"STRANDED" by Melinda Braun

Stranded by Melinda Braun is about a group of seven backpacking in the mountains with a guide for a week. However, when a big storm comes up unexpectedly, three die and the four remaining have to work together to survive. None of them knew each other before the trip. Emma, age 17, is still feeling guilty about not being able to save her younger sister from a car wreck a year ago and still gets nightmares.

This book jumps into the backpacking trip practically right from the start and takes the reader through each morning, day and night of the adventure. The interaction between the teens is interesting as they begin to trust each other and work together. I liked it okay, but isn’t as good as other wilderness books I’ve read.
(Karen's review, 3 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Its. Nice. Outside." by Jim Kokoris

It's.  Nice.  Outside. by Jim Kokoris is told for the most part by John Nichols.  He is a 50 something year old man who is separated from his wife, has two daughters and a 19-yr.-old special needs boy.  On his way to his one daughter's out-of-town wedding with his boy, he gets news that tears his family apart.

I loved this book!  The action flowed really well and it sure kept me interested all the way through.  It has a very good ending too!
(Gerard'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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

Hero gently licks Brian Anderson's cheek, interrupting his dream.  It's a recurring dream that puts Anderson back on the battlefield in Afghanistan--a chaotic, intense combat zone where Anderson, amid all of the carnage, is fighting for his life.

From page 26 of Reporting For Duty--True Stories of Wounded Veterans and Their Service Dogs by Tracy Libby

I lay there for a moment longer, overwhelmed, my mind spinning, my life pinning me down.  I then performed my morning ritual for the past nineteen years:  I cursed God, then prayed to Him and pushed myself out of bed.

From page 21 of It's.  Nice.  Outside. by Jim Kokoris.

Karen's:

My eyes glanced over a huge fallen timber, a nylon tent crushed underneath its massive trunk.  But when I saw a hiking boot with the leg still attached peeking out from the destroyed tent, I realized I had been wrong.

From page 44 of Stranded by Melinda Braun.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"Ice Time" by David Trifundov

Ice Time by David Trifunov is a short story about Paul, a 12-yr.-old who loves to play hockey but who is raised by a single mom who does not have the money for him to play. When Paul’s best friend gets a concussion and can’t play and others on the team are sick, Paul gets his chance. It seems everyone on the team is happy to get Paul except for Chad. I think any boy or girl who likes hockey would enjoy this book. I thought it was a good story that promotes teamwork. (3 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Neighbor" by Lisa Gardner--Who Is the Real Monster?

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner is a mystery told from multiple points of view about a wife and cat who turn up missing. She has a husband who works second shift and a 4-yr-old daughter who was the last person to see her mother before she disappeared. Both husband and wife had bad childhoods but love their daughter very much and want to give her a good family. The cops are clueless as to what happened to the wife but have lots of suspects.  The husband and wife are both good liars and very good at keeping secrets.

This book kept me guessing right to the unexpected ending but I felt really bad for the neighbor. It deals with family secrets, marriage issues, prejudice, computers and sexual abuse.  This book is an eye opener to the problems pedophiles face. The plot is similar to Gone Girl; however, I liked both the main characters in this and didn’t like either of the main characters in Gone Girl. This book doesn’t have near as much swearing as Gone Girl does either. I liked it!
 (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's Review, 5++ stars:
In The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner, a husband comes home and finds that his wife and cat are missing.  The rest of the house is normal and his young 4-yr.-old daughter is fine.  The police are on it and have plenty of suspects including the husband, but no body.  This is a real page turner!  The author keeps dropping tidbits that change the focus every so often to different possible suspects, but there's really no evidence.  I really enjoyed it a lot and was blown away by the ending!

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!