"Into the Water" by Paula Hawkins (UPDATED)

In Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (author of The Girl on the Train which I loved), a single mother is found dead in a river.  Earlier, a young teen girl was found in the same river--dead.  Lena, the 15-yr.-old daughter of the single mom, is alone until her aunt Jules comes to look after her.  This town is the last place Jules wants to be.  The law is looking for answers.  Will the secrets people in this town are hiding come out?

Teaser from page 50:  "So two women have did in that river this year?" I said.  "Two women who knew each other, who were connected . . ."

In the Water is just as good, if not better than The Girl on the Train! There are lots of characters in this which make for tons of story lines.  I enjoyed all of them and as I read along, I tried to put the pieces together.  It took me to the very end to figure it out!  I LOVED IT!  What a great book to end with in 2017!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins is a mystery surrounding several deaths in a river running through a small town.  When Lena's mother. Nell, dies in the river, her aunt Jules comes to take care of her.  There is a lot of tension between them since the aunt hadn't talked to Lena's mother in years. 

This book has lots of characters to keep straight, including dead ones.  Much of the book hops back to the past and some of the past is told through a manuscript Lena's mother was writing.  There was enough interesting relationship drama to keep my interest but didn't really care for all the deaths which kind of creeped me out.  I admit, I did not know what really happened to Lena's mom until the very end.  I didn't like that there were some loose ends either so I give this one 3 stars.  If you are a fan of creepy things, you would probably like this book more than I did.

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"Before I Let Go" by Marie Nijkamp

Before I Let Go by Marie Nijkamp is about two young girls named Corey and Kyra.  They are best friends living in a small town.  Corey has to move away but promises to come back.  Days before she is supposed to come back, she learns Kyra is dead.  How?  Corey wants answers but when she returns to the small town she thought she knew, it is not the same and answers will be hard to come by.

Teaser from page 12:  Except that flower petals lie scattered across the floor, and her voice still swirls around me, singing the song that Kyra sang to me first.  Endless night, endless day, come to steal your soul away.

I thought this book was good even though it went back and forth in time, but I was okay with it.  I would have loved more action but I still give this book 5 stars because the message is important and needs to be heard!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Merry and Bright" by Debbie Macomber

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber is a Christmas romance comedy that reminded me of a Christmas Hallmark movie. It is about two busy lonely people who find each other on a dating website. The funny thing is that they already knew each other. I enjoyed this light, quick read and highly recommend it to anyone who likes watching Hallmark movies that always have happy endings.

Teaser from page 16:  "Well, if it isn't me, then whose photo did you use?"  Patrick's glee couldn't be contained.  "We used Bogie's."
 (Karen’s review, 4 stars)

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"Day-Day" by L.N. Cronk is About a Couple Who Works at an Orphanage in Mexico

Day-Day (Chop Chop Series Book 2) by L.N. Cronk is a Christian fiction love story about a couple who go to Mexico to work at an orphanage and supervise youth groups who come to help as a short-term mission trip.  The wife, Lacy, has a miscarriage and discover she has Cancer.  After several miscarriages, they plan to adopt from the orphanage they work at in Mexico, but then God takes them on a little detour.

This book was narrated from the husband's point of view and was pretty interesting.  For the type of story it is, it was good.  It was a break from the type of action-packed fun reads that I have read lately.  For Christian fiction, it was not as predictable as most and it moved along pretty well.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Poison" by Galt Niederhoffer is a Wow!

In Poison by Galt Niederhoffer, Cass has her hands full.  She has a young daughter, a young boy, a baby and a cat.  She also has a teaching job and now she has a husband who (a) cheated on her, (b) tried to kill her or (c) she just thinks that is happening!

Teaser from page 34:  "Hey, what are you doing?" she said.  She stared at him, defiant.

WOW!  This book is good!  I really liked the character of Cass a lot and only wanted the best for her.  The pacing of the book is very good too and I enjoyed the ending very much!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

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"Undivided" by Neal Shusterman (4th Book of Unwind Series) - Fantastic! (UPDATED)

Undivided by Neal Shusterman is the 4th and last book in the Unwind series.  The author saved the best for last!  Conner, Lev and Risa all have action-packed chapters in this book.  The pacing is really good in that you were on the edge of your seat for sure.  The last part of this book is pretty much unputdownable!  Well done, Mr. Shusterman!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

(Karen's review 12/18/17, 5 stars:)
UnDivided by Neal Shusterman did not disappoint at all!  I LOVED it and what a fantastic finish to a thrilling series with lots of ups and downs and twists and turns!  This story is about friendship, betrayal, teamwork, sacrifice and making a difference.  It has humor, a bit of romance, lots of adventure, some very creepy things, revenge, some fighting, justice, lots of escaping and just extremely interesting characters.  The teens in this series are very brave, smart and creative!  The ending is great!

WOW!  I loved this book.  After the last one, UnSouled, I didn't think this series could get any better, but it did!  This book had my emotions covering the spectrum, from humor, to sadness, to happiness, to relief, to shock to tears of joy!  I liked how I felt the characters were real and got drawn into their story lines.  This would be a great series for a book club because there is so much to discuss and so many characters to analyze.  It was a very thought-provoking series that I wanted to read straight through.

Teaser from page 14:  "There isn't one single thing that will end unwinding," she tells them.  "It will take a hodgpodge of random events that come together in just the right way and at just the right time to remind society it's got a conscience." 



SPOILER ALERT--skip this unless you have read this book:  In this book, Connor and Grace make it to Sonia's where he and Risa are reunited and discover an invention that Sonia's husband had been working on that can manufacture human parts!  It gives them all hope that an end to unwinding is possible!  Lev does what he can to get the Indian reservation to publicly announce that it is a sanctuary for AWOLS.  Hayden, Bam and Jeeves team up to overthrow Starkey and Hayden begins podcasting again against unwinding.  Argent is betrayed by Nelson and switches sides to help Connor and Risa.  Cam brings down Roberta and the Proactive Citizenry operation all by himself.  The ending was so touching when Conner was finally reunited with his family!


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"Being Fishkill" by Ruth Lehrer (Updated)

Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer is about a young girl who makes her first name Fishkill because it sounds tough.  She feels she has to be tough because her mom is gone, and there is no one else!  This book was way better than I thought it would be.  I really wanted only the best for Fishkill.  The pacing of this book was very good and I was always glad to get back into it!  I liked that it had twists and turns that I did not see coming.  Pick it up, you will be glad you did!

Teaser from page7:  "I'm not in your gang."  I said.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to be or not, even if it was a real gang.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

Karen's review, 12/22/17:
Being Fishkill by Ruth Lehrer is about a 12-yr.-old girl who is poor and lives in a shack with her drunk/druggie mother and her abusive grandfather. Her father is unknown. She finally built a friendship with a girl who called herself Duk-Duk and moved in with her and her lesbian mother who was very nice to Fishkill. After the mean grandfather died, Fishkill’s mother tried to sober up so she could get back custody of her daughter. Most of this story is sad.

I liked this book all right but could have done without the Lesbian angle. I felt bad for Fishkill and her biological mother. My favorite character was Duk-Duk because I liked how she wanted to be a lawyer and tried to view everything logically. This book had some interesting situations and really addressed the emotions one feels when a loved one dies. It also had a bit of humor when Fishkill and Duk-Duk came up with their secret mission to get revenge on the girl who bullied them—that was very cool and my favorite part of the book! (4 stars)

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"UnSouled" (Book 3 in Unwind Series) by Neal Shusterman (UPDATED)

UnSouled is book 3 in the Unwind series.  Conner and Lev are on the run and new characters are introduced.  There is plenty of action for sure!  I enjoyed the characters of Cam, Risa and Starkey in this book.  One more book to go to finish this exciting series.
(Gerard's Review, 5 stars)

Karen's review 12/8/17, 5 stars:
Unsouled by Neal Shusterman (book 3 in the Unwind series) is fantastic! There is so much action and interaction among very cool characters that makes it go very fast. There are so many different parts to this novel that my mind is spinning! Connor and Lev are on their way to Ohio to find Sonia for answers to help end unwinding, but get in an accident. Cam, the rewind, escapes from Roberta to go find Risa but finds Conner instead. Meanwhile, Starky and his storks take over more harvest camps and Hayden was one scheduled to be rewound. Once he is freed, he becomes part of Starky’s gang even though he does not agree with Starky’s methods and tries to get Bam as an ally. Archer holds Cam hostage but when the Juvie authorities hunt down Conner, Archer’s sister, Grace, helps him escape in genius fashion. Grace appears to be kind of off, but is an amazing strategist and a great character who sees what most people do not.

Teaser from pg. 64: “You’re crazy! Why would I do that?” “Because,” says Grace, “if you don’t keep this secret, everyone in Heartsdale is gonna know you were outsmarted by dumb old Grace Skinner, and you’ll be a laughingstock till the cows come home, and they ain’t comin’ home anytime soon!”

This book was so good I hated to see it end and can’t wait to read the next one. I love that there are such interesting characters and how they interact with each other. This book has a lot of humor in it as well. I especially liked how Archer fooled the parts pirate, taking him on a wild goose chase in the opposite direction of where Conner was headed. My favorite character is . . . . Grace! She is awesome! This is one thrilling series for sure!



See our reviews of other books in this series:  Book 2 - UnWholly Book 1 - Unwind

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"The Reluctant Queen" by Sarah Beth Durst -- We Both Loved It!

The Reluctant Queen (Queens of Renthia) by Sarah Beth Durst is the follow-up to The Queen of Blood. Daleina is now the queen and protects her kingdom from the spirits. She has a secret though, and when it is revealed, trouble is not far behind. Only one thing can save her kingdom, but time is not on her side! I thought this book was just as good as the first one. I was lost in this book many times, and that is a good thing! Daleina is a fantastic character and her protector, Bayn the wolf, is always close by. I’m glad there is going to be a Book 3 in this series—long live the Queen!
(Gerard’s review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review (5 stars):
The Reluctant Queen (Book 2 of Queens of Renthia) by Sarah Beth Durst is about getting an heir ready to take over for the dying Queen Daleina who has the false death disease. Ven and Alet find Naelin, a housewife that has lots of raw power over spirits but needs to be trained in how to control it. She is married with two young children. After much persuasion, she reluctantly agrees to be trained and eventually becomes a candidate. Will a cure be found in time for Queen Daleina? Who is killing the candidates and why? Will Naelin ever agree to be queen?

I loved this book and did not want to put it down, even though the ending was strange! In fact, I got so lost in it on the bus that I passed up my bus stop by several stops going to work! There is a lot of action in this book and some mystery. I loved the two kids and the wolf, Bayn.



See our review of the first book in this series:  Queen of Blood

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"This Mortal Coil" by Emily Suvada

In This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada, Catarina is very good at what she does.  In her world, people can recode their DNA allowing them to change their bodies any way they want, but she can hack into again.  Her father and best friend are on the run.  They must find a way to end the plague or all is lost!

Teaser from page 21:  "I know that, but you can't come, darling.  It's not safe."

This book was a bit too hi-tech for my taste.  The story line was good enough, just did not feel a connection to the characters.  (Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Welcome to My World" by Curtis Bunn

In Welcome to My World by Curtis Bunn, Brenda’s life is on a downturn. She goes to McDonald’s daily and sees a homeless man every day. She tries to do good by him. One day the homeless guy, Rodney, gives her some life advice! What? This book was so much better than I thought it would be! I enjoyed Brenda and Rodney very much. The story line kept me engaged throughout. (Gerard’s review, 5+ stars)

Teaser from page 10:  "I was so . . . so . . . shocked and appalled that I couldn't even move, much less respond."  "I'm not trying to be mean," he added. 

Karen's review (4 stars):
Welcome to My World by Curtis Bunn is the story about Brenda, a depressed woman, who becomes friends with Rodney, a homeless man with a bipolar disorder. They help each other as their friendship develops. This is a heartwarming story about how simple words between strangers can bring about great change. This book gives insight into the world of homelessness, those with bipolar disorder and how people sometimes use food to deal with depression that can lead to destroying their self-esteem.

I enjoyed this book even though it moved pretty slow since there is very little action in it. It definitely addresses some major social issues and is inspirational I loved the ending!


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"Keep You Safe" by Melissa Hill - To Vaccinate or Not?

In Keep You Safe by Melissa Hill, Madeleine and her husband chose not to have their two children, Clara and Conner, vaccinated.  One day though, Madeleine has an appointment she can't miss so sends Clara to school even though she was not feeling well.  Then Rosie, one of Clara's classmates, becomes very sick and that is trouble for Madeleine.  Social opinion turns against her and the next thing she knows, her and her husband are in court!  Who saw that coming?

Teaser from page 65:  For all these years, she and Tom had played them, and now that horrible realization, albeit distant and buried, rose once again to the fore. Oh, God...what have we done...

I thought this book was really good!  The pacing of the book was quick and I loved the back and forth between the two mothers.  I was into this from page 1.  Don't miss it--a must read!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"UnWholly" by Neal Shusterman (Unwind Series Book 2)

Unwholly by Neal Shusterman is the second book in the Unwind series. This book follows Connor, Risa and Lev after going their separate ways after their escape from the Happy Jack Harvest Camp. Several more interesting characters are added: Cam (a teen built from all unwind parts), Miracolina (a tithe who gets “rescued” against her will) and Starky (an unwanted stork who was signed over to be unwound but escaped). Some romantic interests start to develop in this book and several organizations play big parts – both those against unwinding and for unwinding as well as the black market parts pirate, Nelson.

Teaser from page 21: Within seconds, the drunk is there, not so drunk after all, with three others whose faces he can't make out.  They lift him up and shove him into the back of a waiting van.

This book started out kind of slow, but that may be because it was so long since I read the first book, it took me a while to “catch up” again. This book seems to be a lot of foundational work for setting up the next in this series. I really like all the characters except for Starky and Nelson. Lev and Miracolina’s relationship was very interesting for me and also Risa’s and Cam’s growing friendship. The second half of this book really picked up with lots of adventure and excitement. I look forward to continuing with this series.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review (4 stars):
UnWholly by Neal Shusterman is the sequel to UnWind.  It was good to team up with Conner, Lev and Risa again.  Conner is trying to help kids like himself who escaped being unwound.  Lev is caught up in an underground movement, and Risa, now in a wheelchair, feels she might be a burden.  There is tons of action in this book to say the least.  I did not know what was going to happen next!  Looking forward to continuing on with Book 3 of this series.


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"The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater is the true story of two teens and the crime that changed their lives.  Sasha and Richard are two teens who lead separate lives.  The only time they are connected is when they are both on the No. 57 bus after school, and only for eight minutes tops!  One day an incident happens between the two that will change both of their lives forever!

Teaser from page 5:  Surely it's not too late to stop things from going wrong.  There must be some way to wake Sasha.

This book is divided into three parts:  Sasha, Richard, the incident.  The incident part is by far the best!  On the strength of that, I give this book 4 stars.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds

In Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Will's older brother is shot dead and Will wants revenge but has to follow "the rules."  He is more than ready to do Rule No. 3.  You may be wondering what that is, but you will have to read the book for the answer.  Before Will can do Rule 3, he has to take the elevator to the last floor, and this ride he experiences something he never has before!

Teaser from page 48:  I yanked and pulled and snatched and tugged at the drawer until it opened just more than an inch.  Just wide enough for my fifteen-year-old fingers to slither in and touch cold steel.

This book is written in verse so it is a very quick read.  It kept my interest for the most part.  I thought the story line rang true as it would play out in real life.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"The Last Girl" by Nadia Murad

The Last Girl--My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad is a true story!   Nadia was born and raised in Kucho, a small village in Iraq.  Life was okay and she enjoyed her large family.  She had plans for her future, but that all changed when Isis moved in and took over.  Her life became a nightmare! 

Teaser from page 60:  I couldn't see them as people.  Like the guns they carried and the tanks they drove, the men themselves were just weapons to me, and they were aimed at my village.

This is not an easy book to read.  Nadia went through unspeakable horror!  This book opened my eyes to what these people had to deal with.  I give her so much credit for telling her story!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"I Know You’ll Find Me (Dangerous Attractions Series) by Jennifer Youngblood

image from Amazon.com

I Know You’ll Find Me (Dangerous Attractions Series) by Jennifer Youngblood is a fast-paced book with romance and danger. Victoria, a dance instructor, discovers her boyfriend is not the nice guy she thought he was when she goes to tell him she will go with him to the Bahamas but sees something that makes her run away instead! She takes her teenage son and younger daughter with her to Utah and her best friend, Zoe flees to Florida. In Utah she begins to fall in love with a cop named Hudson but can she trust her judgment after a bad marriage and then the criminal boyfriend? She is also afraid her ex-boyfriend will try to find her and kill her so is reluctant to share too much with Hudson.

This was a good book. I liked Victoria and Hudson. It was also a nice touch to include a dog, Coco in this story. It only had a little bit of suspense near the end of the book with the majority of it centering around Victoria and Hudson’s budding romance. (Karen's review, 4 stars)


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"Relentless" by Julian Edelman

Relentless by Julian Edelman is a memoir about a football player on the New England Patriots. It is all about football and all the hard work demanded for professional NFL players to be successful. I enjoyed reading about Mr. Edelman’s journey and found his early start in football very interesting. Throughout the book there are small excerpts written by others regarding Julian Edelman that I found interesting as well. I never realized he had so many injuries during his career! There are a lot of game highlights that he shares too that I enjoyed. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Patriots fan or who likes playing football and has dreams of becoming a pro.

Teaser from page 9:   If you're focused on that distant goal, you're missing what's right in front of you, and that's what you can control.  If you're doing everything else in your life fundamentally sound, and you're identifying weaknesses and you're working consistently hard to improve those, you're on the right path.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 11/15/17, (5 stars):
If you are a Patriots fan, you will enjoy Relentless by Julian Edelman. Julian shares about his life, including how his dad showed him tough love!  I enjoyed him telling about playing in pee-wee football and high school.  Julian Edelman is a great player, and I miss seeing him play now that he is hurt.  Go Patriots!

Teaser from page 45:  For a long time, being small didn't make a difference.  I was one of the best players on the field so I never thought of it as a disadvantage. 

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"Fire on the Track" by Rosenne Montillo

Some of my favorite books to read are non-fiction books about events that I am not up to speed on.  Fire on the Track by Roseanne Montillo is one of them!  It centers on women running track in the late 2's, early 30s.   Most people did not even think women should be running at all!  Three women are the main focus:  Betty Robinson, Babe Dickerson and Stella Walsh.  I enjoyed this whole book, especially the part that is about the Olympic games in Germany with Hitler watching!

Teaser from page 12:  Had she ever been timed?  Price asked.  Had anyone ever used a stopwatch to see how fast she could run?
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Empress" by S. J. Kincaid (Sequel to The Diabolic)

The Empress by S. J. Kincaid is the sequel to The Diabolic which I loved!   Tyrus is on the throne now and Nemesis is at his side.  Nemesis is really a great character.  I am glad it was told through her point of view.  There is good action again that had me tuned in from page 1.  The twists and turns in this book were very good leading up to a surprise ending.  I look forward to reading book 3 in this series.

Teaser from pg. 28:  Then I determined to go find the reasons for his weakness for myself.  There was one man in this superstructure who had the answers.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Will's Red Coat--The Story of One Old Dog Who Chose to Live Again" by Tom Ryan (UPDATED)

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story about Tom who lives a simple life in the mountains of New Hampshire with his two Schnauzers, Atticus and Will.  It is the story of how his dogs helped him become a better person and how he helped his dogs, especially Will who was an older rescue dog in bad shape with biting and incontinence issues that no one else wanted.  

This book has a wonderful theme:  old age is not a disease and it's never too late to love or receive love.  I enjoyed the parts about his dogs and the wildlife, especially the bear who became their friend.  I really liked the nature parts of this book where he included the reader on his hikes through the forests and mountains.  Sometimes though, he went off on tangents about his beliefs and philosophy which I found boring and thought distracted from the story.  Of course, I cried when one of his dogs had to be put down.  It just brought back the feelings I felt when I had to put down several cats.  That is why I gave this book only 3 stars.
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review 11/13/17, 5 stars:

Will's Red Coat by Tom Ryan is a true story which makes it that much better!  Will is an old dog.  Most people think it does not have much time left, but Tom decides to take him in.  His friends did not think this was a wise choice.

This book is a story of love!  If you are a dog lover, this book is one you will love reading.  I give credit to Tom for writing this book about his dog!

Teaser from page 17:  "No.  I meant what would you have me do if you were the one who was old, in pain, alone, and had no place to call home?"

This is the second book I read by this author.  The first one was Following Atticus, which I also loved.

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"Warcross" by Marie Lu (UPDATED)

Warcross by Mari Lu is teen science fiction that had my head spinning trying to figure out how everything worked.  This is about a worldwide, popular virtual reality game with tournaments that people actually attend!  Emika Chen is what is referred to as a bounty hunter who helps the cops capture bad guys, primarily ones who illegally bet on Warcross games.  She is a hacker who got an offer to work for the creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, to figure out who was sabotaging his security system for the games.  Emie lives in NYC, travels by skateboard, has a big debt and is being kicked out of her apartment for not paying rent when she gets his offer.  She accepts and her life changes completely!

I liked this book, but there is a lot of things I really don't understand about how all this advanced technology works.  Sometimes it seems as though the players are physically in the game and other times as though it is their avatar playing.  This is fast-paced and very interesting, but a lot of things just didn't make sense to me.  I like Hideo and think Emie should stick with him, but have a feeling she is going to defect to the other side.  I like his big invention too!
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review, 11/8/17, 5++ stars:
Warcross by Marie Lu is about the game played worldwide called Warcross.  It is an obsession to most people.  When one young down on her luck girl, Emika, hacks into the opening game of the tournament, she becomes known to all.  When she gets a call from the game's creator, she does not know what will happen to her.

Teaser from page 10:  I fire the stun gun once more, this time at close range.  It hits true.  His body goes rigid, and he collapses on the pavement, trembling.

Marie Lu knows how to write and it is on full display with this book!  I was engaged from the get go!  Emika is a great character and it was a joy to follow her.  There is good action and an ending that leaves everything up in the air!  Do not miss it!!

See our review of the sequel:  Wildcard

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"Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

In Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, Aza is a young 16-yr.-old girl who is consumed by her own thoughts.  She and her best friend, Daisy, decide to investigate the disappearance of a billionaire.  There is a reward if you find him!

It took me a while to get into this because at first it was kind of girlish!  That being said, Aza and Daisy were fun to follow!  The story line was so-so, but the writing kept me wanting to keep reading.  I liked it and think it is well worth reading. 
(Gerard's review, 4+ stars)

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"Caroline--Little House, Revisited" by Sarah Miller

Caroline by Sarah Miller is about the Ingalls family and their move from Wisconsin to Kansas and their time in Kansas during the late 1800s. This book is told from Caroline’s point of view. She is the mother of two girls, Mary who is 5 and Laura who is 3. She is pregnant with a third during her trip to Kansas and has Carrie while in Kansas on the prairie. This book is closer to the actual historical account than the Little House on the Prairie books. In this book, the only characters that appear besides the Ingalls family is Mr. Edwards.

This book is historical fiction that gives a very clear picture of what pioneer life was like. It is slow moving but has lots of emotional scenes. I think women would definitely enjoy it more than men. I thought it was nice revisiting the Ingalls family again and learning more about Carolyn.
(Karen’s review, 3 stars)


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"Deep Freeze" by John Sandford

In Deep Freeze by John Sandford, a local woman has been found dead, frozen in a block of ice!  The town is small and everybody knows everybody's business.  Virgil, a detective, is familiar with this town and is back again to try to find the killer.

Teaser from page 9:  "Come on, Gina, get up"--but the fact was, Gina Hemming was deader than the aforesaid deer, looking up at him with half-open blank gray eyes.

I thought this book was just okay.  The story line was good enough; however, some parts of the book dragged.  The ending was a bit anti-climactic.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Scythe" (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman Was Even Better Than We Expected

In Scythe by Neal Shusterman, there is no war, no disease, and nobody goes hungry in the world.  The only problem is overpopulation!  That is where being a scythe comes into play.  You fix that problem.  Citra and Rowan are both picked to try to be a scythe, but do not want any part of it!  However, to decline is not in their best interest.

This book was way better than I thought it would be.  Citra and Rowan are both really good.  The story flows well and the twists and turns are well done to say the least!  Do not miss this one--it's a must read!  I look forward to book 2.
(Gerard's review 10/30/17, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 29:  But a perfect world needs no improvement.  Like most everything else we do, education, from grade school through the highest of universities, is just a way to keep us busy.

We both also liked Unwind by this author too and also recommend that one.


(Karen's review, 5 stars:  LOVED THIS BOOK!  SO GLAD I READ IT!)
Scythe by Neal Shusterman is about a utopia future where humanity has overcome disease, aging, crime, and natural death.  Government has been replaced with the Thunderhead that makes sure everyone in the world has what they need.  It watches everything that happens and stores people's memories.  (Anyway, guess we'll find out more about the Thunderhead in book two.)  People can still get hurt, but what normally would kill someone like falling 12 stories from a window now makes them "deadish."  They can be taken to a revival center where they get good as new in just 2-3 days and get delicious ice cream when they wake up.  Since there is a problem of overpopulation, a special group called Scythes do the service of "gleaning" people on a random basis.  Gleaning is just a nice word for legalized killing.  The Scythdom have their own set of laws they must follow.  When Citra and Rowan are chosen by Scythe Faraday to become his apprentices on the road to becoming a scythe, both reluctantly accept for different reasons.  Scythes have power not only to take life, but also to grant immunity from being gleaned to people and Scythe's families have immunity as long as the Scythe lives.

I was very intrigued by this book.  It is well written and very thought provoking with several twists tossed in that really shocked me!  I loved this book so much, I think I will actually re-read it just to make sure I didn't miss anything.  Citra and Rowan come from very different backgrounds but are both smart, moral and find themselves in difficult situations.  I also liked all the humor, some of which made me actually laugh out loud, and really cool things in this book like being able to "turn the corner" and go back to being any age you want, having years named after animals, and having healing nanites so wounds can heal themselves.  I highly recommend this to older teens or adults who like thought provoking books about the future.  This is one of my top 2 favorites of the year, the other being Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst.  


SPOILER ALERT - STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T YET READ THIS BOOK.  IF YOU HAVE, I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THESE QUESTIONS:

(1)  Exactly how did Scythe Faraday fake his own death and how did Scythe Curie know about it?

(2)  Why did Citra's fingers turn really cold when Scythe Faraday let her try on his ring, but when Scythe Goddard gave his ring to Rowan to take over giving immunity to the loved ones of those they gleaned, nothing happened.  Nor did anything happen when Rowan put it on after decapitating Scythe Goddard (which I really liked by the way).  I thought it was funny he put it in the dirty water bowl at the monastery.

(3)  I thought the ending was fantastic and was so happy it didn't end with a cliffhanger as to which one was chosen or stop before knowing if the winner gleaned the loser.  What did you think about the ending?

"The Cat Who Saw Stars" by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun is about a small-town journalist named Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats, Koko and YumYum. He takes a little vacation to his beach house in Mooseville and visits with the townspeople. Some strange things happen that Koko senses. Supposedly, Koko has extra sensory perception.  Some in the town believe UFOs visit and Qwill is not buying it but Koko always watches the sky.  

This book really poked along for me and I was not impressed by any of it. I like cats so that is why I picked it up; however, the cats had a very small part in the book. None of the characters made me care about them much and were not well developed at all. I thought most of the book was very boring and kept waiting for it to get better but it never did! The only people I would recommend this too would be anyone who needs help getting to sleep or who is on a beach vacation and wants to read a book about someone else on a beach vacation. This author wrote many books, but I don’t think I’ll be reading any of them. (Karen's review, 2 stars)

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"The Sleepwalker" by Chris Bohjalian

In The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian, Annalee goes missing and her family fears the worst.  Where is she?  Lianna, her oldest daughter, starts to take an interest in the detective looking into this.  Will he find the answers she is looking for?

Teaser from page 19:  The thing I kept coming back to was how pedestrian my mother's last night really was.  There were no warnings, no ominous asides, nothing that could be construed by even the most rabid conspiracy theorists as foreshadowing.

This is a short book, just a little over 250 pages.  The story line is pretty good.  Part of the book dragged for me and a little more action would have been welcomed.  It did have a surprise ending!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Godsgrave" by Jay Kristoff (book 2)

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff is book two of the Nevernight  Chronicle series.  It was so good to be back with Mia and her faithful companions, Mister Kindly, her cat and Eclipse, her wolf-like dog.  I loved those two!  Mia is still out for revenge and her plan to do it is going to be a very hard journey indeed. 

I loved this book!  It is just as good as the first one in the series!  There is plenty of action and we have some new characters that added to the story in a good way.  There is a list of characters with descriptions to help the reader remember who is who which I found very helpful.  The ending really surprised me and sets up for a fantastic book 3!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Motion to Kill--a Lou Mason Thriller by Joel Goldman

Motion to Kill—a Lou Mason Thriller by Joel Goldman is a legal thriller with lots of murder, several cases, and lots of characters. Lou Mason discovers the dead body of his partner in a lake at the firm’s partner retreat. When he learns it was murder, Lou tries to investigate to figure out who the killer is and why. Is it client-related? Is it someone in the firm? Is the death of another partner related? Is there more than one killer? There are lots of things going on in this book!

Teaser from page 1: A dead partner is bad for business, even if he dies in his sleep. But when he washes ashore on one side of a lake and his boat is found abandoned on the other side, it’s worse.

This book is pretty complex and I found it a bit hard to follow at the beginning but as the investigation moved along, I got more drawn into it. Some parts were very good with lots of suspense, while others were mostly conversations. I felt sorry for Lou that he didn’t get out of the firm sooner and felt bad for the sheriff too. I liked the ending.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


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"One of the boys" by Daniel Magariel is a Wild One!

One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel is the story of a dad and his two sons.  The dad and his wife have divorced and now they are going through a custody battle.  The dad has the boys for now and he wants to keep it that way! 

Teaser from page 6:  "This will end the war," he said.  "No custody.  No child support."

This book was wild to say the least.  The dad was not very likeable at all and I felt bad for the boys.  There was action throughout and the ending was like the rest of the book, wild!
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

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"Exposed" by Lisa Scottoline, A Good Legal Thriller (Updated)

Exposed by Lisa Scottoline is a legal thriller that kept my interest all the way through. Lawyers Bennie Rosato and Mary DiNunzio found themselves working together on a murder case after Mary almost left the firm to work on a case that had a conflict of interest for the firm. Mary chose to help her friend, Simon, try to get his job back that he was fired from unjustly. He has a little girl that is in need of a bone marrow transplant and has high medical bills. This is about a conspiracy resulting in a murder. Bennie and Mary wind up putting their lives on the line when they are attacked and abducted just as they discover what really happened.

I liked this book very much and was surprised by the ending! Poor Simon’s problems just keep getting worse and worse while his lawyer and friend, Mary, tries to help him. This has action, family issues and suspense!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 8/20/17:
In Exposed by Lisa Scottoline, Mary and Bernie are partners in their law firm, but a case comes up that Mary feels she must take even if that means leaving Bernie due to a conflict of interest.  Somebody does not want this case to go to court and will do anything to stop it, putting Mary and Bernie both in danger.

This book is pretty good.  The main characters are well developed.  The pacing is okay--it kept my interest.  There is good action at the end but would have loved more throughout the book.  That being said, I still give it four stars--well worth reading!
  
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"The Good People" by Hannah Kent

The Good People by Hannah Kent is based on a true story!  Nora, after the death of her husband, is put in charge of her grandson.  He can neither speak or walk.  Mary, a young girl, comes to help her but Nora thinks her grandson brings evil.  Only Nance understands the old healing ways, can she banish the evil?  But can she?

Teaser from page 50:  'Musha, Nance of the Fairies, they call her.  Nance na bPucai. There are plenty that will have nothing to do with her on account of it but more who go to her because they believe it so.'

This book is about Irish folklore.  I just loved the language in it!  This book kept me engaged all the way through even though it is a thick one!  It would make a good movie!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Best Day Ever" by Kaira Rouda (Updated--Husband & Wife Differ on This One)

In Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda, Paul Strom has been waiting for the day for Just him and his beautiful wife Mia to go on a getaway weekend together.  This is going to be his "best day ever"!  Or is it?

Teaser from page 50:  This is a challenge, I know it, but how and when did Mia become so confident?  Where did she come from, this new Mia?

The pacing of this book is very well done as you learn little by little what is going down.  Paul Strom is a very interesting character to say the least!  This book kept me engaged from page 1!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review:
Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda is about Paul Strom, a scumbag husband and his wealthy wife, Mia who can't seem to please him no matter what.  Paul decides to take his wife up to their cottage on Lake Erie to give her a special time and have the best day ever, but most of the time they spend arguing.  Will one or both really have the best day ever? 

I did not like Paul right from the beginning because he was so arrogant and controlling.  He is the narrator of the whole book except the Epilogue.  It was shocking to me how he rationalized his actions!  The book kept my interest because I wanted to see how it would end, but then was somewhat disappointed.  I have lots more I could say, but not without spoiling it for you so I'll stop here.  (3 stars)

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"Rescuing Finley" by Dan Walsh is Enjoyable & Heartwarming (UPDATED)

In Rescuing Finley by Dan Walsh, Amy and her girlfriends decide to do a little 5-finger discount.  Amy gets caught and refuses to rat out her friends.  She is in major trouble!  Chris is helping to fight the war.  He steps on a landmine and his fighting days are over.  He comes back home, but is in a bad way emotionally!  Finley's owner is killed in the war.  Finley, a dog, gets turned into the Humane Society and is depressed.  The lives of these three come together to create a good read.

Teaser from page 37 (Loc. 436 on Kindle):  As they approached, the dog started jumping toward them, but Kim didn't see an ounce of aggression in him.  He was just a loving goofball, probably starved for attention.

I thought this book was written very well.  I enjoyed all the characters very much and even though it has a predictable ending, it did not take away the enjoyment of the book for me.
(Gerard's review 9/16/17, 5 stars)

Karen's review:
Rescuing Finley by Dan Walsh is an enjoyable read about Amy, a prisoner in the program for training dogs to be service dogs for vets, Finley, the dog she trains and Chris, the vet who Finley is being trained to help.  I really loved this book because it got my interest right away and kept it throughout.  Yes, it is predictable; however, it still was interesting and a fun read. (5 stars)

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"Protecting Marie" by Kevin Henkes

Protecting Marie by Kevin Henkes is a children’s book about a 12-yr.-old girl, her dad, and her dog. It is told in first person by the girl, Fanny. The dad is an artist and teaches at a university. This book focuses on the girl’s views and things that are important to her. She has a bunch of childish things she treasures and gets upset when her father runs a “stupid hunt” in her room to hunt down stupid things that can be thrown out She is mad at her dad over getting rid of their first dog, Nellie and has a hard time letting it go.

Teaser from page 13:  The whole idea of growing old is scary.  And a big birthday is so symbolic."

This book may appeal to a young girl, but I was not impressed with it.  The book cover is very misleading because it implies the dog is Marie, but it is not! I liked Dinner, the second dog in the book, but there was not much of a climax or great ending to this one.  The gist of the story is how Fanny and her dad mend their relationship. It just sort of fell flat for me. It was okay, but was eager to move on to something else.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"Lie to Me" by J. T. Ellison Made My Head Spin!

Lie to Me by J. T. Ellison is about a married couple, Ethan and Sutton who appeared to be happily married, but in fact not so much.  So when Sutton leaves a note that she is leaving and not to come looking for her, all signs point to Ethan.  What did he do? 

Teaser from page 37:  And here they were.  Five years later, parents of a dead baby, their ruined marriage strewed on the rocks, mistakes piled like a stack of ancient newspapers against the door.

I love books like this where I'm not sure what's going to happen.  I had a love-hate relationship with both Ethan and Sutton.  The pacing of this book was perfect with twists and turns that made my head spin!  I really enjoyed this one a LOT!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"A Joyful Break" by Diane Craver Reveals Lots About the Amish Lifestyle

A Joyful Break (Dreams of Plain Daughters) Book 1 by Diane Craver is about an Amish woman, Rachel, who visits her Aunt in D.C. who was formerly Amish to try to think through whether or not she is ready to be baptized and commit to being Amish and marry her boyfriend who wants to get married in the fall. She was looking forward to going to the beach and seeing the ocean to relax and think. When Rachel’s mom died in her 40s due to a heart attack, Rachel blamed her dad for not having a phone to get her to the hospital in time. The big “excitement” in this book is whether Rachel will choose to be Amish and marry Samuel as planned, or fall in love with an Englishman during her visit with her aunt

For me, the best part of this book was the cover. If you like details about what they are eating, about the reason behind some of the Amish rules they follow and some words the Amish use with their meanings, then this book is for you. It is very heavy on Amish customs and comparing their way of life to non-Amish folk. It also has quite a bit of scripture thrown in. For me, it was just okay. I felt it was slow moving, nothing captivating about it and no action at all. This is the first book of a series that I do not intend to continue. I’d recommend this as a good beach read.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)


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"Tower of Dawn" by Sarah J. Maas Did Not Impress Me

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas has two parts to it. In the first half, Chaol seeks out a healer there to help him get back on his feet. He is currently in a wheel chair. The healer is reluctant to help him for reasons you will find out as you read. The second half has the focus on Nesryn who faces big problems. I enjoyed the second half much better, but overall, I did not think much of this book and do not recommend it. There is just so little action, I was pretty bored with it. The only reason I finished it was that I kept thinking it would get better, but it never did. I guess even Sarah Maas can have a dud.
(Gerard's review, 2 stars)

My wife is passing on this book due to my review.  Glad I saved her a boring read although many others did like this one about healing and acceptance!  You may want to see for yourself.

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"Smart Pickleball--The Pickleball Guru's Guide" by Prem Carnot

Smart Pickleball--The Pickleball Guru's Guide by Prem Carnot is a very helpful book for improving your Pickleball game.  It contains instructions for executing different shots, drills to practice to improve, and strategies to implement in your game.  All this in a very conversational writing style where he basically takes the reader into one of his clinics and even shares tips from some of his private lessons.  This book is excellent and was not at all boring to me.  He has a good sense of humor as well that makes for a very enjoyable read.  I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn to play Pickleball well and who is willing to practice.

Teaser from page 22:  Smart PickleballTM  is about strategically setting yourself up to win a point by biding your time, using your energy efficiently, playing the percentages and anticipating several shots ahead.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"They Both Die At The End" by Adam Silvera

In They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Mateo and Rufus are both young teen boys.  Death-cast calls chill them and tell them that today will be their last day to live!  Even though you know how it plays out, this book still works!  The boys were really great characters and it was interesting how they bonded.

Teaser from page 41:  Everyone wanted so much more out of me, myself included.  I have to honor this.  It's my last day to do so.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

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"The Game You Played" by Anni Taylor (Great Debut Psychological Thriller)

The Game You Played by Anni Taylor is about Phoebe and Luke whose 2-yr.-old son goes missing.  Phoebe has some mental problems and Luke gets tired of everyone feeling sorry for her and not him.  This takes place in a suburb in Australia, where Luke is a real estate agent seeking to make a lot of money and working a lot.  Phoebe and Luke grew up together and so have the same friends.  They are both on the wild side compared to me!  The story is told in first person, alternating between Luke and Phoebe.

Teaser from page 279 (Loc. 4880):  My knees buckled when I saw what was on the page.  I fell to my hands and knees, vomiting into the garden. 

I discovered this book through a teaser on Teaser Tuesday. This was quite the mystery!  I could not figure out who took Tommy.  I liked this book and was surprised to see it was a debut novel.  It certainly had a lot of interesting characters and several different themes about friendship, hoarding, judging others, parenting and drugs.  I think this could make for an interesting book club discussion, especially if you discussed it as everyone was reading it rather than after everyone read it.   You could have a guess who the kidnapper is contest at the beginning and give a prize to the winner at the end (if anyone gets it right).  It reminded me a bit of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"Fire Blood" by Elly Blake Wowed Me!

In Fire Blood by Elly Blake, Ruby has defeated the frost king and melted the powerful throne.  Arcus is now in charge, but Ruby has more battles to fight.  The Minax is now free and is causing terror throughout the land.  Ruby must find a way to stop this, and a war is brewing also.  Can Ruby bring peace to the land?

Teaser from page 27:  As the doors shut, it wasn't her words that struck my heart with a painful blow but the silence that followed.  Arcus hadn't said a word to defend me.

Wow!  This book is just as good if not better than the first, Frost Blood!  Ruby is a great character and there is plenty of action!  LOVED IT!  This is my book of the month and I will be reading book 3 for sure!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars) 

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"The Silent Corner" by Dean Koontz

In The Silent Corner by Dean Koontz, Jane wants to find out why people are killing themselves and these people have no reason to do this.  She will stop at nothing to find the answer, but some people want to stop Jane for good!

Teaser from page 16:  "How did it happen, honey?  How did you lose him?"

There is good stuff here.  Jane was an interesting character to say the least and there is good action as well.  I will be on to book 2.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Summer of Promise" is Historical Christian Romance

I liked the dog in this one!

Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot is the first in the Christian Romance Westward Winds series. Back in the 1880s, Abigail teaches in an all-girls school in Vermont and is planning to marry a colleague named Woodrow who is very nice and well organized. Abigail is worried though about her older sister, Charlotte, who is married to an officer and lives at Fort Laramie in Wyoming. In reading her letters, Abigail got the feeling that something is not quite right so decides to visit her. On the way she meets Ethan, a lieutenant, on the stagecoach who saves the passengers from a couple robbers. Abigail finds that Charlotte is pregnant and seems very weak so stays to help her and cheer her up. When the army post gave orders to kill all the stray dogs running around, Abigail couldn’t help but pick a puppy for Charlotte who she named Puddles. Abigail discovers that Wyoming isn’t boring like she originally thought and finds that God has different plans for her than what she expected.

Teaser from page 58: “Oh, Ethan, he’s so cute. You can’t drown him.”

This book was pretty good but seemed to move a bit slowly. I really liked Ethan and Puddles the best! Although there is some mystery about who was robbing the stagecoaches and who was a traitor, it wasn’t really too hard to figure out. The romance was predictable, as is par for the course with Christian fiction books. I enjoyed some of the funny parts in this book very much, such as when Ethan was teaching Abigail how to shoot a gun. I will probably continue on with this series, but not right away. I need something a bit more gripping.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


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