Sjgoins

Another year and another time for forgetting how to start my posts.

(1) Book one is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Grapes of Wrath revisited, of course. Well written with maybe the same desperation described almost in a modern context. The author's notes at the end of the book give it her perspective, which was not what I imagined while reading. A disappointment was leaving the lives of several main characters hanging. Only one seemed to be complete.

Welcome back!

Thank you. Nice to be able to record my reading--and occasionally see what others are doing.

Happy reading year.

A slightly slower start, but thank you. Book (2) The Good Wife by Jane A. Adams. A good series if somewhat predictable in characterization. The mystery, however, was clever enough.

Happy reading in 2023!

Thank you as well. Book (3) The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards. Familiar only with Picasso's painting, I had to research the massacre of civilians in Guernica. Authors' notes at the end of historical fiction always help as well. It may be hard to imagine some of the things actually happening, but in desperate times they may be possible; therefore, the "adventure" was well developed. The romance and some of the good things that happened made a horrible situation bearable.

(4) The Bones Remember by Sara E. Johnson. The mystery and action are both good, but I especially enjoyed the bits of Maori language and information about the sharks.

(5) The Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Bardot de Villeneuve. After my great niece requested this version for Christmas, I decided to read this 1858 translation. While the Disney version is entertaining, this one shows the inventiveness of early fairy tales.

(6) The Bone Track by Sara E. Johnson. More New Zealand description, Maori culture, and a good mystery--or mysteries.

(7) A Boat to Nowhere by Maureen Crane Wartski. While this is written for middle schoolers, it is memorable because some of it mirrors the trials some friends went through to get to freedom.

(8) A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny. Gamache’s humanness and humanity makes the books compelling reads. A few quick solutions to secondary issues in this book left me a little dissatisfied.
In fact, Gamache’s inability to recognize a man who has haunted him for so long seemed incredible. (Spoiler) Another character spent one night with someone who turned out not to be what she thought, but her very insecure character seemed not the worse for that.

(9) Snow by John Banville. It was difficult to appreciate the book. The murder was fairly easy to figure out. The protagonist kept doubting himself as a detective inspector. His associate wasn’t a true partner. And the inspector kept saying that the characters seemed to be acting as typecasts in a period drama—even though the whole book felt that way.

(10) Gulp by Mary Roach. As usual she approaches her subject with her own curiosity, which leads to questions many of us would like to ask, but don't. Her research is coupled with entertaining, often humorous, comments, yet with respect for the subjects of the research.

(11) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Repetitively fascinating.

(12) Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna. This one was a little too forced. There were occasionally good descriptions but then too much unnecessary description that didn’t move the plot along. The final mystery was better hidden and revealed than others in the book.

(13) The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Mathewson. Good first novel in a new series.

(15) Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman. Intelligent natural conversation between Delaware and anyone else moves the plot along.

(16) The Cliff’s Edge by Charles Todd. A good mystery, though there were several characters to keep track of. I do hope both the Crawford and Rutledge series continue.

(17) The Golem of Hollywood by Jesse and Jonathan Kellerman. This parent-child author pairing doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t compare favorably to the Alex Delaware series because the protagonist is sadly not as likable. I wasn’t sure where the Jewish mysticism of this book fit into the religion or what was created for just the story. Faye Kellerman’s writing is more instructive and appreciated.

(18) The Need by Helen Phillips. The writing captures the joys and frustrations of motherhood extremely well; however, the situation that is presented is frightening. The ending leaves much to be explained (though I think I understood what had just happened at the conclusion--just not how it would play out).

(19) The Bequest by Joanna Margaret. Intelligent writing though the characters didn't often act intelligently. The described research
would be interesting to me, but it doesn't seem probable. The story's research seems more important than the mysteries, including the lives "lost."

(20) The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It took awhile to want to invest in the characters, but it was good writing. Makes one question whether fame of any kind is worth the price to get--and maintain. The ending wasn't a complete surprise, logical in a way, but a part for the reader to reckon with as well as the characters.

(21) Peril at the Exposition by Nev March. Part mystery and part nostalgia for India with good insights into what motivates people for either good or bad.

(22) A Courage Undimmed by Stephanie Graves. A slightly different focus on WW II and a bit of practical justice.

(23) Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy by Damien Lewis. Well researched and cited. Several story lines to keep track of but certainly adds depth of character to Baker, who was less known for all her war efforts than for her career in Paris. Sad she couldn't find the same acceptance in the States for too long.

(24) Keep the Midnight Out by Alex Gray. Thought it was early in the series so may have to go back to read the preceding books.

(25) The Sacred Bridge by Anne Hillerman. Two separate mysteries in one novel that seem to follow very well in the style of the authors father.

(26) Into the Forest by Rebecca Frankel. Well researched story of families who fled ghettos or hiding places to go to forests in Poland to escape the Nazis.

(27) This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber. While very like an Agatha Christie, the story does develop well with numerous suspects. Will want to see if it can develop into a series.

(28) Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver. Another Christie-ish mystery. Still it’s nice occasionally to read something just for entertainment value.

(29)The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver. The second novel in the series is as entertaining as the first.
(30) What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. The author’s Irish heritage explains the setting. The time warp aspect is reminiscent of Outlander, but this book had its own charm as well as historical background.

(31) A Most Intriguing Lady by Sarah Ferguson. Loosely based on historical characters. A quick read.

(32) All That Remains by Sue Black. While a bit textbookish, the stories the author tells are instructional, respectful, sometimes horrific, and occasionally a bit humorous.

(33) Death Wears a Mask by Ashley Weaver. Making up my mind about the series.

(34) The Fourth Enemy by Anne Perry. Another solid glimpse into British society and how people (from wherever) use power to their advantage. I will miss having more Anne Perry books to read.

(35) Murder on Bedford Street by Victoria Thompson. Consistently a good series, even if close to being a cozy. The historical touches seem accurate.

(36) Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear. While the book started slowly with rather unhappy portents, it improved as the story unfolded. The characters are real people with many facets to their lives, which deepens the import of the book.

(37) Pitch Black by Alex Gray. Came in about fifth book in the series. Might have to go back to read the earlier versions. It was more rugby than I cared for, but it was described well for novices to the sport. The characterizations were good.

(38) Who Cries for the Lost by C. S. Harris. An entertaining way to read about history—and a new perspective on some events. The characters are still vividly drawn.

(39) Hands Down by Felix Francis. An untidy finish, but probably truer than I’d like.

(40) City of Fortune by Victoria Thompson. Some of the situations were slightly predictable, but the cons were rather clever.

(41) Treacherous Is The Night by Anna Lee Huber. Huber’s books are easy reads, which is what I need between occasional meatier material.

(42) All Shall Be Well by Deborah Crombie. More character development. Decent mystery. Will continue.

(43) Musical Theatre for dummies by Seth Rudetsky. Excellent guide for anyone interested in musical theater in general, in watching musicals, in performing, etc. He gives history of the theater and illustrates with his own knowledge and experience and with pertinent video clips from singers and actors.

(44) Leaving Everything Most Loved by jacqueline Winspear. The characters all become more complex with each book. The mystery (while interesting) is almost secondary.

(45) Glasgow Kiss by Alex Gray. Like the series.

(46) Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber. Although rather repetitive, the book was a good addition to the series.

(47) A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. This might have the potential to be a readable series. Opinion pending.

(48) A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear. Time that passed between books made it necessary to catch the reader up when those events might have been a good story in and of itself. The Spanish war was a good backdrop for this mystery, but it didn’t quite feel a natural move in the series.

(49) Uprooted by Naomi Novak. This is the first fantasy book I’ve read in a long time. There’s a bit of bias against court politics with its willingness to expend the lives of so many people and to make small villages more ideal. It would have been more pleasing to watch the character growth of some of the secondary players rather than a letter or two to the main character with only a brief description of their lives.

(50) The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz. The author skewers everybody in this, some more than others, but there is a bit of promise in the "latecomer's" efforts to put some "fun" back into the dysfunction of her "family."

(51) Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear. This book in the series makes a more natural character development.

(52) Going Zero by Anthony McCarten. Scary (because at least partially true). Also clever.

(53) The French Widow by Mark Pryor. The atmosphere of Paris with an American accent. Good mystery. Some somewhat surprising twists.

(54) Blaze Me a Sun by Christopher Carlsson. Dark and moody, but good description of the obsession of a well meaning policeman who tried to find the truth and the mistakes that were made in the process.

(55) The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman. Entertaining while exposing religious prejudices from both perspectives. Nice to see where there was more understanding between many of the characters.

(56) Five Ways to Kill a Man by Alex Gray. A slightly different perspective for this series entry.

(57) The Spider by Lars Kepler. Dark and gritty, but absorbing.

(58) An Honest Man by Michael Koryta. As always a story filled with action, good characterization, and a complicated plot.

(59) Alias Emma by Ava Glass. Fast paced. Resourceful and likable main characters.

60) Murder in the Palais Royal by Cara Black. As always, Aimee gets into trouble that lasts throughout the book. Some solutions were a bit convenient , but on the whole it was a good read.

(61) A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber. The bits of history keep the book from being too formulaic. The grammar isn’t always standard. The continuous character development in each book is welcome.

(62) The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs. Typical for the series, which means it holds interest and this time offers some scary possibilities.

(63) A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber. While I’ve enjoyed reading the series, I do get aggravated by the number of grammatical errors that an editor shouldn’t miss—unless it’s reliance on the iffy Grammar Check. There are many repetitions of feelings that are a bit overstated. Still, I’ll keep reading the books.

(64) What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. Charming with a few platitudes that ring true maybe because they’re from a different culture.

(65) A Chateau Under Siege by Martin Walker. While some readers found the move to international issues too much, I think it indicates how very much intertwined the world is. There is a bit more to learn about Bruno, and the food remains a draw as well.

(66) The Traitor Among Us by Anne Perry. Sorry this may be the last in the series--unless someone else picks it up. It was rather full of repetition and had a rushed ending, but it also had some resolution in the relationship of the sisters Elena and Margot.

(67) Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter. Appropriate last name because of all the gore in the book. Wasn't sure I liked any of the characters, but they developed into interesting people despite their inability to understand the other characters in the book. The "villain" was revealed in a few clues, at least toward the end of the book.

(68) Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn. A bit of a twist in its premise. Surprised I liked it as much as I did. Perhaps a bit of TMI in methods for murder.