"And Then There Were None" by Agatha Chrisie--A Creepy and Baffling Mystery!

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is a baffling murder mystery. Ten people voluntarily go to a mansion on Soldiers Island where they soon figure out that the end of their life is coming soon. They suspiciously die one by one and no one can figure out who is behind the killing, including the reader. It is a genius murder mystery! I am so glad the author included the epilogue which explains who was behind everything and how it was done because otherwise I still wouldn't know who the murder was. It is a fascinating psychological thriller that plays on the power of suggestion and manipulation.

This book had me turning the pages right from the start, not only trying to figure out who the murderer was, but also who would be the next victim and how they would die. I didn’t do very well at that either. This is the first book I’ve read by Agatha Christie but plan to read more! I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries or thrillers!
Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Christmas List" by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans is a contemporary Scrooge story.  A real estate mogul who is focused on making money at any cost regardless of who he hurts, is mistakenly reported to have died in an auto accident.  He then finds out what people really think of him when reading the comments to the news article online.  He decides to try to change and starts by contacting people he has hurt to apologize and try to make things right.  He realizes that the ones he hurt most were his wife and son and seeks to reconcile with them before it's too late. 

This quick read is heartwarming and thought provoking.  This book makes you take a look at life and make the most of the time we have.  I liked seeing how he changed for the better and seriously tried to make up for hurting people. 
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Safe With Me" by Amy Hatvany

Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany is told from various points of view and that makes this book good.  Hannah Scott's world comes to an end when a tragic accident leaves her daughter dead.  But this is really only the beginning of this book.  When Hannah makes a decision, she comes in contact with the Bells.

This book held my interest throughout and I enjoyed all the characters with a real nice ending.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany is about Hannah, a hair stylist and mother of 12-yr-old Emily who died and donated her organs so others could live. Hannah is, of course, devastated but becomes more understanding of her own mother. Maddie is a 15-yr-old girl who receives Emily’s liver that saves her life, but whose father is very abusive to her mother. This story shows some of the struggles that organ recipients face and why it is hard for victims of domestic violence to leave their spouses. 

This book moved along fairly well and although deals with very serious subjects, was not depressing. I would recommend this to women more than men. (3 stars)

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"All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely is Thought Provking

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely is about a young teen black boy who is in a store and when an incident happens, he has an encounter with a cop.  A white boy teen sees this who is friends with the cop.  Does he come forward and tell what he saw?  Did the black boy do anything wrong?

I thought this book was pretty good, but it's more of a thought provoking book than action.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"A Tail of Hope's Faith by Diane Weinmann (Animal Communicator)

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I met the author at a fund-raiser for Parma Animal Shelter and was curious when I found out she actually could get animals to tell her their thoughts.  I asked her some questions because I think it would be awesome to actually hear what animals are thinking and I'd love for Abby to tell us about her past before we got her. I talk to my pets all the time and can pretty much figure out what they're thinking at certain times; however, I've never actually heard them speak to me.   She told me to read her book about the dog named Hope so I did.

A Tale of Hope’s Faith is about Diane Weinmann, an animal communicator, and her experience with one particular dog named Hope. Hope has cancer and Diane uses holistic alternative medicine to help the dog have less pain and a better quality of life. Then, it progresses to reincarnation after the dog finally has to be euthanized. 

It is an amazing story, but one I have a very hard time believing. It seemed like hocus-pocus new age stuff to me for the most part and the dog really didn’t get better.  I found myself plowing through it.  

Diane says she is psychic and communicates telepathically with animals.  I guess I'm really not sure what to make of this because she says she's Catholic and before communicating or trying to heal animals, she prays to her spirit guides, St. Francis, and Jesus.   

What do you think about this?  Would you go to alternative medicine if your pet was ill?

(Karen's review, 2 stars--I expected more conversations with the dog and not so much detail about the different alternative healing methods)

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"Eeny Meeny" by M. J. Arlidge Did Not Disappoint!

Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge is a thriller!   In this novel, someone is putting two people in a locked room with only one way out.  Only one person can get out.  Do I have your interest yet?

This book looked good to me so I picked it up on a whim at the library.  The story moves along well and it kept my interest throughout.  There is good action and a really good ending--well worth reading.

Here's a teaser for you from page 3:

"On the floor by the phone you'll find a gun.  It has one bullet in it."
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"God Never Blinks--50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours" by Regina Brett

God Never Blinks—50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours by Regina Brett is a collection of Regina’s thoughts she wrote in her newspaper columns that were quite popular with readers. It has very short chapters so it is a quick little read but full of great advice from someone who felt neglected growing up, held various jobs, and is a Cancer survivor. It is an inspirational read I enjoyed. I liked that all 50 lessons are listed right in front in the Table of Contents.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Jury of One" by David Ellis is one we both Liked!

Jury of One by David Ellis is about a young boy named Alex who is accused of killing a cop, and Shelly is his attorney.  As she learns more about the shooting, secrets Alex and her have get revealed.  This book is good from beginning to end and the last part of the book with the trial is nearly impossible to put down.  LOVED IT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 


Jury of One by David Ellis is an intricate plot with several surprises along the way.  Shelly, an attorney who defends youth in civil suits because she believes in second chances, leaves her comfort zone and takes a criminal case, defending a 16-yr-old accused of drug dealing and killing a cop.  The kid is not straight with her and she pretty much has to guess what actually happened along with the reader when Alex and Ronnie, his best friend who is like a brother to him, look out for each other.  As Shelly defends Alex, her past comes back to haunt her and more and more secrets are revealed as the trial goes forward, leading to a big surprise ending. 

This is a good book filled with mystery, loyalty, legal procedures, dirty cops and family secrets.  I liked the main characters and the story line kept my interest.  

(Karen's review 12/18/14, 4 stars)  

 

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"The Fragile World" by Paula Treick DeBoard

The Fragile World by Paul Treick DeBoard is about how a family deals with the tragic accident and death of their son and brother.  It is told by the dad, mom and sister.  Not to give too much away, but they all have their own ways of dealing.  I enjoyed this one.  It kept me interested through the whole book and the ending was really good too!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Remaining: After the Rapture, There are Fates Worse Than Death"

The Remaining:  After the Rapture, There are Fates Worse Than Death by Travis Thrasher is a thriller.  The first part of the book sets the scene--a picture perfect day with an outside wedding that goes according to plan, but . . . then a trumpet sounds, the sky goes black and people begin to die.  Is it the rapture as predicted in the Bible or something else?  Soon only a few members of the wedding party are left.  Will they find a way out?  Do they have long kept secrets to tell before the world ends?  Once that trumpet sounds, this book gets very good! 

I loved the ending and the message it sends.  This book is a movie too!  So do both or just one but give it a chance.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Rain Reign" by Ann M. Martin about a Girl and Her Dog

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin is a story told by a young girl named Rose.  Rose loves homonyms which you will learn all about if you read this book.  She also loves rules.  When her dog, Rain, gets away during a bad storm, Rose must put all her know-how to use to find her dog.  This is an enjoyable read because Rose is sweet and funny.  This is a light read that you do not have to concentrate too much to enjoy.  The author dedicated this book to her dog!  How great is that!!  

(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin is a children's book about an autistic girl named Rose and her dog Rain.  She named it rain because her father found it in the rain and she loves homonyms so the name fit good.  This is a story of how Rain got separated from her during a hurricane.  When she tracks down Rain at a shelter, it's a bittersweet reunion.  This story shows the importance of micro chipping your pet and gives insight into autistic children.  It has lots of funny parts and a heartwarming ending.


This story touched me because it got me wondering about our dog's former owners.  We found her on Petfinder when she was 5 years old.  She's is such a good dog that makes me think she came from a loving home.  We got her micro chipped just in case she ever runs off.    

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

We also both liked another book by her:  A Dog's Life--an Autobiography of a Stray 

  
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The Risk Factor: Crossing the Chicken Line into Your Supernatural Destiny by Kevin and Chad Dedmon

The Risk Factor:  Crossing the Chicken Line into Your Supernatural Destiny by Kevin and Chad Dedmon is like reading the Book of Acts except with modern-day miracles of healing.  This father and son share examples of how Christians today can unleash God’s power by taking a risk to pray publicly for Jesus to heal people.  They include scripture that inspires believers to exercise their faith by taking action and lots of examples of how God used them to bring healing to others which opened the way to share the gospel. 

This is certainly a thought provoking book that I really enjoyed reading.  If you ever wondered why we don’t see the miracles of healing today that were in Bible times, read this book!  It opened my eyes to see that God does still do miracles today, but that spirit-filled Christians must risk looking foolish to release God’s power through faith.  We have to break through the spirit of doubt, cross the chicken line (comfort zone) and go for it.  
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!