November's bookish art...

 

William Worchester Churchill - Woman Reading on a Settee

"Life is like a book: some chapters are sad, some happy, and some exciting. But if you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter holds." 

--Anonymous

The Hunter's Daughter by Nicola Solvinic

 

First line:  The first time I killed a man was on Tuesday.

Plot summary:  Anna Koray is a sheriff's lieutenant in rural Bayern County. It's where she grew up. But no one knows that. Just like no one knows her father was Stephen Theron, the notorious serial killer known as the Forest Strangler. For a long time, even Anna didn't know it because when she was young, a psychiatrist helped seal away her memories of him. But those memories are starting to return. And she's blacking out and losing time. Not only that, they just found a murdered young woman posed in a way that eerily resembles her father's victims. Is it a copycat? Her father returned from the dead? The Forest God he served? Or is it her?

My thoughts:  Taut. Eerie. Dark. Atmospheric. Disturbing at times (though never graphic or gory). And very compelling. The Hunter's Daughter is a layered mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Anna is a complex character haunted not only by her childhood memories, but by her father's legacy. There are times when she questions her own sanity. She's tried to be a good person and a good police officer, but people keep dying around her. And she's desperate to keep her past a secret, even to the point where she interferes with the murder investigation. I liked how I was never totally sure if I could trust her or not, though I really wanted to, because she's also a very sympathetic character. There were a lot of twists and red herrings along the way, but good hints and clues, too. And the ending was satisfying. I liked this one a lot. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday...

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is DESTINATION TITLES which I thought was a very fun idea. And easy, too. I just went to my bookshelves and came up with a list of these ten books...all with destinations in their titles. 

1. Haven by Laury Falter

2. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

3. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

4. Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

5. A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva

6. The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas

7. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

8. The Red Planet by Robert Heinlein

9. The Valley Where Time Stood Still by Lin Carter

10.  Treasure of Egypt by Barbara Ivie Green

Don't you just love traveling by book to all of these fun, faraway places?

Happy Reading!

Runaway Bride and Prejudice by Emma St. Clair

 

"People say when one door closes, another one opens. And maybe that's true. but I wanna know what people say when one door opens and you find the groom hooking up with someone who's not the bride--less than an hour before the wedding. In a church, no less."

Van's known as a bad boy in hockey. He's no one's hero. But he can't let Amelia marry her cheating fiancé. Because he cares about her. Not that he can admit that...to anyone. 

"As for how I know Amelia...it's a simple story. We met randomly. Talked. Thought she might be my soulmate. Then I realized she was my coach's daughter. The quintessential Romeo and Juliet story. But with more hockey and hopefully less death and mayhem."

As Amelia's wedding ends before it begins, Van ends up running off to Florida with her on her non-honeymoon...just to make sure she's okay. He definitely did not plan on what happened next.

"We laughed. We flirted. I started to think maybe this could be something--the kind of something I'd never had. I mean, it was way too fast and definitely stupid to think about that, but Amelia stirred to life the kinds of feelings I've never had. The kind of easy enjoyment mixed with potent attraction that left me feeling woozy." 

What can I say? Van is the best! And I loved this sweet, closed-door, hockey romance. Amelia and Van have great chemistry. And Emma St. Clair knows how to write clever banter, fun and humorous interactions, and swoony kisses. And I love the Appies hockey team. This book made me happy. Here's one more favorite quote from it:

"She and I argued over whether rereading a book should count toward your reading goals for the year. She nearly took my head off arguing about keeping your reading tally 'pure' with only first-time reads. ... And she's wrong, by the way. Rereads totally count." 

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Happy Reading!

Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima

 

First line:  Weather could make or break a search and rescue mission, and the wind would play havoc with the scent trail today.

Series:  Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Summary:  When Deputy Mattie Wray and her German Shepherd, Robo, are asked to fly out to Washington's Olympic peninsula to join in the search for a missing nine-year-old boy, she can't say no. Even though she's supposed to be getting married to her veterinarian fiance, Cole Walker, at the end of the week. Because there's a lost child and the local police need Robo's air scenting skills. Luckily, Cole has her back, even traveling to Washington to offer his doctoring skills to all the SAR dogs there and their handlers helping to search the dense forest area where they think the boy wandered off into. But Mattie soon starts to suspect his disappearance is the result of something more sinister. Can they find him in time?

My thoughts:  I love this series and a big reason why is the dogs and all their search-and-rescue skills. It's so interesting! I like learning about the difference between ground tracking and air scenting, each dog's speciality, and how their handlers guide them. And Mattie and Robo certainly have their work cut out for them this time trying to track a small child through such a rainy forest setting. This mystery also has good action and suspense. And all of these characters are so great. I've loved seeing Mattie's and Cole's relationship deepen over the course of this series. And Robo is the best! Gathering Mist is another winning read from Margaret Mizushima.

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Tuesday...

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is COVERS WITH AN ITEM OF YOUR CHOICE ON THE COVER.

And I decided to go with CLOCKS. Because I just had to change all of mine...again. And could we please choose one time, either Daylight or Standard, and stick with it? I'm so tired of having to change my clocks, both inner and outer, twice a year. But these covers with clocks on them are kind of awesome. 

Hooked by Emily McIntire

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk

Timekeeper by Tara Sim

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

The Love Proof by Madeleine Henry

The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

Happy Reading!

Randomness....

Recently finished reading:  The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer.  And I loved it--Lucy, Hugo, Jack and Christopher, Clock Island, and the contest! It was magical. 

"Only brave children get their wishes....Because only brave children know that wishing is never enough. You have to try to make your own wishes come true." --Meg Shaffer

This John Atkinson cartoon totally made me laugh. Check out his website, Wrong Hands, for more clever and humorous art. It'll make your day!

My latest library haul...I know, once again I checked out too many books, and five more holds will probably come in tomorrow, but it's my bookish addiction, and there's no 12-step program for it: 

Murder at King's Crossing by Andrea Penrose

Cat's Paw by Roger Scarlett

The Next Everest by Jim Davidson

Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot

The Hunter's Daughter by Nicola Solvinic

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

 Snowed In by Catherine Walsh

The Novice by Taran Matheru

Miles Bailey Gets Down on One Knee by Jen Atkinson

Chicken Dinner News by Jeff Billington

Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima

And my list of glad things from October:

• I saw chickadees on my walk this morning...they're my favorite little bird and always make me smile. 
• Tracker has started again! It's so good...one of my favorite TV shows this season. 
• I'm also really loving Jelly Roll's new album, especially his song I'm Not Okay.
• I found some favorite books on sale at my library's used book sale...picked up 5 of them for only 50 cents. Any day with new books in it is a good day!
• My family got together for a fun game night last weekend; we played Zombie Run (a fast, easy and fun card game) and Mycelia.
• And my football team won their last 3 games! They are now 8-0. Go BYU!