"touch blue" by Cynthia Lord

touch blue  by Cynthia Lord is a children's book about Aaron, a 13-yr.-old foster boy who gets placed in a home on an island off Maine with Tess (11) and her younger sister, Libby.  He is angry that he is not allowed to call or see his mother.  When Tess discovers he plans to run away to look for her, Tess comes up with a plan to get them together so they can talk.

I enjoyed this book because it showed how different life was on an island near Maine.  I also liked the silly superstitions Tess shared throughout the book and how Aaron's was able to make a contribution to the community and adjust to life on the island.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 41:  "Please?"  he asks.  It's been four years since I've heard from her.  If Natalie gets mad at her, my mom might not write to me again."

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"Love You Hard--A memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury and Reinventing Love" by Abby Maslin

In Love You Hard--A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love by Abby Maslin, Abby is a young woman who is married to a fireman she calls T.C.  They also have a son named Jack, age 2.  Life is good.  One night T.C. heads out to a ballgame but is not back in the morning.  Something is very wrong.  Abby's life as she knows it is over, and she will have to deal with a new reality.  Abby tells the story in this book and pulls no punches. 

I felt a lot of emotions as I read this and am sure you will too.  On Amazon, this book got a 94% 5 star rating and that is what I am giving it as well.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 134:  Decades more of in sickness and in health:  the three of us, growing old together, learning how to navigate the real world again and trying not to crash and burn.
    I park the car at the end of the gravel driveway outside Ruth and Don's familiar yellow house and burst into tears. 

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"The Last Pirate of New York" by Rich Cohen is a True Story!

The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen tells you the story of Albert Hicks aka The Last Pirate.  You will have to read the book to find out why this is so.  You go back to the 1880s in this book which I found interesting.  The writer did his homework in making me really get the feel who Hicks was.  This is a quick read, read it in two days.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 62:  Because he believed he'd already gotten away with it.  He'd sunk the ship and left the bodies at the bottom of the harbor.

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"Those People" by Louise Candlish is About Suburban Neighbors in London

Those People by Louise Candlish is about a close-knit suburban neighborhood in London.  Ralph and Naomi are sort of the "unofficial" community leaders with three kids and two dogs.  Naomi and Tess, Naomi's sister-in-law and next door neighbor, got the street to have "Play Out Sundays" where no one parks or drives on the street so kids can play freely in the street--sort of like a big block party every week!  All is well until Darren and Jodie move in to house #1 because they do not follow the "rules."  They play loud music at night, have constant noise while renovating their house during the day, and have lots of vehicles parked in their yard and on the street!  This causes quite a stir and several neighbors would love to see them leave.  When their old scaffolding collapses, killing a pregnant daughter-in-law of one of their neighbors, a police investigation is started and neighbors are suspected of sabotaging the scaffolding!

This book held my interest all through.  At first I thought the title referred to the new neighbors, but by the time I finished, I think it refers to the close-knit neighbors who were constantly finding fault with Darren and Jody.  At any rate, the interactions among the neighbors were well done and although I was able to guess who it was the messed up the scaffolding hoping that Darren would get hurt, I was surprised at who actually attempted to kill him.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review and was glad I liked it!  I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Big Little Lies or crime investigations.  This book will be on sale June 11, 2019.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 30:  Can you believe this place?"  Darren said to Jodie as the sound of Sam's screams came pouring through the Kendalls' open door.  "Their kids are going mental, but they can't handle a bit of music."

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"Rough Magic--Riding the World's Loneliest Horse Race" by Lara Prior Palmer

Rough Magic by Lara Prior-Palmer is a true story.  Lara, at the age of 19, decides on a whim to enter the longest and toughest horse race there is with no formal training!  How do you think she does?  This is a pretty good book!  The best part is when she does the race.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 22:  It didn't surprise me that no one was taking my race attempt seriously.  I was that scatterbrain who lost Oyster cards on the Underground and failed driving tests.

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"RULES" by Cynthia Lord

RULES by Cynthia Lord is about Catherine, a girl who has a younger brother who is autistic. Sometimes he embarrasses her and she feels stuck babysitting him all the time. She also feels as though her parents do things with him and ignore her. Her best friend moved to California to be with her dad for the summer, so she is very excited about a girl her age moving into the house next door. While accompanying her mom and brother to his occupational therapy, Catherine made a friend who also came for therapy. Jason was her age in a wheelchair and could hear, but could not speak.

This book is geared to kids/young teens to help them understand people with disabilities. It is very short and goes quick. I liked the guinea pigs and my favorite part was when Catherine pushed Jason fast round the parking lot so he could get a sense of what running feels like. I thought it had a pretty good message about not worrying so much what other people think. (Karen’s review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 73: Jason laughs, a sharp bark like a Canada goose. His mother looks up from her magazine as I scan the room and see everyone watching us.


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"A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World" by C. A. Fletcher Was Disappointing

In A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C. A. Fletcher, not many people are left in the world.  Griz is one of them and his two dogs.  One day a stranger comes upon Griz and his family and after spending the night, Griz wakes up to find one of his dogs is gone.  Griz will stop at nothing to get his dog back!  I thought this book was going to be good, but it was not!  There was very little interaction between Griz and his dog.  There are long parts where the author just goes on and on and nothing happens.
(Gerard's review, 2.5 stars)

Teaser from page 6:  And why am I talking to a dead person?  We'll get back to that.  But first we should get on with the story.

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"The NoWhere Child" by Christian White - (a Child Abducted)

The Nowhere Child by Christian White is about a child abduction that is never solved until the brother finally tracks down his missing sister who is all grown up and lives in Australia!  Stuart was 9, his younger sister, Sammy only two when she disappeared.  Kim Leamy grew up in Australia with her mother who died of cancer, her step-dad, Dean and her younger sister, Amy.   Kim is a photographer professor but one day finds out her life is a big lie and she's really Sammy Went who went missing from her home in Kentucky!  Kim decides to go to Manson, Kentucky, her supposed hometown, to see if she can find answers.  She can't believe her mom was a kidnapper!

This was pretty good mystery, but it kept jumping from past to present just about every chapter which I found annoying.  I liked Kim and felt bad for her.  The cult stuff in this book creeped me out. 
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 13:  Were Jack and Molly Went still waiting for answers?  Did every phone call or knock at the door fill them with hope or dread or some bitter mixture of both?  Did they see Sammy's face in every woman they passed on the street, or had they found a way to move on?

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Loved "Miracle Creek" by Angie Kim

In Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, an oxygen chamber explodes, killing two people.  Someone or something is to blame, but who?  If you like courtroom drama, this book has that, but not all the action takes place there.  I really enjoyed how the author brings out all the characters very well.  I also liked the interaction among the characters.  This is more of a talking action book than physical; however, in this case I was okay with that because the writing was so good!  I was surprised how it all played out. (Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

Teaser from page 30:  Abe's eyes squinted a bit, then widened, as if he was unsure whether he should be apologetic or excited about what was to come.  "Tell us, in your words, what happened that day."

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"The Girl Who Lived" by Christopher Greyson

The Girl Who Lived by Christopher Greyson deals with faith, the only survivor of a mass killing that included family members.  The police have closed the case but Faith knows the real killer is still out there.  Does anyone believe her and can she find proof? 

Faith was a real good character.  I enjoyed how the story line did not go back and forth between present and past.  It has some down parts, but the ending more than made up for them.  See if you can figure it all out!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars) 

Teaser from page 28:  Now she felt like she'd walked out of a dark cave only to step right off a cliff.  She didn't know which she feared more:  the darkness behind her or the fall ahead.
 
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We Miss You, Abby!--A Letter to My Dog

Abby with her Daddy, Gerard

It is with great sorrow that we had to help our dog cross the Rainbow Bridge last Monday.  I thought about this book and the letter I wrote to our dog back in November of 2014 so thought this would be a good post to update and post again.    
 
A Letter to My Dog by Robin Layton is a happy, feel-good book that is a collection of notes from people (some well-known) to the dogs which show the value of rescue dogs.  Along with the notes are full-page photos of the dogs and in the back is a summary of the dog-owners with their dogs including smaller pictures of them together.  I enjoyed this book very much and found myself smiling all the way through.  It is a quick-read that I recommend to anyone who is considering getting a dog as well as all dog owners.  This book inspired me to write the following letter to our dog:

Dear Abby a/k/a Abby Dabby Doo or Abby Dabs,

You are the best dog we could ever have!  You won our hearts the first day we met you with your soft thick fur, your big beautiful brown eyes, your sweet personality, your curly fluffy tail, your big smile and your gentleness.  I am amazed at how well-behaved you were from the first day we met you.  You got along with our two cats just fine and fit right into our family with no problem at all. 

I love how all kinds of people are drawn to you.  It was so much fun taking you to dog training classes at PetSmart because you managed to make people laugh and still were the best at following commands most days.  You are so eager to please and easy to train.  We are so proud of you!  I love to watch you enjoy the outdoors and wish we had an area where you could run off leash like you did at the park the one day when the clasp broke off and you got in a good run.  I couldn’t believe how fast you could go and how happy you were that day! 

The bond you have with Gerard is heartwarming to me.  I know you will always be a daddy’s girl, but just hope you know how much I love you too.  I enjoy feeding you breakfast every morning and reviewing the commands you learned.  I like giving you big hugs and belly rubs too.  You are such a good dog and I am so glad we decided to look on Petfinder for you when we did.  You have certainly enriched our lives!

Addendum to letter--5/25/19:  We are so sorry you dislocated your shoulder January of 2017 and that you were in pain for a couple years.  You were so tough and stubborn and we just wanted to have as much time with you as possible.  It was so hard to watch you not be able to enjoy so many of the things you used to be able to do.  Yet, you were a trooper and still wanted to please us!  When you finally reached the place where you could not longer get up or walk through the house even, we knew it was time to say goodbye.  Tell Mr. Moe and Manny Boy we miss them too and say "hello" to them for us.  We know they would be ready to greet you as you cross the Rainbow Bridge.

Karen, Lucky Mom of a Rescue Dog

 (Karen's review 11-6-14, 5 stars)

A Letter to My Dog by Robin Layten is a collection of letters written by people to their dogs.  Some famous, some old, some young contributors all have one thing in common:  they love their dogs!  The pictures in this book alone are a reason to get this.  It is filled with full-page color glossy pictures of all kinds of dogs on every other page!  The letters are very touching, some funny, some sad.  If you are a dog lover, this is a must read!  I'm sure you can agree with most, if not all, of the letters.  I know I did!

What a great book to start off with for November!  I love you, Abby!
(Gerard's review 11-5-14, 5++ stars)

Also read and loved A Letter to My Cat.

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!

"Nyxia Uprising" by Scott Reintgen (Last in the Series)

Nyxia Uprising by Scott Reintgen is the amazing final book in the science fiction Nyxia series. I loved it and what a page turner it is once you get into it. It took me a little while to reconnect with the characters because it’s been such a long time since I finished the previous book. It is chock full of adventure, suspense, heartbreak, and tender moments. Some characters die in it that was sad; however, that just made it more believable. There is some humor in this one but not as much as in the others. It is truly an awesome book about working together to accomplish great things. I loved this series—it is my favorite science fiction series! (Karen’s review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 74: “Fear does nothing. Don’t spend time on it. Fight instead. Lead. When all of this ends, we’ll kiss our men and go home and live like queens.”


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"Resistance Women" by Jennifer Chiaverini

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini is a work of historical fiction.  Mildred and Arvid are newly married and enjoying life and teaching in Germany.  But the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party changes that.  They and their friends decide to do what they can to get the truth out about Hitler and help people to escape.  But how long until they are found out?

I thought this book was really good.  The book ran true to life for me and I enjoyed the characters.  At close to 600 pages, there was some down time but still had a pretty good pace to it and a good ending.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 26:  "Then along comes this loud, angry man," Natan said, "promising to take them back to a mythical golden age of prosperity, swearing to punish Germany's enemies for wronging them.  Some people respond to that--in this case, vast numbers of people."

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Art of Hearing Heartbeats" by Jan-Philipps Sendker

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker is a very unusual love story that is told to Julia. She just graduated from law school and then her father just left.  Her family lives in New York City.  She looks for clues and decides to try to track him down in Burma when she finds an letter from someone named Mi Mi at an address in Burma.  When she arrives, she meets an old man in a tea house who seems to know all about her and begins telling her the story of Tin Win, her father! His story is quite amazing!  You will have to read this for yourself to find out about it.

This is a very slow moving, tender love story between a blind boy and a crippled girl.  I liked Mi Mi and felt sorry for both Mi Mi and Tin Win.  I almost quit on this about a third of the way in; but decided to finish and I'm glad I did.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

Teaser from page 165:  Waiting was so interwoven with the rhythm of her life that it almost disturbed her when anything happened right away.  She was mystified by people who were always hurrying things along. A time of waiting offered moments, minutes, sometimes even hours of peace, of rest, during which, as a rule, she was alone with herself.     

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"Run Away" by Harlan Coben

Run Away by Harlan Coben is about Simon Greene in search of his missing, drug addict daughter, Paige. One day he sees her singing in the park and almost catches her, but her boyfriend shows up and while Simon scuffles with him, Paige gets away. This story is full of murder, family secrets, hit men, drug dealers, and a cult. It is pretty complicated how these things are woven together to make for quite a mystery! This is a wild story that made me want to keep reading with an interesting ending.
(Karen’s review 5/15/19, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:
This novel is about a father, Simon, who is looking for his daughter, Paige, who ran away and got into drugs.  He wants to put her in rehab.  He gets involved in the drug culture with some not so nice people as he looks for Paige.  This book had some good parts, but not enough of them to me.  The story line jumped around too so did not really keep my interest.  (3 stars)  

Teaser from page 27: Sam said, “The video’s gotten over a million hits.” His son seemed both startled and impressed. “I can’t believe you punched out Aaron.”


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"The Huntress" by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction)

A bunch of story lines make up The Huntress by Kate Quinn.  (1) Nina is living her dream.  She is a member of an all-female bomber team trying to stop Hitler from advancing, but when she winds up behind enemy lines, can she survive?  (2) Ian and Tony are looking for Nazi war criminals.  One they really want is a female known as The Huntress!  Can they find her when others have failed?  (3) Jordan thinks that his new stepmother is not who she claims to be;  unfortunately, the more he digs for answers, the more danger to him and his loved ones!

I thought this book was really good!  The story lines kept my interest all the way.  This is one of the best books I read this year!  Do not miss it!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

Teaser from page 126:  Who are you?  she thought for the thousandth time.  In her mind's eye she saw Ruth recoiling at her mother's blood-smeared hand, and an answer whispered, full of conviction.  Someone dangerous.

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"Before She Was Found" by Heather Gudenkauf

Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf is about a sleepover that went very wrong. Three girls decide to check out an abandoned rail yard at the outskirts of town. One girl is found on the tracks in a very bad way. The other girls are nowhere to be found! What happened and why?

I thought this was very good. The pacing of the book is good as the suspense builds. Will the truth of that night come out? If you could figure out how this all plays out, you are better than me.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf is a story about three 13-yr.-old girls and how a prank destroyed several people’s lives. This is a sad story about bullying and a police investigation about attempted murder. A sleep over ends in tragedy when the three girls go out around midnight to the train yard. This is a mystery of who beat up and stabbed Cora. Was it her friend? Was it the bully? Was someone else there who did it?

I did not figure this one out and was into it right from the start. It’s a good story that warns of internet danger.  I liked Violet and Max, did not like Jordyn but liked her grandfather and thought Cora was very stupid.  I didn't care much for Kendall either.  I had to go back and read the beginning again though because I didn't think it was congruent with the ending.  Even after I reread it, I was still confused.   (4 stars)

Teaser from page 23: She is moving toward us as if in slow motion. Eyes unfocused, unseeing. The front of her white T-shirt blooms red.


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"The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides

Wow! The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a shocking thriller about evil nature. At 33, Alicia Berenson killed her husband and became the silent patient who would not speak. She was put into a mental facility where none of the doctors could get her to talk, until Dr. Faber. Alicia is a painter and her husband a photographer. The story slowly unfolds and we don’t find out why Alicia killed her husband until the end. This kept my interest all the way through and I was pretty shocked by the ending. (Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 2/26/19:
In The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Alicia is a famous painter married to a successful husband.  Why then did she tie her husband to a chair and shoot him five times?  She never says another word!  Can she talk after that or is she just keeping quiet?  She is put in a mental hospital and is the "silent patient."  Theo is a criminal psychotherapist and wants to try to reach her and get the full story.  Can he do it?

Believe the hype around this one!  It is a NEW YORK TIMES best seller and movie rights already are in the works!  This is an adult novel.  The pacing of the book might seem slow, but it strings you along until the ending, then Bam!  Do not pass this one up, must read.  (5+ stars)

Teaser from page 35:  Her face was expressionless, blank.  A medicated mask.  I wondered what lay beneath.

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Modern Girls" by Jennifer S. Brown (Mother/Daughter Book)

Modern Girls by Jennifer S. Brown is about some Jewish immigrant families in New York during the great depression.   The story is told from alternating views of Rosa, the mother, Dottie, her daughter who finds herself in a predicament.  Both mother and daughter get pregnant.  Rosa is 42 years old and Dottie isn't married, but has been seeing Abe for three years, waiting for him to save up enough money to rent their own place when they get married.  Abe is a virtuous Jew and Dottie knows the baby is not his, but a handsome, wealthy, playboy journalist named Willie Klein is the father.  Gossip is spreading throughout her neighborhood, her mother had saved up money for her to go to college, and Dottie is desperate to get Abe to think the baby is his.  She really wants to keep the baby, but her mother has made an appointment to have it "taken care of."  Will she be able to have her happily ever after ending with Abe?  Will she get the abortion?  Will she end up marrying Willie?  How will Rosa be able to help her daughter?

This book kept my interest, and I did like Dottie in spite of her big mistake.  I also liked her mother although she had some secrets of her own!   I also enjoyed Dottie's brothers and thought Willie and Abe were interesting characters.  I liked how they were pretty much opposites and yet Dottie liked them both.  I would have liked more of the story as it has an open-ended ending.  I think this would make a good book club read since there's much that could be discussed.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 21:  Abe would work at the store during the day.  Ma would watch the kids for a few hours, and I'd continue at the insurance company.  The picture was dreamy and I smiled before remembering I had botched it all up.

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