave reviews suggested and I do wonder how much of that adulation is down to his famous father. Having said that, it was a decent enough story.

The Absent Gods Trilogy - David DeBord:

The Silver Serpent
Keeper of the Mists
The Gates of Iron
The Glyphs of Riza (short story bonus)

I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy trilogy. There were strong echoes here and there of Jordan's Wheel of Time but that didn't detract too much and I greatly enjoyed that the 'chosen one' was a woman for a change. Strong characters and an exciting plot kept me entertained.

The Imposter Prince - David DeBord and Ryan A Span

A bit more simplistic than Absent Gods but engaging all the same. My only complaint was that it ended rather oddly as far as the romantic sub plot was concerned, as though the authors realised they'd boxed themselves into a corner and didn't have the nerve to take the big decisions to properly resolve it.

LabRat

7. Operation Mincemeat by Ben MacIntyre. The story of the actual WW2 British plan that lead to the movie 'The Man Who Never Was'

8. The Women Who Wrote the War by Nanvy Caldwell Sorel. Stories of some of female journalists and photojournalists who covered WW2.

9. Domesticated - Evolution in a Man-Made World by Richard C. Francis. A look at the domestication of animals - including humans.

7. Mammoth, by John Varley

In a barren province of Canada, a mammoth hunter has made the discovery of a lifetime: an intact frozen woolly mammoth. But what he finds during the painstaking process of excavating the huge creature boggles the mind. Huddled next to the mammoth is the mummified body of a Stone Age man around 12,000 years old. And he is wearing a wristwatch.

I enjoyed this book. John Varley presents a well-written tale of time travel (and also references other time travel tales, like The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells and Back to the Future). A wealthy man with an obsession with cloning a mammoth, Howard Christian, hires a mathematician, Matt Wright, to figure out how the time machine found with the body of the Stone Age man works (for it must be a time machine; how else would the man have gotten a watch?)

8. Lois Lane Tells All, by Karen Hawkins

Susan Collins is a huge fan of Lois Lane, to the point that she became a journalist. Now she is one of only two reporters for the sole newspaper in Glory, NC, and there aren't many big stories to investigate. Enter the new CFO of the paper, Mark Tremayne. He's a Clark Kent lookalike, and Susan finds him irresistible.

The story was good -- a newspaper reporter uncovering scandals in a small town while being extremely attracted to her new boss. However, the lack of a good editor pulled me out of the story in places. For example, a column was dated June 31st (June only has 30 days), Mark's tie hung askance (should be askew), and the Murder Mystery Club doesn't want anyone getting a peak at their dossiers (should be peek).

#4 Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (5th in Throne of Glass series)


Okay, now that I'm officially hooked, I figure I'm at the triumphant battle where the heroes win. That's not the case at all. I like that I can't predict where this series is going. But I don't like that the story is left at a critical point and I have to wait for the next book!

#5 LaRose- A Novel by Louise Erditch


An interesting look into a culture I'm not that familiar with.

#6 Me Before You by Joyo Moyes


This was well done. I was afraid it would be really sappy but there was some good character development.

#7 Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson

Practical insight as to what these people have grown up with and how it may have affected them.

Joan

9. Blink of an Eye, by Ted Dekker

Seth Borders, a mathematical genius at UC Berkeley, suddenly finds himself with the ability to see a few minutes into the future. Not long after this amazing ability starts, he rescues a fugitive Saudi Arabian princess named Miriam, who is fleeing a marriage that could bring down the Saudi government and put a new extremist government in its place.

Not a bad book, although I'm not sure why the author chose the Nizari as his extremists. The Nizari are the second largest branch of Shia Islam (and therefore not an obscure sect), and their philosophy emphasizes human reasoning, pluralism, and social justice (not the sort of philosophies that are generally the basis for extremism). An okay book, but I've read better.

#8 Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses his Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and how They Operate by Gary J. Byrne

Lots of reminders of the Clinton scandals. Although I'm really not thrilled about Trump as president, I'm glad Hillary was not elected.

10. Countdown, by Iris Johansen

In this entry in the Eve Duncan series, Eve's adopted daughter, Jane MacGuire, survives a sudden, shocking attack that leaves a friend dead. It soon becomes apparent that it wasn't just a random act of violence, and the attack is linked to a legend surrounding a chest of gold belonging to an ancient Roman actress, Cira, who may or may not ahve died in eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD.

This novel had a lot of build-up, and is apparently a direct sequel to an earlier novel in the series. There's a bad guy who collects antiquities, wants the gold, and is skilled at brainwashing people into becoming assassins or even suicide bombers. There's a guy from Jane's past who also wants the gold, but isn't a bad guy (but isn't exactly a good guy, either).

The novel built up well, but the resolution, what there was of it, was too fast and didn't mesh with the earlier part of the book.

#9 The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan


This was a hard read. I liked the characters but felt very sorry for them. They worked so hard just to survive.

Joan

11. Big Trouble, by Dave Barry

This very funny thriller satirizes a whole subgenre of crime novels: the "lunatics in South Florida" subgenre. Hilarious, well-written, and just as relevant now as it was in 1995.

#10 American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus by Lisa Wade

Eye-opening book describing potential benefits and risks of this culture.

Joan

#11 In Trump We Trust by Ann Coulter

I don't always agree with Ann Coulter and this holds true with this book. She did have a few interesting points.

Joan

12. The Girl Who Played With Fire, by Stieg Larsson

In the sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander finds herself accused of the grisly triple murders of her guardian, a reporter, and a researcher. Mikael Blomkvist is not convinced of her guilt and works to find out what really happened.

This book was just as good as the first in the series, although the ending definitely sets the story up for the third book in the series, making it necessary to read the next book to get the whole story.

13. Skin Tight, by Carl Hiaasen

This satirical novel from 1989 sends up plastic surgery culture and shock TV (with a TV show and star based on Geraldo Rivera). It was funny in parts, gruesome in others (typical of Hiaasen's adult fiction), and definitely went for the gross-out several times.

14. Making Bombs for Hitler, by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

10-year-old Lida and her younger sister, Larissa, are captured by the Germans when Germany invades the Ukraine and sent to Germany. There they are separated, and Lida lies about her age in order to not be sent to a hospital (where children were used as involuntary blood donors for soldiers on the front and also used in medical experiments; few survived). Her small, nimble hands make her perfect for making munitions, so she is sent to make bombs in a factory. Throughout the ordeal, her determination to find her sister again keeps her going, and the kindness of the friends she makes and even a few Germans help keep her alive.

This is a very powerful book, and very engrossing. I could feel what the main character was going through, and I got so into the book, which I was reading backstage while waiting for my parts in the play I'm taking part in, that when a cannon was fired onstage I half-believed it was a bomb falling on the roof of the building I was in. (The sound of the cannon is always startling anyway, but it was doubly so while reading this book.)

#12 Sister by Rosamund Lupton


Interesting mystery. Some of the logic, especially when it came to medical stuff, was flawed. The writer employs an interesting device to tell the story. It was entertaining but I wouldn't rank it as high as "Gone Girl" (as some reviewers have).

Joan

#13 The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Walter Clayton

Set in the late 1060s, five women become friends while watching their children in the park. It was interesting to see the perspective of the characters on women's issues at the time.

Joan

1060's or 1960's?

Oops, sorry - 1960s. The main part of the story spans roughly 1967 to 1975.

15. Strip Tease, by Carl Hiaasen

Murder, politics, and G-strings collide in this caper from Carl Hiaasen. Hilarity and chaos break out in a strip joint when a bachelor party gets out of hand, making the drunken guest of honor a threat to "big money" and "big government."

This is an entertaining book about an FBI employee turned stripper (in order to pay her lawyer, since she has a custody dispute with her sleazebag ex-husband). It satirizes politics, sex in politics, and the "family farmer" who is actually a part of Big Agra. It was made into a movie starring Demi Moore, which is apparently not so entertaining, but since I haven't seen it, I can only say that the book is a good read.

#14 The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti

A poor girl marries a seemingly perfect rich husband. But are things perfect?

I didn't like the main character. I was reading to see when things would fall apart. I easily predicted the "surprises'. Some aspects of the story didn't even make sense. I don't recommend this one.

Joan

#15 In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware


Not a bad thriller. I didn't care much for the main character and some of the choices she made seemed foolish. The ending was predicatable.

Joan

#16 House of Lies by Linda Rosencrance


This was the most boring true crime book I've ever read. The author essentially presented the court transcript and that was it.

Joan

I spent three hours this weekend reading "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton. My 8th grade son had to read it for his Language Arts class; he really liked it and wanted me to read it, too. It was fine, I suppose. I understand why he liked it - it was a very easy read with male characters. I thought it was simple, and that the plot developed in unrealistic ways. I looked up information on the book, and understand that it was written by a 16 year old, so the simplistic style makes sense, and I appreciate the "screw you" to the English teacher that gave her an F. I guess the best thing I can say about it is that it was good enough to make my son actually want to do his homework.

I have 10 copies of that book in the high school library I run, and I can never keep them on the shelf. The kids love that book.

I liked that book a lot too when I read it as a 7th grader.

#17 The Last One by Alexandra Oliva

A woman joins a reality/Survivor-like show. During the course of the competition, a pandemic occurs. It takes the woman, on a solo challenge, time to realize this.

I'm a big fan of apocalyptic books. This one was average.

Joan

#18 All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

16 yr old Jenny Kramer is attacked and raped in the woods. She is given a controversial drug to 'erase' her memory of the attack. However, she is still having trouble processing what happened to her. Told from the view point of her psychiatrist, we see how these events affect Jenny, her family and their community.

It was a little challenging at times with this narrative technique to tell who was talking. Some interesting twists.

Joan

#19 Lost Girls by Caitlin Rother

True crime book about lost girls in San Diego. Good writing, just not a gripping story. It was obvious who had done the crimes and we didn't get much insight as to why, other than he was mentally ill.

#20 The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn

Tired from dealing with their special needs kid and jobs, Lucy and Owen decide to have an open marriage for six months.

Of course, their arrangement was destined to fail. Interesting book.

#21 Death Wave by Ben Bova

Jordan and Aditi return from New Earth to tell the occupants of Earth about the impending death wave. Second in the New Earth series.

I like Ben Bova but this book wasn't overly engaging.

#22 Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance


Intriguing look at the struggles of a white working class family. I like that the author didn't feel that government programs will magically fix all of these problems.

16. She Persisted, by Chelsea Clinton

I bought this book for my nieces, ages 6 and 8, and then wound up reading it to them while they played. It's a picture book, aimed at grade levels K-3, which gives short biographies of 13 strong women in American history who wound up making great changes to the world, from Harriet Tubman to Sonia Sotomayor. I knew who most of them were, but there were a couple of women I had never heard of before.

Overall, this is a well-written book that introduces young readers to pieces of history that they may never have heard of before.

#23 Crosstalk by Connie Willis


A fun concept and engrossing read.

17. Double Whammy, by Carl Hiaasen

Hiaasen satirizes the big business of bass fishing in Florida, as well as televised religion, and introduces his best-known character, the ex-governor turned hobo and wilderness defender Skink. A good read.

#24. Once We Were Sisters by Shelia Kohler

Shelia Kohler writes of her life, growing up in a wealthy family in South Africa and of her dear sister, who died young.

Shelia and her sister were in abusive marriages but since it was the 1950s, neither felt they could do much about it, even though their families were living on money from the wives.

#25 Winter Storm by Elin Hilderbrand

I don't have high expectations for a beach read about rich people in Nantucket. Many of her books are very entertaining. This one was lacking in many ways. I don't recommend it.

#26 The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt our Kids When We Treat them Like Grown-Ups by Leonard Sax

This family doctor with years of experience makes some excellent points about parenting issues.

#27 The Good Mother by A.L. Bird

I should've known a cheap Nook book promising to be a psychological thriller wouldn't be the greatest. A woman is kidnapped and relieved(?) to discover her daughter is being held in the room beside her. It only gets weirder.

18. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson

In this third novel in the Millennium trilogy, Lisbeth Salander goes on trial for various charges, including attempting to murder her father. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist looks for evidence that she is innocent, while the Section bugs apartments, steals evidence, commits murder, and does everything in its power to make the problem with Lisbeth Salander go away.

This was a good ending to the original Millennium trilogy (the books following this one were written by David Lagercrantz). There's a lot of stuff about Swedish law and politics, plus international plot points.

My boss recommended that I read this series. I was surprised to find that he was right about these being good books.

19. The Appeal, by John Grisham

In the town of Bowmore, Mississippi, a chemical manufacturing plant has dumped its waste products into the water supply, producing a deadly cancer cluster. A lawsuit against the company wins, but the appeal has to be taken to the Mississippi Supreme Court, on which judges are elected, rather than appointed.

Most of the book is about the whole election process, and it doesn't shy away from the ugly mess -- massive amounts of money spent and half-truths used to turn the voters against a sitting judge. Indeed, the novel went a long way toward explaining why it is that voters get so many e-mails begging for money for races they can't vote in (which I'd been wondering about, given the number of e-mails I've gotten asking for money for out-of-state congressional races).

Overall, I found this to be a decent read, although quite a number of reviewers have said it compared poorly with Grisham's earlier novels. (Since this is the first one I've read, I really can't say whether I would have liked the earlier ones better.)

#28 Into the Water by Paula Hawkins


I loved this author's first book, "Girl on the Train". This one was disappointing. It just didn't come together for me. I didn't like any of the characters. Their motives didn't make sense.

#29 The Dinner by Herman Koch

Two families struggle to make the hardest decision of their lives -- all over the course of one meal. It addresses the question of how far would a person go to protect their children. The author does a nice job of slowly revealing the true nature of the narrator.

20. The Fire, by Caroline B. Cooney

This is third book in the Losing Christina trilogy, Cooney's first horror novels. The main character, Christina, is a 13-year-old 7th grader who lives on an island off the coast of Maine and has come to the mainland to go to middle school. She and some other kids from Burning Fog Isle are boarding with a couple, the Shevvingtons, who are prominent educators in the town. They are also secretly extremely sadistic, taking great pleasure in driving the most innocent to madness, and Christina is their target.

Christina is something of a Mary Sue, with brown, gold, and silver hair that practically has its own personality. Also, adults are useless -- no one believes that the Shevvingtons are evil. The author obviously didn't spend a lot of time around middle schoolers. Still, the book was entertaining, and when school starts again, I will have to read the first two books in the series (which are in the library).

21. Daddy's Gone a Hunting, by Mary Higgins Clark

A dark secret from a family's past that threatens the lives of two sisters, Kate and Hannah Connelly, when the family-owned furniture firm in Long Island City, founded by their grandfather and famous for its fine reproductions of antiques, explodes into flames in the middle of the night, leveling the buildings to the ground, including the museum where priceless antiques have been on permanent display for years. The ashes reveal a startling and grisly discovery, and provoke a host of suspicions and questions. Was the explosion deliberately set? What was Kate—tall, gorgeous, blond, a CPA for one of the biggest accounting firms in the country, and sister of a rising fashion designer—doing in the museum when it burst into flames? Why was Gus, a retired and disgruntled craftsman, with her at that time of night? What if someone isn't who he claims to be?

I noticed some scientific discrepancies that one would think a long-time writer of murder mysteries would know better than to be promote (no, hair and nails do not continue to grow after death), but I found the book entertaining anyway. It isn't great literature, but it is brain candy, and sometimes that's what you want to read.

22. Dave Barry Talks Back, by Dave Barry

This book is a compilation of some of Barry's humor columns from the late 80's and early 90's. Like most of what he's written, this stuff is hilarious. (BTW, did anyone know that Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize winner for social commentary?)

23. Live Right and Find Happiness (although beer is much faster), by Dave Barry

In brilliant, brand-new, never-before-published pieces, Dave passes on home truths to his new grandson and to his daughter Sophie, who will be getting her learner’s permit in 2015 (“So you’re about to start driving! How exciting! I’m going to kill myself”). He explores the hometown of his youth, where the grown-ups were supposed to be uptight fifties conformists, but seemed to have a lot of un-Mad Men-like fun, unlike Dave’s own Baby Boomer generation, which was supposed to be wild and crazy, but somehow turned into neurotic hover-parents. He dives into everything from the inanity of cable news and the benefits of Google Glass (“You will look like a douchebag”) to the loneliness of high school nerds (“You will never hear a high school girl say about a boy, in a dreamy voice, ‘He’s so sarcastic!’”), from the perils of home repair to firsthand accounts of the soccer craziness of Brazil and the just plain crazy craziness of Vladimir Putin’s Russia (“He stares at the camera with the expression of a man who relaxes by strangling small furry animals”), and a lot more besides.

Though he has long since retired from writing for the Miami Herald, Barry is still funny, and this book is no exception.

#30 The Truth about Sorority Girls: What Rush Taught Me about Life, Work, Friendship, and False impressions
by Claudia Welch

Having been in a sorority in college, I was curious about what this book had to say. Although it was published in 2012, the author joined a sorority in 1973. While some of the information rang true, even in 1980s when I was part of the Greek system, some of the information wasn't true. It felt a little dated. Sure you learn some social graces. But chatting to people during rush didn't seem like the ultimate social boot camp to me. Then again, sororities vary widely so I'm sure even today girls don't have the same experiences on every campus.

The book was also really short - the second half was an excerpt from her fictional rush story.

#31 It's Your Kid, Not a Gerbil by Dr. Kevin Leman

Good advise about not letting kids' activities overwhelm your family.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

It's very Downton Abbey-esque, as it covers much of the same time period. Grace is a heroine worthy of admiration by the way she takes her life into her hands and makes someone important out of herself. Her admiration of spoiled rotten Hannah and Emmeline is harder to understand. Life in early twentieth century England is interesting how world events hit both the wealthy and the servant classes similarly.

One of the two big twists at the end was easily predicted early on and possibly the second as well, except that the author kept cutting away whenever mentioning the suicide until last pages.

#32 Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make it Harder for Blacks to Succeed by Jason E. Riley

The author brings up lots of data to back his points.

Joan

#33 Affluenza by John de Graaf

Author brings up good points about how materialistic our society is becoming.

Joan

#33 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Mare is a Red, one of the workers while the Silvers have true power in every way. Then Mare discovers she's developing powers of her own. My son recommended this series. For a YA dystopia, it's pretty good.

#34 Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard


Next installment in the Red Queen series. I'm starting the third one tomorrow.

Joan

#35 Falling by Jane Green

Light romance about a woman changing her life. Perfect for a plane ride read.

Joan

24. Prey, by Michael Crichton

A Silicon Valley company designs intelligent nanobots that can replicate themselves and evolve. The project works too well, and the nanobots start preying on humans.

This was a good sci-fi novel that it didn't take me long to read. It delves into the scary side of AI -- the potential for it to turn on living things.

#36 King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard


Third installment in the Red Queen series. Lots of groups forming new alliances. I'm starting like Mare a little more.

Joan

#37 Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham


I was in the mood for something light and this definitely was light. Some insight into the Gilmore Girls reunion movie. Nothing overly indepth.

Joan

#38 The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon

Two wives of American military men stationed in Jordan become unlikely friends. Their different personalities and approaches to Jordan culture lead to problems.

The portrayal of these women was brutally honest. You didn't love either but you felt you could understand them. The book lead to the question, when to be cautious and when not to be.

Joan

25. Lois Lane: Cloudy with a Chance of Destruction, by Gwenda Bond

Lois catches a classmate smuggling something dangerous to school in order to impress his girlfriend. Trouble ensues (because this Lois also likes dangling over the jaws of death).

26. Ghosts of California: The Haunted Locations of Fallbrook, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Perris, and Temecula, by Jeffrey Fisher

I downloaded this book to see what ghosts were supposed to be in the areas I go to. It was interesting, but the research needed some work, especially when it came to the locations of these supposedly haunted buildings.

27. Blue Dahlia, by Nora Roberts

The first book of Roberts' In the Garden trilogy, in which a young widow named Stella takes a job in a nursery, meets a new love, and contends with a ghost who loves children (and hates men).

28. Black Rose, by Nora Roberts

The second book of Roberts' In the Garden trilogy, in which the owner of the nursery from the previous book, Roz Harper, falls for the man doing a history of her family in an attempt to help the increasingly vicious ghost.

29. Dangerous Minds, by Janet Evanovich

Evanovich's new series is funny, like the Stephanie Plum series was before it got repetitive. An island has disappeared, and its Buddhist monk owner, Wayan Bagus, wants it back, so he contacts his former student, Emerson Knight, a Sherlock Holmes type who can't resist a good mystery. Knight brings along his amanuensis, Riley Moon (the Watson to Knight's Holmes), and his redneck cousin, Vernon. Hilarity ensues.

30. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

31. Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

32. Dinosaurs, by Peter Zallinger

This old children's book about dinosaurs was written in the 80s and is somewhat out of date, but the art is entertaining, particularly where it appears that a predator is trying to talk his prey into being eaten, and the prey looks like he's about to give the predator a rude gesture.

33. Bad Monkey, by Carl Hiaasen

Hiaasen writes about the Bahamas in this humorous book about crime, corruption, and obnoxious primates.

34. The Magic School Bus: Going Batty: A Book About Bats, by Nancy E. Krulik

35. Blackboard Bear, by Martha Alexander

Cute little book about a boy who isn't allowed to play with the big kids, so he creates a bear friend and won't let them play with it.

#39 Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger


I read this book a second time for an upcoming book club and enjoyed it even more the second time around. It reminds me a little of "To Kill A Mockingbird".

Joan

#40 A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold

Sue Klebold takes us through her confusion and grief over her son's crimes at Columbine High School.


Joan

36. Insects, by Barbara Taylor

This children's book, published in 2010 by Jack-in-the-Box, gives a number of easy-to-understand facts about insects. My 6-year-old niece, who can't read yet but nevertheless loves learning about animals and biology, had me read it to her.

37. Red Lily, by Nora Roberts

The third and final book in the In the Garden trilogy, telling the story of Hayley and Harper, and also solving the mystery of the ghost of the Harper Bride, Amelia.

38. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

This novel tells the story of two black maids, Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, and a young white woman, Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, who put together and publish a book of stories told by black maids in white households in the early 1960s.

#41 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This book tells about the scientific discoveries made using HeLa cells and about the life of the donor herself.


#42 While You Were Sleeping by Kathryn Croft

Quote

You wake up to find the man beside you is dead.
He is not your husband. This is not your bed.
What do you do?

While this was an interesting start, this psychological thriller never really came together for me. I didn't like most of the characters. And the twist seemed to come out of nowhere.

39. Tourist Season, by Carl Hiaasen

Brian Keyes, a former reporter turned PI, is hired to investigate the case of a Cuban man arrested for murder. It turns into a much larger case involving a former colleague, a wealthy Seminole, an ex-football star, and the world's most incompetent terrorist.

This is Hiaasen's first "only in Florida" novel, and one of his best.

40. On the Beach, by Nevil Shute

Nuclear war has come and gone, and the people of Melbourne, Australia, wait for the end as the radiation moves steadily south, killing everyone in its path.

This is honestly one of the most depressing books I've ever read, and the ending is a real tearjerker. It's about nothing less than the end of the world.

#43 The Girl with No Past by Kathryn Croft


People are comparing this book to Gone Girl. It is not on the level. The lead character isn't that likeable and some of the events don't make much sense.

41. Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, by James Finn Garner

After reading On the Beach, I wanted to read something light and funny, and Politically Correct Bedtime Stories fit the bill. This book parodies both fairy tales and the politically correct language and attitudes of the mid-90's (much of which hasn't changed in more than 20 years). Definitely weird, and definitely funny.

#44 Missing Pieces by Heather GudenKauf


Ok mystery. Some parts a little silly and predictable.

42. Lords of Corruption, by Kyle Mills

Ex-con Josh Hagarty is recruited by an obscure charity, New Africa, to manage their activities in a war-torn African nation. It soon becomes apparent, though, that the "charity" is not what it seems.

This was an engaging story, although the attitudes toward Africa and Africans were often disturbing. The idea of a charity being a front for criminal operations wasn't unbelievable. (How many fake charities pop up after every disaster, trying to separate sympathetic people from their money?) Overall, a decent read.

#45 You will know me by Megan Abbott


I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up on my Nook. I was surprised to read such an insightful look at the impact on a family of pursuing their daughter's Olympic dream. My daughter is involved in gymnastics (not nearly to that extent) but the descriptions of the life rang true. I was a little disappointed by the ending of the book.

43. Wild Western Desire, by Kathy Jones

Katy Halliday, a Wild West and dime novel fan extraordinaire, takes a trip to Colorado to see some of the places she's read about in the dime novels her uncle publishes. Rait Caldwell, ex-lawman turned saloon owner, owes Katy's uncle a favor, and finds himself the chaperone for the young lady. Romance ensues, of course, though frankly I think the love story was shoehorned in rather badly. Katy is none too bright, often venturing into too dumb to live territory (like when she decides to find out if someone could rob the train by running along the top of it, falls off, and nearly falls over a cliff. Rait has to rescue her, at which point she ignores him in favor of fangirling over his friend, real-life lawman Bat Masterson.) In spite of -- or perhaps because of -- Katy's lack of common sense, the novel is very funny and reads like a satire of both westerns and romance novels.

#46 A Warrior of the people by Joe Sarita

Story about Susan La Flesche, the first Indian doctor .

44. Humans, Bow Down, by James Patterson

In this dystopian novel, robots have become sentient and have decided that humans are inferior to them, and therefore must be either treated as slaves, imprisoned, or placed on "Reserves" (think Indian reservations).

The story was entertaining, but left a lot of questions. For example, the robots like to eat (but don't need to), and they need oxygen, but nothing is said about what keeps them running (energy has to come from somewhere). Do they plug themselves in? Do they have solar cells? Also, it's implied that they start out as children and grow up. How do they do that, since they are entirely inorganic? They also show the same signs of aging as humans do, but again, how? Obviously, machines get worn out, but they don't show such signs of aging as wrinkles and changes in color (besides fading and getting burnt). Entertaining, but not terribly well-written, although the story ends with the potential for a sequel, so maybe those questions will be answered there.

45. The Monkey's Paw, by W. W. Jacobs

This is the classic horror tale of a cursed monkey's paw that grants three wishes, but in a horrific fashion, the underlying moral being "Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it." There's a reason why this story is a classic, and that is because the theme speaks to people of all generations.

46. Ride the River, by Louis L'Amour

I doubt Louis L'Amour knew he was writing a young adult novel when he wrote this entry in the Sackett saga back in 1983, but it definitely qualifies. Sixteen-year-old Echo Sackett can ride horses, hit anything she aims at with a gun, and carries an "Arkansas toothpick" -- and she knows how to use it. She would fit right in with today's YA heroines.

47. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore

This comedic novel tells the story of the missing years of Jesus's life (or Joshua's, as he is called in the book), as he and his best friend, Levi called Biff (for the sound made when smacking someone upside the head), travel to Afghanistan, China, and India to study with the wise men. A very entertaining novel, but not for the easily offended.

48. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst

This is an old favorite that my niece wanted me to read to her. Then she decided not to pay attention, so I read it silently to myself, and refused to start over when she realized I'd stopped reading (not paying attention has consequences). Now I have an LnC plot bunny hopping around in my head, which needs to go lay down until I get more of Panem written.

Hi Annie,

You might want to check out Superman and the Miserable, Rotten, No Fun, Really Bad Day. I haven't read it myself, but it does look cute.

Joy,
Lynn

p.s., Even now in my second half-century of life, memories of the Alexander book still manage to make me smile when I am having one of those days.

Thanks! I will definitely check this book out (and I may actually be able to keep my niece's attention on it, since she loves superheroes).

#47 A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Diana, a witch who has suppressed her powers for years, suddenly finds herself attracting the attention of other witches, vampires and daemons. Especially one vampire.

It's an interesting world, well fleshed out. Some of the romance is a bit much. I'll probably check out the next book in the series but I'm not in a hurry.

#48 Then and Always by Dani Atkins

A accident that occurs just before leaving for college permanently changes Rachel's life. But then she gets a second chance....

In many ways this book was a typical romance. It had an unusual plot twist which I'm still deciding how I feel about.

49. How I Got This Way, by Patrick F. McManus

Patrick McManus, outdoor humorist extraordinaire, explains in a hilarious fashion how he got to be ... well ... the way he is.

50. Hardcore Twenty-Four, by Janet Evanovich

I think the Stephanie Plum series has jumped the shark. It's been repetitive for a while now, but in this book, there are only a few humorous moments (one of which involves a guy shooting himself in the foot, which shouldn't be funny, but is). Diesel is back, and behaves in a fashion that would get him arrested, shot, or both in real life. There are "zombies" (or something). Stephanie still doesn't make any progress on choosing between Morelli and Ranger (and she's attracted to Diesel, too, of course).

51. Superman and the Miserable, Rotten, No Fun, Really Bad Day, by Dave Croatto

I decided to take Lynn's advice and bought this book, and she's right. It's great -- plenty of humor. I read it, then lent it to my 9-year-old nephew, my 8-year-old niece, and then read it again to my 6-year-old niece (who struggles with reading, but does better if there are pictures and it's a topic she likes).

#49 A Tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Touching story about a girl growing up in Brooklyn at the turn of the century , dealing with poverty .

52. A Fine and Pleasant Misery, by Patrick F. McManus

This book of humorous essays by Patrick McManus deals largely with camping, and contains one of his most apropos tales -- that of a trip to a national park, where his kids got to see two adult male Homo sapiens having a territorial dispute over a parking space.

53. Mr. Frumble's Worst Day Ever, by Richard Scarry

Mr. Frumble, a luckless pig who drives a pickle car (hey, it's a children's book) causes multiple car accidents and other disasters. Not included is the obvious sequel for adults, where Mr. Frumble loses his driver's license.

#50 While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty


This story brought up some interesting points about what we value and how that shapes our life decisions.

#51 Bellwether by Connie Willis


Connie Willis has a unique style and it's certainly evident in this unusual book.

#52 The Boys in the Boat - Dan Brown

This book is inspiring and joyful! A must read 'Chariots of Fire' for the boating world.

Thanks SciFi Joan! Glad to see people are still reading this moving classic. Hmmm, maybe its time to take my copy off the shelf.

I'm not usually a biography person but I enjoyed this one too .

54. Out of the Darkness, by Lynn Erickson

This is an unusual Harlequin romance from 1995. Most of those books are repetitive (a fact I discovered at age 11 when I read the Harlequins my mom left in the bathroom and quickly lost interest), but this one stood out.

Miguel Rivera y Aquilar, a priest turned vampire, is over 500 years old and weary of life. He dislikes hurting people (he needs blood to survive) and has never killed anyone (but still broods constantly about what a monster he is, the sort of brooding that makes Batfleck look lighthearted). Enter Karen Freed, an ER nurse who takes a shortcut through Central Park in the wee hours of the morning and is attacked by two men. Miguel rescues her (and feeds on one of the men), and takes her to his expensive home until she regains consciousness. Then he asks her out to dinner (though he doesn't eat). Romance ensues.

Also in New York City is Miguel's old enemy Balthazar, who turned him into a vampire in 1458. Balthazar is ancient and very powerful, and very fond of killing. He also likes making certain people immortal when some aspect of their looks or intellect appeal to him -- or when they're pure and innocent and he wants to corrupt them for fun. Balthazar catches on to the fact that there is a mortal woman in Miguel's life and starts stalking them.

An entertaining book, a cut above most Harlequin romances, but still snarkable.

55. Wonder Woman: Warbringer, by Leigh Bardugo

Wonder Woman gets the YA treatment in this first book in the DC Icons series -- and it works. It works really, really well.

Diana, the only person born on Themyscira (the others arrived there after their deaths in battle after calling out to a goddess of battle or war), longs to prove herself. While running in a race, she sees a shipwreck out in the Aegean Sea, beyond the barrier between Themyscira and the rest of the world, and in spite of herself, swims out and rescues a girl, the lone survivor of the shipwreck. The island does not take kindly to the presence of an outsider and starts to tear itself apart, so Diana takes the girl, Alia Keralis, and leaves the island, winding up in Alia's hometown, New York City. Alia is a descendant of Helen of Troy, the first Warbringer, destined to cause conflict wherever she goes and to plunge the world into another age of warfare if not washed clean of this stain in a spring near to where Helen is buried.

This is an excellent first entry in the series, and at least three others are coming. Batman: Nightwalker, by Marie Lu is due for release on January 2, 2018, Catwoman: Soul Stealer, by Sarah J. Maas is due for release on August 7, 2018, and a Superman book, by Matt de la Pena, which is apparently due for release on January 10, 2019 (according to Goodreads), but is not yet available for pre-order on Amazon. If the quality of these other books is as good as the quality of Wonder Woman: Warbringer, the series will be enjoyable indeed.

#53 Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo


An interesting story with some major plot twists about a Nigerian couple struggling to have a child. I wasn't as emotionally hooked as I thought I might be.

#54 The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarity

This story was about a teenager in Kansas growing up in poverty during the 1980s.

It wasn't a bad story, it just seemed to go no where. The characters weren't overly likeable.

56. The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw, by Patrick F. McManus

A book of humorous columns by outdoor writer Patrick F. McManus. The titular column is about the night he went camping with a friend's family when he was a kid, and his "sleeping bag" (an old fur coat) caused him to be mistaken for a bear.

57. Tag and Bink Were Here, by Kevin Rubio

This satirical collection of Star Wars comics features a pair of bumbling would-be Jedi with limited Force potential who accidentally cause all the key events of the prequel and original trilogies (think Forrest Gump meets Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead).

#55 The Shack by William Paul Young


Thought provoking story. I'll have to check out the movie version.

#56 News of the World by Paulette Jiles


The characters were decently developed but for some reason, this story didn't engage me.