"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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"The Waking Dark" by Robin Wasserman

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman is about a small town where evil takes over and people do what they would not normally do.  A group of people who have nothing in common must come together to stop the evil from spreading.  This book reminds me of the old Stephen King books that I loved.  Loved this one too--a great Halloween read! 
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls--Essays, Etc." by David Sedaris Is One I Should Have Passed Up

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls Essays, Etc. by David Sedaris was disappointing to me. The title is very misleading because I thought I'd learn more about Diabetes and wondered what the owl connection was. Then in small print on the cover it said "Essays, Etc." which is really what is in this book. It's a collection of 25 short essays on topics from doctors, to his dad, politics, traveling, etc. There are some humorous lines and I did enjoy the ones about the dentist and not buying a cell phone. I also found his relationship with his dad to be sad but interesting. However, most of the essays did not interest me and I did not like how he put his dad down. I read most of it but finally got tired of plowing through this and switched to something else before I finished. This is the last book I'll read by this author and cannot recommend it.

If I had realized this was the same author who wrote Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, I would not have gotten it.
(I started Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk because I like animals and thought the title was funny, but gave up half way through and didn't want to waste any more time on it because it wasn't at all like I expected. The language was very rough and the animals were not portrayed in a good light at all. The "fables" seemed long to me. This book got so much hype but I did not see why. I liked Animal Farm much better!)

I do feel bad that the author's dad did not support or show him the love and acceptance every kid should have from his dad. However, I agree with his dad's opinion mentioned on page 39:

Number one on the Times list doesn't mean that your book is good--just that a lot of people bought it that week, people who were tricked, maybe, or were never too bright to begin with.

I am very thankful my dad was nothing like his and that is one of the reasons I wrote My Funny Dad, Harry in his memory shortly after his death. I think people would like reading about a happy family and a good family man once in awhile instead of about all the bad childhoods people had.

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!

"Low Pressure" by Sandra Brown

Low Pressure by Sandra Brown is a mystery about Bellamy who writes a novel based on the murder of her older sister which becomes a best seller. Although she used a pseudonym and didn’t use the real names, a reporter discovered it was based on fact and the author’s identity is exposed. She receives threats and begins to seek answers as to who is threatening her for writing about the murder. She had only been 12 at the time of the murder and her memory was spotty. Her investigation not only puts her in danger, but also others and secrets are brought to light. The killer was a big surprise to me! Along with the mystery is the romance between Bellamy (the rich girl) and Dent (the poor boy), one of her sister’s boyfriends who Bellamy had a crush on.

This book had an interesting enough story line to make me keep reading, but I can’t say it was an enjoyable read. I didn’t relate to any of the characters, the dysfunctional family with all the secrets, nor did I like the intimate sex scenes or the foul language. It just seemed far-fetched and unbelievable. After enjoying Unspeakable and Lethal by Sandra Brown, I was disappointed with this book.
(Karen's review, rating 2 stars)

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

"Speechless" by Hannah Harrington

Curl up with a good book like Manny Boy!

In Speechless by Hannah Harrington, Chelsea talks a bit too much and spreads some gossip that causes some tragic incidents. She decides to take a vow of silence and finds out things about herself and who she can really count on. I thought this book was very good with a good ending too! It went fast and I got into it! It includes a book discussion and a talk with the author at the end. Read both!
(Gerard's review, rating 5+ stars)

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"We the Animals" by Justin Torres

We The Animals by Justin Torres is a short story about a mom, a dad and three brothers.  It was interesting but I wanted more.  As it was, I thought it was okay, nothing great.  A coming of age story about family bonds.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"Crossing lines" by Paul Volponi is Thought Provoking

"Crossing Lines" by Paul Volponi is about accepting people for who they are and taking a stand against your friends if they are hurting someone. Alan, president of the fashion club, wore lipstick and dresses to school. No wonder the other boys teased him! The girls, however, helped dress him up and gave him perfume. Adonis found himself embarrassed that his sister hung around with Alan and even had him come over to his house. Adonis was on the football team and his teammates were his friends. Adonis struggled with who he really was. Should he go along with his friends who teased Alan even though it was wrong or accept Alan for who is is and impress the girl he liked who was in the fashion club with his sister and Alan?

Live and let live is pretty much the message in this book. This is a thought-provoking teen book. I did not like Alan. I liked Adonis and thought he handled things fairly well. I recommend this for teens.  "How do you decide when to stand by and when to take a stand?"

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