“The world is filled with people living the most extraordinary, ordinary lives.”
When I saw this one at my local library, I thought at first, “you have“The world is filled with people living the most extraordinary, ordinary lives.”
When I saw this one at my local library, I thought at first, “you have got to be kidding me!” But then it made sense. This really seemed like an almost perfect premise. And, a truly quick read! Yes! It took me just a day to read.
How could you not like a story where two people meet on a train and their next kill orders are for each other for romance in this Mr. & Mrs. Smith way? (Think Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie when they liked each other.) And, they didn’t know that they were both assassins. But not only were they both assassins, but they were both assassins set up with kill orders to kill each other! How do you do that, after you meet each other on a train and practically fall for each other? (And, I’m not giving away spoilers, this is all told to readers from the get-go.)
So, obviously this is a rom-com mixed with suspense and assassins.
What we really have is 2 people who really are awkward, due to their careers and early lives. Here they are meeting. Their first encounter with each other. On a night train to Paris. How romantic is that?
But they both have pasts. Right?
They know they are damaged goods. But they finally found the one person they think can finally accept them. For themselves. But they also think they will never see each other again.
Fast forward six months. And guess what. Who is their kill target? Yep. Now what are they to do?
How about as readers enjoy a “killing” good time?
“My old life has ended. My new life is only just beginning.”
Just let the pages fly. Readers will not regret it. ...more
When I went in to my local library to pick up books, I found this one on the shelves. (I forgot to put this in my currently reading list.) It had beenWhen I went in to my local library to pick up books, I found this one on the shelves. (I forgot to put this in my currently reading list.) It had been a long time since I had read a Decker/Lazarus novel, but I was up for it. So, what does that mean? Well, it means that it is probably best that you follow the series from the beginning, so you know who the characters are, but you can pick up after a long absence and still feel like you are family because the characters are so rich.
Rina (Lazarus) is Peter Decker’s wife. Peter is a former detective lieutenant with the LAPD who now works for the local Greenbury Police in upstate New York.
While walking a local trail and wanting to photograph the area, Rina stumbles upon skeletal remains. What happened here? And, what does this mean when 2 more skeletal remains are discovered that are related to missing students in the area? Does this nice college town have a serial killer?
As Decker investigates, much is discovered, and the heartache of families who have been missing these kids becomes front and center. But what happens when a fresh crime occurs?
This is an excellent police procedural, with well-developed characters, short chapters and an unknown killer that will keep readers guessing till the very end....more
I read this one back in 2018, and thought I had already posted my review. Apparently not. So, here it is! This is the 3rd in the series, bCatching up…
I read this one back in 2018, and thought I had already posted my review. Apparently not. So, here it is! This is the 3rd in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone, although readers will get more value from the book if they start at the beginning of the series.
Where do we come from?
Where are we going?
Yes, it's the new Dan Brown book, Origin. Yes, it's pulpy and ridiculous. But I have to say -- it was really entertaining, too.
Origin draws on current events and hot topics to make it more relevant to today's world. The author touches on subjects like "fake news", the advancement of technology and artificial intelligence, and the dark corners of the Internet. He may not be an amazing writer - whatever that means - but he does play on universal thoughts, fears and questions. It makes for a very compelling tale.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for excellent writing, well-developed characters and a whole lot of sense-making. But if you want to sprint through an almost 500-page novel at breakneck pace and escape from thinking for a while, then this is the book for you.
One last thing... there is a reference to “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck on page 447. I won't say more as it does provide an interesting explanation to everything about one of the characters through that reference. Those who have read “Of Mice and Men” or have seen the play, will understand when they get there. My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
“Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape o“Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there.”
Catching up…
I know. This is a book that has been around for a while. But when it became a donation to my Little Free Library Shed recently, I knew it was time to re-visit it and share my thoughts.
This book actually began as a New York Times murder story that transformed itself into spine-tingling suspense. Can you imagine picking up your newspaper and devouring this headline story with your breakfast coffee?
Capote felt he could tell the story of this Midwest killing that featured sinister murderers in a way that would capture readers’ interest.
A 4-member family of a prosperous farming family are viciously murdered at close-range with a shotgun. No apparent motive. Limited clues. A local FBI investigator, Alvin Dewey is shocked at how meaningless and cruel the crime appears. Who would do this and why? And, how could Capote get the details he needed to write his story beyond headline grabbers?
“Imagination, of course, can open any door – turn the key and let terror walk right in.”
He turned to friend and fellow author, Harper Lee, obviously known for “To Kill a Mockingbird.” She had a way of penetrating the silence that seemed to be protecting the remote Kansas community entrenched in the murders.
Once he was in, Capote conducted his own investigation which would encompass the manhunt, arrest and trial of the culprits. Capote shared…
“…the greatest intensity in art in all its shapes and sizes is achieved with a deliberate, hard and cool head.”
It truly is a real-crime drama that captivates as readers turn pages. And, even if we think we know the story already, probably through endless documentaries we have watched, it still is a privilege to read Capote....more
This is the latest in the Bones series by Reich featuring her forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan. And, as is typical, if you are a fan, readeThis is the latest in the Bones series by Reich featuring her forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan. And, as is typical, if you are a fan, readers won’t be bored as Tempe finds herself in the midst of an older building in Washington DC addressing arson and burn victims and attempting to unravel a mystery that may be more than recent history.
She also finds herself working alongside a new ally, Ivy Doyle, a telejournalist. She met Ivy reluctantly through her daughter Katy, as a favor. But as it turns out, they form a good alliance in attempting to learn more about the past of the building, the history, the property’s ownership and what really happened and why.
Reich keeps readers moving along quickly through her short chapters, and forensics and setting change of Washington, DC. The question will be, will readers be surprised by the twists and turns that she has a tendency to deliver? And, will readers be patient with her challenging relationship with Ryan?...more
You know you have read a lot of books when you pick up a book as if you are looking at it for the first time and begin reading it and realize it soundYou know you have read a lot of books when you pick up a book as if you are looking at it for the first time and begin reading it and realize it sounds familiar. I can’t begin to count on my fingers how many times I have done this to myself. Of course, it has to happen with classic Connelly. And, Bosch. I love Bosch.
So, when this book was deposited as a donation to my Little Free Library Shed recently, I couldn’t help but think, is this one of his stories I missed? Of course not. It is one, that I forgot I had read. And, now I am reviewing it.
This is where Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch is now working for the Open-Unsolved Unit, hoping to find a way to find closure for those “chorus of forgotten voices” and certainly justice for the unresolved cases. This is also an opportunity for Bosch to learn about the advances in forensic science that have been made since he retired 3 years earlier.
What I love about Connelly is his beautiful attention to detail. Basics in investigative police work – police procedurals at its best.
As Bosch takes on his first case, the reader gets an inside tour of the streamlined LAPD and all the advanced techniques used in comparative analysis of DNA, ballistics and fingerprints.
As a reader, I am soaking up the methods of modern forensics, and it is obvious that it is revitalizing Bosch, too. But we also get a taste of his old-fashioned police detective work in action, as well. As well as his gut instinct at following the clues. What we appreciate the most is his way of speaking for the dead.
In true Connelly fashion, this will be a page-turning, well-done read for fans. And those new to Bosch, will want to get to know him. But as in all series, it is always best to start at the beginning. The first Harry Bosch book was “The Black Echo.”...more
“The National Daily Situation Room would be a permanent organization…It would serve as a management tool by providing intelligence, communications, br“The National Daily Situation Room would be a permanent organization…It would serve as a management tool by providing intelligence, communications, briefing, display and monitor facilities.”
The author is more than a television host of a popular morning show or his own show, “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” He is a political commentator and former Democratic advisor. He was also the Communications Director for the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton before becoming his White House Communications Director. His resume is extensive, and so when this book came out, I thought it would be worth reading. I am glad I did. I now offer you, my review.
He tells us that the “Sit Room” isn’t much to look at, it actually is located in the White House basement. And, to him, it really is quite the modest cramped conference room. It wasn’t until August 2023 that it got a pretty facelift renovation. But (facelift or not) it is what takes place in this room that makes the difference.
The Situation Room began with President John F. Kennedy, and it had some captivating historical moments through the variety of presidents since.
A key statement that caught my eye was shared early on when the author wrote…
“In the six decades since the creation of the Situation Room, it has been the crisis center during America’s catastrophes. The men and women of the Sit Room have dealt with nuclear scares, the assassination of a president and attempts on two others. They stayed at their posts on 9/11, when the White House itself was the target of terrorists. And they tracked and analyzed American wars that cost hundreds of thousands of lives and billions upon billions of dollars. But never before had they dealt with an insurrection against our own government, inspired by the president of the United States.”
How does one feel, reading this paragraph, let alone this last sentence?
“Your allegiance to your country supersedes your allegiance to your role.”
Digest that statement above for a moment. It was uttered on January 6, 2021 by Mike Steigler, an intelligence analyst that worked at the White House.
The author clearly felt concerned as well when he stated, “those dueling loyalties had never been tested like this.”
In the chapter, “Postcards from the Edge” there is more detail on that president’s attitude towards the Situation Room and the problems overall with what occurred during his time in office.
And thus, throughout this book the author shares a lot of dynamic and engrossing Situation Room stories. And these same stories, were not typically or outwardly known to the public. Because these are the stories of what really happened “behind the scenes” regarding the issues we thought we laymen always knew – like when both Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were shot. But as laymen, we clearly did not.
Readers will get an insider view into each president’s attitude toward the Situation Room experience. And, how they viewed their role.
But it wasn’t even about just the various incidents that occurred under their watch. As an example, what will readers learn about President Nixon’s lack of interest in participating in those important Situation Room discussions? And, what circumvented President Carter’s negotiations in getting the hostages out of Iran? Or what really happened in those hours during the 9/11 attacks? Can we even imagine what it took to finally finding Osama bin Laden under President Obama’s leadership?
The author covers the Situation Room through President Biden. The author went through over 100 interviews and intensive research for this book. He also included black and white and color photographs throughout the chapters.
This is a fascinating, easy-to-read, inspiring, page-turning book that almost reads like fiction. For those interested in real history, this will be a worthwhile read....more
This is a tale of two cities, New York and Los Angeles told in six stories and a novella. Towles devotes his first section to New York, where readers This is a tale of two cities, New York and Los Angeles told in six stories and a novella. Towles devotes his first section to New York, where readers get a sense of the people, the places, and definitely the communities.
But it really is the novella that gives that great sense of old Hollywood when readers are taken back in time during the filming of “Gone with the Wind.” We get the feeling of studio moguls and actual movie star legends like Errol Flynn.
Still, for those who have read his past books, like “Rules of Civility” and might remember his character Evelyn Ross, who’d vanished on a Chicago-bound train, we now pick up her narrative as she’s traveling to California in “Eve in Hollywood.” This is the novella. And this obviously is Towles taking us to Los Angeles. Who does she meet on this train ride? Will we recognize some of the players? And what role will she play in trying to save a famous actress’ reputation?
Pay attention to the cover art of this book. There is a subtle message that the author is delivering with the stories he is telling that Towles fans will undoubtedly appreciate.
For those who love short stories, this is a great in-between book, to read between their novels. Or, to just breeze through because you have been a fan of all Towles stories, like “A Gentleman in Moscow” or “The Lincoln Highway.” Either way, it is readers opportunity to spend some time from one coast to another....more
Let’s say you die too early, but you have a second chance to live if you find your “soulmate” within ten days. But he has to want to kiss you without Let’s say you die too early, but you have a second chance to live if you find your “soulmate” within ten days. But he has to want to kiss you without him knowing that the kiss is what will keep you alive.
But even as you are “sent back” you don’t know where he lives or his last name. How are you going to find him and get him to kiss you and love you in 10 days? How is that for a plot?
Well, if you suspend disbelief, this can be a truly light-hearted, entertaining, delightful and heartwarming story that touches on topics of grief, loneliness, death, second chances, found family, and finding love. Which also provides opportunities for humor, self-reflection, a refreshing outlook on life, and a unique perspective to finding happiness beyond death. ...more
River Close is a quaint little neighborhood with quite the collection of neighbors. Like a chess master (grandmaster), and an overworked doctor, or thRiver Close is a quaint little neighborhood with quite the collection of neighbors. Like a chess master (grandmaster), and an overworked doctor, or the overlooked black QC (British lawyer – senior barrister), and so forth. Readers get to meet them all.
And then, there is the newest noisy neighbor who doesn’t seem to care what his neighbors think, Giles Kenworthy, until readers find him shot dead, and now all the neighborhood is under suspicion.
Enter, former detective Daniel Hawthorne, who is usually followed by writer, Anthony Horowitz. But not in this case. This time, this story within a story is told differently – in a back-and-forth way through time – where Horowitz is in the present – and Riverview Close is five years in the past. Since this is the case that Hawthorne is telling him about that Horowitz is wanting to write about for his next book.
So, how did this case really end?
Who wanted the despicable neighbor dead and why? What was someone hiding that Kenworthy may have unknowingly uncovered?
And then, just when all seemed to be clear, there is another murder. What? Why? And, who did it?
How will this second death play into the final scene? What will Horowitz discover as he sleuths out clues?
With so many people who hated the original victim, will this be difficult for readers to guess who could have been the culprit? Will this seem like readers are actually reading an Agatha Christie novel, like “Murder on the Orient Express?” Or, will there be a surprise twist that is original in its own way? (No spoilers from me.)
For fans of the Hawthorne & Horowitz series, this will feel like another easy-to-read, page-turning cozy. For those who are new to the series, you may want to start at the beginning...book 1, "The Word is Murder."...more
“You don’t have to do this alone, you know.” “Do what?” “Life.”
The title of the book says that Lenny Marks gets away with murder. But as I kept reading“You don’t have to do this alone, you know.” “Do what?” “Life.”
The title of the book says that Lenny Marks gets away with murder. But as I kept reading the book, I kept wondering…what really is the murder that she is getting away with here?
First, let us try and understand who Lenny Marks is.
She is a teacher of elementary school kids. She is deeply flawed. And troubled. She has a past that is not clear. To readers. And, probably to herself. Is she neurodivergent, or damaged because of this past that isn’t clear to her or readers?
Keep reading, I would tell myself. Be patient. There is more to Lenny Marks.
She is deeply sensitive. She has been bullied in her past. And, she doesn’t like to see people hurting others or dogs. Thus, it is no surprise that she now has Malcolm, the dog. And, she really likes the show Friends, yet she doesn’t “appear” to have any. Or does she?
So, with all this being said, is there anything about Lenny Marks that is likable? Do we as readers root for her? Do we care enough about her that we want to know what really happened in her past? Or care enough to find out who this Fergus is, when a letter arrives at her work that she doesn’t seem to read, but readers want to know about it? And him?
And, most importantly, why, oh why, did the author decide to title this book, ��Lenny Marks gets away with murder?’
And, just when it seemed like we would be close to knowing, the author had Lenny Marks running from that truth. But there was something else the author would give readers.
Short chapters. So, that we would keep reading to find out more. Small clues forward for readers to savor.
What really happened to Lenny Marks? Or, what did Lenny Marks do? How many pages will it take for readers to read before they find out the truth? And whether, Lenny Marks does indeed commit murder, or not?
“She hoped they knew.”
And when readers do…find this “truth,” how will we feel? Will we breathe again and understand Lenny Marks a little more? And, will we care?
My answer…yes. I believe so.
Lenny Marks is complicated. But fascinating, too. And, in this page-turning, very different type of mystery debut novel, readers will want to be protective of her. And patient.
And, aware of Malcolm, too. He has quite the story, as well. (To say more…well, you know me and spoilers…I don’t give them.)...more
“I have always imagined that closing a book is like pausing a film midframe, the characters frozen in their halted worlds, breath held, waiting for th“I have always imagined that closing a book is like pausing a film midframe, the characters frozen in their halted worlds, breath held, waiting for the reader to return and bring it all back to life – like a prince’s kiss in a fairy tale.” – Ashlyn Greer
I wanted to start my review with this quote from one of the main protagonist characters in this book, Ashlyn, because I have just finished this book, and this is how I feel.
I honestly believe I have just read my absolute favorite book of 2024!
And, I don’t say that lightly.
I have read lots of books, and this one has captivated me from the first page to the last. And, as I have come to the very last page, I am filled with many emotions. Enchanted. Engaged. Centered. Present. Moved. Inspired. Fulfilled. Grateful. Touched.
This book started with a private message from Goodreads friend Lynda, who thought she read my review and felt she needed to thank me. You now must read her review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... She said she was so grateful for my review of this book. I said, I hadn’t read it yet, I was still on the waiting list for the book. But grateful that she enjoyed it so much.
And, then it finally arrived from my local library. It was now my turn to have a reaction to this book.
There is something to be said about a character like Ashlyn, that is so attached to books, that she has a special gift in which she can “read the echoes that attached themselves” to pages within books. In other words, she could feel the people who were apart of the books they touched. The emotions they experienced.
And, when two books come in to her possession, they will not only change her life, they will change the lives of the individuals who wrote them.
What mystery lies within those pages she reads?
How will this mystery help heal Ashlyn and her life?
This is a book within a book. When Ashlyn receives a couple of books, she is curious to discover that these books have no author names or publisher. Who do they belong to, and how can she find the writers? The mystery only deepens.
“Books are feelings,” he replied simply. “They exist to make us feel. To connect us to what’s inside, sometimes to things we don’t even know are there. It only makes sense that some of what we feel when we’re reading would . . . rub off.”
And, so these two books that Ashlyn discovers leads her to Ethan who is the one that was cleaning out his father’s books. Little did each of them know that these stories would unravel a family history of Ethan’s he had little memory of that would possibly open doors for both of them.
What happened to Ethan and Ashlyn that closed doors for them? How will the mystery of the books that they are reading now together open doors for them?
“She still couldn’t say how far she was willing to leap, but she had forced herself to look down and at least judge the distance of the fall. It was a start.”
“We develop a particular fondness for our favorite books, the way they feel and smell and sound, the memories they invoke, until they begin to exist for us as living, breathing things.”
Ashlyn graces each chapter with a quote that leads readers to wonder what we will learn through the “current” year 1984, as she and Ethan read through the books about the mysterious Belle and Hemi of the past. One book was written by Belle. And one book was written by Hemi. But who are they? What happened to them? And, are they still alive?
“Without a reader, a book was a blank slate, an object with no breath or pulse of its own. But once a book became part of someone’s world, it came to life, with a past and a present—and, if properly cared for, a future.”
Could the power of forgiveness be the gift that helped find a happily ever after ending here?
“But if something tragic happened in a book, you could just close it and choose a new one, unlike real life, where events often played out without the protagonist’s consent.”
My emotions were all over the place as I kept turning pages. But then I would find myself asleep holding the book still. Oh gosh, I needed sleep. Okay, sleep it was. I would have to wait for the ending.
And then I woke up. It was pitch black out. I knew I had a few pages to go. I couldn’t help myself. I needed to know. I was so invested in these characters. I loved Ashlyn and Ethan, and Belle and Hemi. I wanted to know what would happen.
“Like humans, books experienced their share of heartache—and like humans, they remembered.”
How does one describe that feeling when you close a book that you have loved everything about it? There are so many quotes in this book that have been so worthy, that I feel like my review is simply a series of the author’s quotes.
At the same time, I have found myself in a book about books. About a life lived, or missed, or regrets, or needing forgiveness, or finding second chances, or being strong under the worst of circumstances.
And, thus reading this book felt like something more. Not just a love story about people. But my own love story about how I fell in love with a book, if that makes sense.
So, the author’s quote…
“There is nothing quite so alive as a book that has been well loved” feels perfect here.
Because, that is exactly how I feel about this reading experience.
I have come to appreciate that life is something we can’t take for granted. And, when Ashlyn shares that “people’s lives were defined not by the scars they acquired but by what lay on the other side of those scars, by what’s done with the life they have left,” I knew she was speaking a truth we could understand.
And, sometimes books do that to us. And, this one did that to me. Yes, this one to date is most undoubtedly, my favorite book for 2024! Maybe, even yours?...more
As a former CIA counterterrorism analyst, this author brings a sense of authenticity to her story which kicks off from the nail-biting first page.
ReaAs a former CIA counterterrorism analyst, this author brings a sense of authenticity to her story which kicks off from the nail-biting first page.
Readers are first introduced to Jill Bailey, a CIA analyst whose son is kidnapped and won’t be returned unless she vets a source named Falcon. And, if she ever breathes a word about this event, he will be killed. So, to save her son she quits her job, changes her name and convinces her husband to leave the state.
Only, when they settle in, she finds a note… YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE.
So, who did this to Jill? And, why?
For the next four years everything seems fine. Until she is contacted by an investigative journalist named Alex Charles who has been given her name by an unknown source about Falcon.
Will Jill finally open up about what happened? Will Alex be able to write the Pulitzer Prize winning story? Will Jill be able to right this terrible wrong she thrust upon the country when she allowed Falcon in?
When readers think they know everything, think again. Readers will experience quite the rollercoaster ride of twists and turns in the final third of the story, so hang on to your seat. But the biggest plot twists to come, will be revealed at the end. And the most likely question readers will be asking themselves will be…
I remember the first time I saw Amanda Gorman. I was not alone. Anyone who watched the inauguration of President Biden probably also experienced the aI remember the first time I saw Amanda Gorman. I was not alone. Anyone who watched the inauguration of President Biden probably also experienced the artful amazing gorgeous intensity of her powerful poem, “The Hill We Climb.”
“…when the day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid, the new dawn blooms as we free it, for there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.”
I can still feel the tears flowing listening to her. There was so much to appreciate about that day and her words. So, when I saw this book on the library book shelf on my weekly saunter for reading material, I happily grabbed it.
It was a delight to read her. She has depth and soul. And, gratefully this beautiful poem is also included in this book.
This book is eclectic in her expression of herself. Her poetry exudes discussion on a variety of topics and even atypical formats. And, she is not your typical poet. And, perhaps that is what makes her readable, and interesting.
Would I have picked up her book of poetry had I not heard her on that important day and found myself in tears listening to “The Hill We Climb?” Maybe not. But I am glad I did.
As an example, she talks about a fall in one poem.
“Say our feet miss a step on a stair – …Sometimes The fall Just makes Us More Ourselves.”
How many times have we been in this precarious position with our bodies? Is she not having us consider these moments in our lives?
I like to open myself to different genres. Learn and grow and find myself stretching my mind to consider how other people think and feel. And, this author definitely does that. And, that is why if you are on a similar reading journey, you may just find this book worth your reading experience, too....more
I have always appreciated Larson for his storytelling. The non-fiction writer who writes as if it we were rea“I invite you now to step into the past.”
I have always appreciated Larson for his storytelling. The non-fiction writer who writes as if it we were reading a suspense novel waiting for the climatic moment to occur. Only he isn’t writing a fiction novel, he is writing about truth in history – a time in the past that we get to live within the pages. We are just feeling it and experiencing it as if it were alive and real and happening to us in real time. Only it is history playing out for us, not a suspense novel.
Unfortunately, as the author begins writing this story, he finds himself in a conundrum as he compares the Civil War to January 6, 2021. He shares that he is “appalled” but also “riveted” by “today’s political discord, which incredibly has led some benighted Americans to whisper of secession and civil war.” Did those same people on January 6, 2021 really know what they were talking about when they spoke about what it was like during the Civil War?
As always, Larson’s research takes us there. This story covers a five-month period, the drama between Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 and the attack and surrender of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.
Larson has a way with his narrative that takes us directly to the past. Plopping us within the setting and making us feel present.
However, as thorough as his research is, this wasn’t his best book, for me. Even as I took my time reading it, in-between my other novels.
Black Americans and Abolitionists are hardly mentioned. You would think this would be important considering the time in history. Still, I recognize the author has chosen to limit his book to a five-month time period. And, the focus on Fort Sumter. Is that his excuse? But still, it seemed that a lot of past history characters are hardly fleshed out, and that has not been typical of the author in his past books. Obviously, I am conflicted here.
If anything, maybe this book will open the door for readers to be curious about the Civil War and want to explore other history books.
Also, there is undoubtedly good history to be read here, with sources, acknowledgments and a vast bibliography, notes and index that takes us to 565 total pages. And, no doubt a reminder that we need not want to repeat history again.
By the end of this book, we can’t help but question ourselves in today’s world, because that is where we live…
Are we indeed heading towards a civil war of differences politically that could lead to real bloodshed again?...more
I first fell in love with this author when I read her book, “Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm.” My rI first fell in love with this author when I read her book, “Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm.” My review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
So, when this book was donated to my Little Free Library Shed, I think my neighbors probably thought I was nuts, when I did a little dance of glee! Then again, when they see that from me, they know the book I am reacting to in such a way, is a book they want to read, as well!
Anyway, I couldn’t help my little gleeful dance. I love this author’s style of writing. Not just because I loved her memoir. But she is a journalist, too. So, I had a feeling she was the perfect person to work alongside former President Obama to find out what she needed to know.
In fact, it was natural for her to ask the then President Obama why he would be interested in writing sometimes handwritten answers to the public every day of his administration. Because, if people weren’t aware, it was not uncommon for him to receive about 10,000 letters each day while he was in office.
And, he felt this is “what empathy was for, in the life of a president. Being ‘nice’ is not the point at all. ‘We are going to engage in conversations.’ He wanted Americans to know that, “You are the reason we are here.”
So, she decided to create this book and share some of those letters and his responses to those letters.
My experience was to treat this novel as an in-between book. I read it in-between other books I was reading. And, I absolutely loved the experience. It really is interesting to read what some people had to say in their letters. The sincerity, the angst, the variety of emotions, the thoughtfulness, the offers of political strategies he could impose, and so forth. Even children chimed in.
“Dear Mr. President,
Two boys that are in our neighborhood said that girls cannot change the world. I hope that you can give us some advice to change the world or to help us standup to the two boys. From Delaney, Corrigan and Bree”
Some felt that writing to the President was often like facing uncertain or unprecedented life circumstances.
Like…maybe if I wrote to the President, he will hear me and do something for me?
And, those who received responses would always be surprised, because they never expected to receive a response, even though there was always hope there would be one.
And as readers, we can even imagine the role of the mailroom of the White House having to deal with this kind of workload. During Obama’s tenure, there were 50 staff members and 26 interns, hundreds of volunteers to deal with those 10,000 letters they received each day.
What is beautiful about this book is that we are being shown another side of President Obama. He listened. To his constituency. His harshest critics a lot of the time. But he listened with grace and humility.
“I know things are tough out there right now and I won’t try to pretend that I’ve got a guaranteed solution to your immediate situation.”
During the epilogue we learn what has happened with some of the letter writers which is also enlightening. Some actually ended up meeting President Obama by being invited to the White House.
This book was thoughtful, insightful, and a joyful read. I read it slowly so that I could be reminded of what it means to respect the people’s house and the person elected by the majority of the people who is there responding directly to those he is representing, whether they voted for him or not....more
Having loved “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” I was up for this one, knowing that this author has a way of creating characters you want to meet. And, I Having loved “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” I was up for this one, knowing that this author has a way of creating characters you want to meet. And, I was not disappointed.
World War I has ended. What happens when women have been in charge while the men have been off to war and then they return and everything changes? What then?
Well, something new comes along for our main protagonist, Constance that opens doors to new beginnings.
It didn’t take me long to feel like I had known these many characters as if they had been my own personal friends. The author has a way of making a reader feel invested with what is happening in the story. And even if our main protagonist Constance, may doubt her confidence, readers never do.
This story is a delightful read. Readers will feel like they are in the middle of their love stories while developing lifelong friendships.
Yes, the war may have ended, but everything about what happened will feel very close to the characters, and readers will feel the trauma and drama of their experiences.
And, as I said, the characters and the setting will draw readers in from the beginning to the end. It is as colorful and memorable as the book cover....more
This is a slow burning, very different twisty, mystery tale that will have readers wondering, what is really going on here, up to the very last page. This is a slow burning, very different twisty, mystery tale that will have readers wondering, what is really going on here, up to the very last page.
Julia Hart, an “editor” has come to interview Grant McAllister about a series of short stories he has “written” twenty years ago that her “boss” is interested in publishing.
Along the way, readers are given the opportunity to read these short stories and listen to the characters discuss them. Julia is suspicious of Grant, and questions him about his title of his book, and why he would call it “The White Murders” after a murder that took place of a woman named Elizabeth White in 1940.
Should Julia be afraid of Grant?
Is there something more about Grant that Julia needs to know?
As the two engage in conversations and Julia harbors her suspicions of him, more and more is revealed to readers, but wait for it…
Whatever you thought you knew…may not be it at all. This story offers stories within a story that will keep readers guessing up to the last page! As long as you can be patient with the slow burn, readers will eventually find this book…
Brilliant. Captivating. Fascinating. Intriguing. Clever. Worth waiting for the final reveals!...more
“The only true threat to birds that has ever existed is us.”
Franny Stone is a somewhat mysterious character and, on a quest to electronically tag what“The only true threat to birds that has ever existed is us.”
Franny Stone is a somewhat mysterious character and, on a quest to electronically tag what might be the last remaining colony of arctic terns before they embark upon the “longest natural migration of any living creature.”
To do so, she has sought passage on a boat to follow the birds on what could be their final migration. It is captained by Ennis Malone who is looking for some elusive herring.
There is something eerie and menacing about these 2 characters, as readers set sail along with them on this trip.
As readers, we do feel a sense of camaraderie among the crew, as Franny learns what she needs to be helpful on the ship. And at times the author takes us back in time to get a sense of Franny’s traumatic past.
Who is Franny really? Why is she on this trip to watch these elusive terns? What happened to her? Why is she being pursued?
Franny to me was hard to like or love. But I loved her insight and her mission. So, I could forgive her for her shortcomings.
And as I said earlier, there is a mystery to Franny that draws readers in, and we can appreciate her connection to the natural world, especially the birds.
As readers, we become just as aware as she does of how climate change is affecting them.
“If the animals have died it will not have been quietly. It will not have been without a desperate fight. If they’ve died, all of them, it’s because we made the world impossible for them.”
Even with the flaws of this plot, it still has a way of providing a descriptive backdrop that is stunningly beautiful. And, how can we not be touched when Franny mutters…
“What happens when the last of the terns die? Nothing will ever be as brave again.”
I loved those birds and the scenery.
In some ways this novel tries to be well-crafted in attempting to be eco-friendly. It wants us to be eco-aware on a personal and global level. It wants us to be hopeful, just as we are grieving all these changes to our world because of climate change. And hopefully, invest as humans to save our world…especially the animals.
Apparently, Russia has successfully had spies living in America in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, especially at the height of the nuclear age and CApparently, Russia has successfully had spies living in America in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, especially at the height of the nuclear age and Cold War. But something happened to one of the spies back then that caused him to want to leave his position and defect.
What really occurred at the Nevada Test Site?
“‘I am sorry for what occurred in 1957. I was young, and I was a patriot, but you were asking me to do something horrible.’”
And, why would whatever happened all those years ago suddenly become an issue in present time for the current Sheriff, Porter Beck?
Well, when a horrific murder is discovered of a retired FBI agent, what could this have to do with this long-ago and forgotten Russian spy?
And why are these Russian assassins hunting down other 80+-year-old citizens around Lincoln County?
Meanwhile, Clem Edwards wife Michaela is missing, and her bike has been found with blood on it. And the Sheriff knows that the statistics of finding her alive are getting dimmer, especially with Russian assassins on the loose.
Could her disappearance be related to the current case?
Now, the Sheriff is being told an FBI Agent, Sana Locke is being brought in on the case to assist. Will Sheriff Beck and Agent Locke be in time to stop these killings?
Readers will be given hints of the past through varying chapters, as the investigation unfolds.
With pages turning faster than my fingers could flip them, this spell-binding thriller mystery will keep readers engaged from beginning to end. And the twists and surprises will be exactly what readers need to make this story the one they want to pick up next!...more
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