"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.

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!

"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.

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 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?

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!