Two fun reads...

 

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

"Here's the thing about waking up with no memory in the middle of the night, in the middle of the street, in the middle of Paris: at least you're waking up in Paris."

She's not a spy, but she gets caught up with one. And Sawyer's the only thing standing between her and all the bad guys chasing her. There's a lot of action, banter, suspense, and some great laugh-out-loud moments between Zoe and Sawyer in this one. This is such an addictive and fun novel; I couldn't put it down. I loved the combination of spies and romance.   4.5/5 stars. 

Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren

"For as many books as she'd read in her lifetime, Ren had never found one that taught a woman like her--raised away from society and off the grid for most of her twenty-two years--how to live in the real world. Still, she was so ready for the change, she could practically taste it."

Ren is naive, optimistic, eager and full of sunshine. Fitz is streetwise, charming when he wants to be, but hiding some dark secrets from his past. The two of them together? Magic. From Ren's first weeks at college to their road trip across the country, I ate this book up. It's a charming read with lots of humor. I liked how spending time with Ren made Fitz open up and want to be better. And Ren's journey had some unexpected surprises in it, especially at the end.   4/5 stars.

A Bookish Trio...

 

Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco

Nyle DiMarco is a proud Deaf man. He is so eloquent and passionate about the Deaf world, it's culture and history, and the richness, beauty and expressiveness of ASL. It's such a fascinating language! I took a class in it once and loved how you can say so much with just one sign. I also loved reading Nyle's story. He chronicles his growing up years and later experiences with honesty and humor. And I really admire his mother for her strength and determined activism. She's a remarkable woman. And Deaf Utopia is an amazing book.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Give Me A Sign by Anna Sortino

Lilah doesn't feel "deaf enough" to identify as Deaf--she isn't even fluent in ASL--but her hearing loss means she doesn't fit in the hearing world either; she always feels like "the odd one out, the one who always has to explain or adjust." Except when she's at Gray Wolf, a summer camp for the deaf and blind. And this year, she's not just a camper, she's a junior counselor. Sortino, who is deaf herself, has written a sweet coming-of-age story that explores the complexity and richness of being Deaf. It's a very engaging YA novel.   ⭐⭐⭐⭐

True Biz by Sara Novic

Immersive and impressive! I got caught up in the lives of Charlie (a deaf teenager with hearing parents; she has a cochlear implant that doesn't work very well and still hasn't learned ASL), and February (a CODA who's fluent in ASL and is headmistress of the River Valley School for the Deaf in Ohio). This book deals with the importance of ASL, Deaf schools, the tug-of-war between the hearing and Deaf, cochlear implants, and Deaf culture. I couldn't put it down; though I did think the ending was a little abrupt.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading! 

Two Quick Bookish Books Recommendations...

 

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

First Thea gets laid off. Then she discovers that her husband of twenty years is cheating on her with one of her friends. So when she finds out she's inherited her great uncle's house and antique book collection, she gladly escapes to Baldochrie, Scotland to claim her inheritance. One thing leads to another and soon Thea is happily working at the local bookshop for the grumpy (and handsome!) owner, Edward Maltravers. 

Scotland and a bookshop? Yes, please! Those are two of my favorite things to read about. And I loved how Thea's and Edward's humorous bickering led to some very honest conversations, friendship, and ultimately deeper feelings of love.   4/5 stars. 

Bookshop Cinderella by Laura Lee Guhrke

1895, London. The Duke of Westbourne has just made a bet to turn a quiet and plain bookshop owner into the bell of the ball. And he has six weeks to do it. Evie Harlow isn't interested in his proposition until her bookshop suddenly needs some major repairs. She agrees to help him with his bet, but neither one of them planned on falling in love. 

This is a fun if predictable romance with two engaging characters. I liked that Evie knew about the bet right from the start, and I thought their dancing lessons were very cute.  3/5 stars. 

Happy Reading!

P.S  These two books count towards Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge.

Quick Book Recommendations...

 

Begin Again 
by Emma Lord

See You Yesterday
by Rachel Lynn Solomon
(warning: explicit language)

Things these two entertaining YA novels have in common:

Amusing mishaps

College setting

Humorous banter

Relatable characters

Unexpected friendships

Compelling plots

Romance

Happy endings

I haven't been reading too many YA novels lately because so many of them have been sadly disappointing...but I thought both of these books were a lot of fun. The stories were well written, the plots clever, and the endings of both made me smile. Check them out!

Happy Reading!

 

Quick book recommendations....

 

In the Clearing by Robert Dugoni

This is the third Tracy Crosswhite mystery, and the second one that I've read, but it won't be my last. I'm really liking Tracy. In this one, she investigates a cold case from 40 years ago that turns out to be murder. I loved how all the separate threads wove together as Tracy patiently figures out the truth. It's a compelling mystery. 

How to Find Your Way Home by Katy Regan

There's so much I loved about this book I don't even know where to begin! Emily's search for her homeless brother, Stephen, who was taken away when she was 12;  his vow, as her big brother, to love and protect her forever; and their subsequent struggle to reconnect after twenty years was all so poignant. Regan's writing is excellent, especially the way she interweaves the past and the present. And, of course, I loved all the birds and birding in this one. It's an unexpected and lovely novel.

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews...

 

Safe by S.K. Barnett

Missing for twelve years, 

Jenny's come home. Safe at last!

Or is it all lies?

Psychological thriller .... 319 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.

Murder at Queen's Landing by Andrea Penrose

Murder. Missing friends. Math.

It's another mystery for

Wrexford and Charlotte.

Historical fiction/mystery .... 360 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(I love this series!)

In the Dark by Loreth Anne White

Eight guests haunted by

past lies are now hunted in a

twisted game of death.

Psychological thriller .... 399 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews...

Day By Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne

Written like a journal:

one man's fight to survive the

growing zombie hoard.

Apocalyptic fiction .... 200 pages .... 3/5 stars.

(There are a few flaws, and the ending felt way too abrupt, but overall a fun zombie read.)

Deadly Dreams by Kylie Brant

Ritual fires. Three cops dead.

Could Risa's psychic dreams help

Det. McGuire solve this case?

Mystery/Suspense .... 325 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(I really like Brant's Mindhunter Series!)

Murder at Half Moon Gate by Andrea Penrose

An inventor's murder

 draws Wrexford and Charlotte into

a maze of death and lies.

Historical mystery .... 358 pages .... 5/5 stars.

(I liked this one even better than Murder on Black Swan Lane.)

Cut and Run by Mary Burton

Missing girls, murder,

twin sisters separated at birth...

and one Texas Ranger.

Mystery/Suspense .... 323 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Thanks for the recommendation, Rachel! I really liked this one.)

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews...

The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews

Ex-army captain

seeks wife. A lady answers

his ad. Romance ensues.

Victorian period romance .... 378 pages ..... 3.5/5 stars. ('Cause sometimes I'm in the mood for a happily ever after kind of story...even a completely predictable one.)

Left For Dead: My Journey Home From Everest by Beck Weathers

Frozen and presumed

dead on Everest, he got a

second chance at life.

True story .... 287 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.

(A perfect companion read to Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.)

A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo (Kate Burkholder mystery #10)

One Amish teen murdered--

Sheriff Kate means to find out

the real reason why.

Mystery ---- 308 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(I really enjoy this mystery series!)

Happy Reading!

Wrapping up Nonfiction November...

Yesterday, I returned all the nonfiction books I checked out this month to the library; all except for The Wright Brothers by David McCullough which I'm currently halfway through. That one I renewed. As for the other books I checked out, I managed to read all but one:  The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya will just have to wait until next year. The seven books I did read this month were all very interesting, and I'm glad I read them, but I have to admit, towards the end I found myself developing a bit of nonfiction fatigue, and I'm really looking forward to diving into the stack of fiction and fantasy books sitting next to my bed.  But before I do that, here are a few brief thoughts on the last two nonfiction books I read...and on the one I'm still reading:

"Safe now, the crushing strain of the preceding days lifted from my shoulders, I cried for my lost companions, I cried because I was grateful to be alive, I cried because I felt terrible for having survived while others had died."

After reading this book, I found myself wondering why anyone would ever want to try climbing to the top of Mt. Everest. I mean, they call the last 4,000 feet of the climb "The Death Zone".  But people do. And sometimes they die. Like the twelve climbers who died in that fateful storm in May 1996. And even though I already knew the story, I still found Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air a vividly compelling and harrowing read. And one I won't soon forget. 4 stars.

Five facts you may or may not know about the Spanish Flu:

1.  It came in three waves with the second wave in the fall of 1918 being the deadliest.
2.  It didn't originate in Spain.
3.  It infected one in three people on earth.
4.  It was a global pandemic, affecting almost every country and continent. (The one big exception:  Antarctica.)
5.  Scientists figure it killed upwards of 50-100 million people; in contrast, 17 million died in World War I.

   

Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney is both interesting and informative. I liked the mix of science and history throughout this book, as well as Spinney's conversational narrative style. Plus, the chapters are short, which is always a bonus.  3.5 stars.

"Gentlemen, I'm going to fly."

--Wilbur Wright

While I haven't quite finished this one--I'm on page 178 and have about 100 pages still to go--I'm quite liking it. Wilbur and Orville Wright, two of "the workingest boys" ever, are such fascinating figures; I love how David McCullough has made them come alive in this biography. What they accomplished through their own hard work and determination is truly amazing.  4.5 stars.

Happy Reading!

The other nonfiction books I read this month:
Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford
Live Long And... by William Shatner
I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel
Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot by Joseph Cummins
Valley Forge by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

Haiku Reviews...

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

On the train, at work,

coming home --- be on your guard.

Someone is watching.

(Psychological thriller .... 375 pages .... 3.5/5 stars.)

Murder on Union Square (Gaslight Myster #21) by Victoria Thompson

Accused of murder, 

Frank needs everyone's help to

prove his innocence.

(Historical fiction/mystery .... 323 pages .... 3/5 stars.)

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen

Gothic steampunk fun:

a cursed lord, murder, ghosts, vamps,

mystery & romance.

(Steampunk romance/mystery .... 313 pages .... 4/5 stars)

This is a crazy, entertaining take on Beauty and the Beast.

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews...

Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller

The journey, prairie,

log home, Pa, Mary and Laura--

all through Caroline's eyes.

(Historical Fiction .... 363 pages .... 4.5/5 stars. 

Check out Nadia's review for more.)

Slashback (Cal Leandros #8) by Rob Thurman

An Ancient evil

has come hunting; Nik and Cal

must stop it....or die trying.

(An urban fantasy novel with my two favorite brothers and lots of mayhem and monsters .... 337 pages .... 4/5 stars)

Hidden (Alex Verus #5) by Benedict Jacka

When a fellow mage

goes missing, it's Alex & Co.

to the rescue. Again.

(Urban fantasy .... 298 pages .... 4.5/5 stars .... I love this series!)

Happy Reading!

Great non-fiction reads on Egypt...

The Nile:  A Journey Downriver Through Egypt's Past and Present by Toby Wilkinson

This is a fascinating and very readable book that starts in Aswan and takes you all the way to Cairo, stopping at all the important sites along the Nile. I loved Wilkinson's writing and all his fun facts and stories. And I learned a lot. If you're interested in Egypt at all, I highly recommend this book.

Down the Nile:  Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney

This great read chronicles Mahoney's own trip down the Nile....alone in a small boat that she rows herself. (It sounds crazy, I know.) The people she meets and the sites she sees are so interesting. I like to read this kind of travel memoir, probably because I'm not brave enough to do something this adventurous and mad myself! But I'm glad Mahoney is.

The Seventy Great Mysteries of Ancient Egypt edited by Bill Manley

From the riddles of the sphinx to the lost tomb of
Amenhotep I to the Tutankhamen conspiracy, this tome covers many of the questions and mysteries of Egypt. It has short chapters and lots of beautiful color photographs. Best of all, if you're not interested in the chapters on royal boats or Necho and his fleet, you can just skip them.  I did!

Happy Reading!

Two Fun Reads...

The Road to Winter by Mark Smith

This entertaining YA dystopian novel is set in an Australia where an unknown virus has wiped out most of the population. For the last two years, Finn and his dog, Rowdy, have been on their own. Finn traps rabbits and harvests abalone for food, trades for veggies with an old man who lives nearby, and tries to avoid the gang of raiders known as the Wilders. Oh, and he surfs to stay sane. Then a girl named Rose enters his life. She's on the run from the Wilders and Finn knows he will have to risk his own life in order to save hers.

Not all dystopian novels are worth your time, but if I were grading this one I'd give it a solid B. It's well-paced. It wasn't too long, which means it never dragged. I really liked the survival aspects of it; I liked the characters, too, especially Finn. And I'm actually looking forward to reading the sequel.

To Suit a Suitor by Paula Kremser

Insipid characters, stilted dialogue, conflicts that could be resolved in two seconds, and/or an overly contrived plot will make me DNF a Regency romance every time. Luckily, this particular Regency romance by Paula Kremser has none of these deficiencies. Instead, Kremser has created two main characters who are believable and very likeable. I enjoyed their witty bantering and their tentative friendship.

Julia North, who is in her third London season, has just been abandoned by her latest suitor, much to her mother's chagrin. Julia knows there must be something wrong with her, she just doesn't know what. So she retreats to her cousin's house in the country where she meets Mr. Henry Chamberlin, who is still mourning the death of his fiancee three years ago. He's handsome, but truly believes he'll never fall in love again. Then he meets Julia. This charming romance, while not on the level of Austen or Heyer, is a light-hearted, well-written and fun read. And I liked it a lot.

Happy Reading!

Murder, He Wrote ...

Title: Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane by Paul Thomas Murphy
First Line: He stumbled upon her at 4:15 on Wednesday morning, April 26, 1871, half an hour before the sun rose, just as definition and color began to bleed into the amorphous black and gray.

My thoughts: This is the true story of murder in Victorian England and the police investigation and trials that followed. It's well-written and oddly compelling. Maid-of-all-work Jane Maria Clouson was seventeen and pregnant when she was viciously attacked and left for dead. The principal suspect in her murder? Edmund Pook, her former employer's twenty-year-old son and Jane's alleged lover. Jane's sad story swept the country as did Pook's arrest and subsequent trial. The author deftly chronicles both. Forensic science was in its infancy in 1871 and I found it interesting what the police could prove, and what they couldn't. Their investigation was far from perfect, but they tried their best to get justice for Jane. I found it sad that they couldn't. Overall, this was a fascinating look at mystery and murder in Victorian England.

Title: Shatter by Michael Robotham
First Line:  It's eleven o'clock in the morning, late September, and outside it's raining so hard that cows are floating down rivers and birds are resting on their bloated bodies.

My thoughts:  Clinical psychologist, Joe O'Loughlin is on the case again when a woman's suicide turns out to be something more. At first the police don't want to believe that there's a serial killer inciting these deaths. Then a second woman dies. The suspense in this psychological thriller really amps up when Joe's investigation puts his own wife and daughter in danger. Once I started this book, I did not want to put it down. Robotham has written another compelling mystery with a white-knuckle ending. I liked it as much as Say You're Sorry and Bleed For Me. (Just watch out for overuse of the F-word.)

Happy Reading!