Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells

 "Bad things happen in the wilderness--and sometimes they're not accidents."

An abandoned glamping campsite near Precipice Lake in Sequoia National Park. Two missing campers. Who were they? And what happened to them? Park ranger Ferdinand "Hux" Huxley suspects foul play. But it's up to Special Agent Felicity Harland to investigate. But with no witnesses and sparse clues, it's not going to be easy to track down the truth. 

What I liked best about this mystery:

• Getting to know Felicity and Hux. These two characters have interesting back stories, and they work well together. Hux is a former Navy Seal with a talent for finding people; Felicity is recovering from a devastating accident and travels with a cute dog named Ollie. I look forward to reading their next investigation.
• That beautiful National Park setting with its isolated wilderness, icy blue lakes, mountain peaks, and forested trails. It's always a favorite of mine.

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Another favorite read by Claire Kells:  Girl Underwater

Top Ten Tuesday

 

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

This week's theme is supposed to be "Books I was Super Excited to Get My Hands on but Still Haven't Read." Only I wasn't feeling this one; so I decided to go rogue and do my own thing instead. 

Here's my list of 10 Favorite Books Read in May Over the last 10 Years. It was actually really fun to go back to 2013 and continue forward to 2023 and see what books I was reading each May...my very own bookish walk down memory lane. (And if any of these books interest you, I've included a link to my original review posts.)

From 2013:  An Inquiry Into Love and Death by Simone St. James

From 2014:  The Girl in the Green Sweater by Krystyna Chiger

From 2015:  The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

From 2016:  Those Jensen Boys! by William W. Johnstone

From 2017:  A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea by Melissa Fleming

From 2019:  A Merciful Secret by Kendra Elliot  

From 2020:  Desperate Creed by Alex Kava

From 2021:  The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger

From 2022:  Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman

And from 2023:  Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Happy Reading!

Haiku Reviews...

 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Dumped by her fiance,

Daphne moves in with Miles whose

girlfriend just dumped him.

Romance .... 384 pages .... 4.5/5 stars.

(Another charming romance from Emily Henry.)

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

When her Grand Slam record

is eclipsed, she un-retires

to win it back.

Fiction .... 364 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(As good as everyone said.)

The Chocolate Cobweb by Charlotte Armstrong

Can Mandy save Thone

from his stepmother's plotting? 

Or will she die, too?

Psychological suspense.... 242 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(I thought this classic mystery was a lot of fun.)

Happy Reading!

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama

 

What it's about:

Five lost souls, each with a yearning inside them to be or do something more. And a wise community librarian who guides them to the book that will help them see a path forward to seizing opportunities and fulfilling their dreams. Each book is different. But then so are the five characters. There's Tomoka, who is a young sales assistant in a department store; Ryo, who wants to open his own antique store; and Natsumi, a former magazine editor who is struggling to balance motherhood and her career. I really liked those three, but I think the last two were my favorite:  Hiroya, an unemployed artist who feels like a failure; and Masao, who just retired from his job of forty-two years and now doesn't know what to do with his life. Every chapter introduces another character, another book, another dream. I enjoyed their individual journeys and their moments of intersection. 

My thoughts:  

This was a bittersweet read for me. Don't get me wrong, I loved this quiet literary novel, but it's the book I was supposed to read this month with Melody. We planned it back in February. And I kept wanting to talk to her about it, ask her which character she liked best, compare notes, hear her thoughts and insights. I know she would have loved the Japanese setting and how books played a role in each character's journey. I really wish I could have read this book with her. I bet she would have given it 5 stars. I did. 

Happy Reading!

Thought for the Day...

 

One Last Shot by Susan May Warren

 

From the blurb:  "When country music star Oaken Fox joins survivalist Mike Grizz's new adventure show in the Alaskan wilderness, he just wants to boost his fan base. But when tragedy strikes and Air One Rescue must save them, Oaken wants to quit. Too bad his producer has other plans--signing him on with Air One Rescue as a recruit and making a reality show.

"EMT Boo Kingston did not join Air One Rescue to train a celebrity. But she's a rookie to the team, so yes, she'll train Oaken and keep him alive and not for a minute pay attention to his charm.

"Then five women go missing from a resort during a bachelorette weekend gone wrong. Now, Air One and the rescue team will have to use all their skills and manpower--including Oaken--to find them before a blizzard settles in. But can they work together before tragedy strikes?"

My thoughts:  Ashley @ The Rustic Reading Gal, who recommended this book, said I would love it...and she was right. The compelling action starts on page one and continues throughout the book. But there are also quiet moments with Oaken and Boo and the other members of the rescue team--moments of heart, humor, redemption, forgiveness, and faith. I loved all the rescue guys, but I especially loved Oaken and Boo and how they slowly came together over the course of the story. And that Alaskan wilderness setting is always a favorite of mine. All the rescue scenes felt very realistic, and were nicely suspenseful, too. And I loved the positivity and the happy ending. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series when it comes out next month. 

Happy Reading!

May's Bookish Art...

 

Yumeji Takehisa -- Woman Reading

"Lose yourself in books, in art, in the haze of new horizons. Lose yourself in curiosity, in knowledge, in passion. Lose yourself in feeling it all..."

--Bianca Sparacino