Started: 7/25/17
Finished: 7/27/17
Year: 2014
Pages: 223
Genre: paranormal
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR
Blurb (from back cover): "Join us on a journey to some of the most haunted and fascinating places in Oregon! In Ghosthunting Oregon, author and paranormal researcher Donna Stewart visits more than 30 haunted sites throughout the Beaver State, from Portland to the coast to Columbia River Gorge. All of the places she covers are open to the public, so you can test your own ghosthunting skills if you dare.
"Join Donna as she explores each site, investigating eerie rooms and dark corners, talking to people who swear to their paranormal experiences, and providing you with first-hand accounts. Places you will go to include: Edgefield Manor-where you may encounter one of the many ghosts who were residents of the old poorhouse. Heceta Head Lighthouse-said to be the most haunted lighthouse in Oregon. Shanghai Tunnels-where the ghost of former prostitute Nina may appear and ask you to help her escape. White Eagle Saloon-where guests who stay in the former boarding house rooms do not always sleep alone.
"Ghosthaunting Oregon is a one-stop source for everything that goes bump in the night in the state, regardless of whether you just want to read about the locations or pull out maps and head out to visit them yourself. In addition to chapters on 32 haunted sites throughout Oregon, it includes detailed information on 'Visiting Haunted Sites,' a list of 50 'Additional Haunted Sites,' and useful 'Ghostly Resources.' So buckle up for a Haunted Road Trip that you will never forget."
Opinion: I enjoy the paranormal and learning the history behind alleged haunted sites. This book includes history and personal encounters from the author or people that she has interviewed at the sites. Some I had heard of and have visited (odd feelings at some of them) and some new ones that I had not heard of but now want to check out. If you're a fan of the paranormal and/or want to learn more about some interesting places in Oregon, then I would recommend this book.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly
Started: 7/3/17
Finished: 7/24/17
Year: 2013
Pages: 429
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Mickey Haller gets the text 'Call me ASAP-187,' and the California penal code for murder immediately gets his attention. Murder cases have the highest stakes and the biggest paydays. But when Mickey discovers that the victim was a prostitute he once thought he had rescued, he knows there is no way he'll let this one go. The case is suddenly about more than the guilt or innocence of the defendant-it's about finding out what happened to a woman he cared about. Instead of saving her, Mickey might have been the one who put her in danger.
"Now Mickey must follow his gut instinct directly into a dangerous world of intrigue and double-dealing to get justice for both of her clients, living and dead. As he faces the 'gods of guilt'-the jurors who will deliver the ultimate verdict-he's forced to struggle with his personal demons for a shot at his own redemption."
Opinion: I have read several of Connelly's books and this one is similar to the others-good lawyer mystery. There were several little twists that seemed to be added just because. No real rhyme or reason and that was disappointing. Either they should be been developed or just not added-that's the reason for the B. Still an overall decent read.
Finished: 7/24/17
Year: 2013
Pages: 429
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Mickey Haller gets the text 'Call me ASAP-187,' and the California penal code for murder immediately gets his attention. Murder cases have the highest stakes and the biggest paydays. But when Mickey discovers that the victim was a prostitute he once thought he had rescued, he knows there is no way he'll let this one go. The case is suddenly about more than the guilt or innocence of the defendant-it's about finding out what happened to a woman he cared about. Instead of saving her, Mickey might have been the one who put her in danger.
"Now Mickey must follow his gut instinct directly into a dangerous world of intrigue and double-dealing to get justice for both of her clients, living and dead. As he faces the 'gods of guilt'-the jurors who will deliver the ultimate verdict-he's forced to struggle with his personal demons for a shot at his own redemption."
Opinion: I have read several of Connelly's books and this one is similar to the others-good lawyer mystery. There were several little twists that seemed to be added just because. No real rhyme or reason and that was disappointing. Either they should be been developed or just not added-that's the reason for the B. Still an overall decent read.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
The Fall by John Lescroart
Started: 7/6/17
Finished: 7/12/17
Year: 2016
Pages: 425
Genre: Mystery/lawyer/thriller
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "A teenage foster child plummets to her death from the overpass above San Francisco's Stockton tunnel. But did she fall...or was she pushed?
"Homicide inspectors focus their attention on a naïve middle school teacher who is also an advocate for foster children. When elements of his story seem to fall apart, Rebecca Hardy, now an associate at her father's law firm, finds herself drawn into the young man's defense.
"As the case rushes forward to trial. Rebecca and her father, attorney Dismas Hardy, find themselves battling not only an aggressive prosecutor and a disinterested police department, but their own client, who insists on going to trail immediately. And when a dying man's last words cast a surprising new light on the evidence and problems develop with a key witness, Rebecca and Dismas begin to glimpse the intricate web that connects a dead teenage foster child to the complex political and judicial machine that runs San Francisco."
Opinion: This was a great lawyer mystery. The court scenes were not overwhelming as some other authors. The mystery had some very interesting twists and turns-one in particular, I wasn't expecting. I would definitely recommend.
Finished: 7/12/17
Year: 2016
Pages: 425
Genre: Mystery/lawyer/thriller
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "A teenage foster child plummets to her death from the overpass above San Francisco's Stockton tunnel. But did she fall...or was she pushed?
"Homicide inspectors focus their attention on a naïve middle school teacher who is also an advocate for foster children. When elements of his story seem to fall apart, Rebecca Hardy, now an associate at her father's law firm, finds herself drawn into the young man's defense.
"As the case rushes forward to trial. Rebecca and her father, attorney Dismas Hardy, find themselves battling not only an aggressive prosecutor and a disinterested police department, but their own client, who insists on going to trail immediately. And when a dying man's last words cast a surprising new light on the evidence and problems develop with a key witness, Rebecca and Dismas begin to glimpse the intricate web that connects a dead teenage foster child to the complex political and judicial machine that runs San Francisco."
Opinion: This was a great lawyer mystery. The court scenes were not overwhelming as some other authors. The mystery had some very interesting twists and turns-one in particular, I wasn't expecting. I would definitely recommend.
Thursday, July 06, 2017
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Started: 2/2/17
Finished: 7/5/17
Year: 2011
Pages: 849
Genre: Thriller
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. He asks his students to write about an event that changed their lives, and one essay blows him away-a gruesome, harrowing story about the night more than fifty years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a sledgehammer.
"Reading the essay is a watershed moment for Jake, is like-like Harry's, like America's in 1963-turning on a dime. Not much later his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession-to prevent the Kennedy assassination.
"So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson, in a different world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine (where there's Dunning business to conduct), to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in live, every turn is leading eventually, of course, to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore.
"Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying."
Opinion: A different type of thriller from King. This one doesn't deal with rabid dogs or haunted cars. This time it's time traveling and what happens when you change the past. I liked how King incorporated some of the kids from It and made them a part of the story. This was a rather fast-paced book despite it 800+ pages.
Finished: 7/5/17
Year: 2011
Pages: 849
Genre: Thriller
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. He asks his students to write about an event that changed their lives, and one essay blows him away-a gruesome, harrowing story about the night more than fifty years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a sledgehammer.
"Reading the essay is a watershed moment for Jake, is like-like Harry's, like America's in 1963-turning on a dime. Not much later his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession-to prevent the Kennedy assassination.
"So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson, in a different world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine (where there's Dunning business to conduct), to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in live, every turn is leading eventually, of course, to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore.
"Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying."
Opinion: A different type of thriller from King. This one doesn't deal with rabid dogs or haunted cars. This time it's time traveling and what happens when you change the past. I liked how King incorporated some of the kids from It and made them a part of the story. This was a rather fast-paced book despite it 800+ pages.
The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
Started: 6/21/17
Finished: 6/27/17
Year: 2017
Pages: 321
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "Nobody knows that happened to Sarah Cook. The beautiful blond teenager disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her pare0st were brutally murdered in their suburban Ohio home. Her boyfriend, Brad Stockton-black and from the wrong side of the tracks-was convicted of the murders and is now on death row. Though he's maintained his innocence all along, time is running out. His execution is only weeks away when his devoted sister insists she spied Sarah at an area gas station. Willing to try anything, she hires PI Roxane Weary to look at the case and see if she can locate Sarah.
"Brad might be in a bad way, but Roxane isn't doing so hot herself. While she's still reeling from the death of her cop father in the line of duty, her main way of dealing with her grief has been working as little and drinking as much as possible. But Roxane finds herself drawn to the story of Sarah's vanishing act, especially when she links the disappearance to one of her father's unsolved cases involving another teenaged girl.
"The stakes get higher as Roxane discovers that the two girls may not be the only beautiful blond teenagers who've turned up missing or dead. As her investigation gets darker and darker, Roxane will have to risk everything to find the truth. Lives depend on her cracking this case-hers included."
Opinion: An interesting mystery. Some decent plot twists which add to the depth. Some details of Roxane's personal life were not needed and did not add to the story. I would recommend this to any mystery fan.
Finished: 6/27/17
Year: 2017
Pages: 321
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "Nobody knows that happened to Sarah Cook. The beautiful blond teenager disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her pare0st were brutally murdered in their suburban Ohio home. Her boyfriend, Brad Stockton-black and from the wrong side of the tracks-was convicted of the murders and is now on death row. Though he's maintained his innocence all along, time is running out. His execution is only weeks away when his devoted sister insists she spied Sarah at an area gas station. Willing to try anything, she hires PI Roxane Weary to look at the case and see if she can locate Sarah.
"Brad might be in a bad way, but Roxane isn't doing so hot herself. While she's still reeling from the death of her cop father in the line of duty, her main way of dealing with her grief has been working as little and drinking as much as possible. But Roxane finds herself drawn to the story of Sarah's vanishing act, especially when she links the disappearance to one of her father's unsolved cases involving another teenaged girl.
"The stakes get higher as Roxane discovers that the two girls may not be the only beautiful blond teenagers who've turned up missing or dead. As her investigation gets darker and darker, Roxane will have to risk everything to find the truth. Lives depend on her cracking this case-hers included."
Opinion: An interesting mystery. Some decent plot twists which add to the depth. Some details of Roxane's personal life were not needed and did not add to the story. I would recommend this to any mystery fan.
Einstein's Beach House by Jacob Appel
Started: 6/19/17
Finished: 6/21/17
Year: 2014
Pages: 188
Genre: Short Stories
Grade: C
Reason for reading: won book on LibraryThing.com
Blurb: a collection of fictional short stories
Opinion: I'm not an avid reader of short stories but this collection wasn't too bad. One story in particular, I had a hard time distinguishing that it was being told from a female point of view and that bothered me. Overall a decent collection.
Finished: 6/21/17
Year: 2014
Pages: 188
Genre: Short Stories
Grade: C
Reason for reading: won book on LibraryThing.com
Blurb: a collection of fictional short stories
Opinion: I'm not an avid reader of short stories but this collection wasn't too bad. One story in particular, I had a hard time distinguishing that it was being told from a female point of view and that bothered me. Overall a decent collection.
Without Mercy by Jefferson Bass
Started: 6/13/17
Finished: 6/19/17
Year: 2016
Pages: 372
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's latest case proves to be his most bizarre and merciless: A ravaged set of skeletal remains is found scattered in the woods of nearby Cooke County. The victim, a young male under the age of thirty, had been chained, hand and foot , to a tree on a remote mountainside. As Brockton and his longtime graduate assistant, Miranda, dig deeper to establish his identity, they uncover warning signs that long-simmering hatred is about to explode in violence.
"Then, in the middle of the troubling investigation, the unthinkable happens. Sadistic serial killer Nick Satterfield-the most frightening criminal Brockton has ever foiled-escapes from prison, bent on wreaking vengeance. And he's had two decades to prefect his plan.
"Killing Brockton isn't enough. Satterfield wants to make his nemesis suffer first by destroying everything Brockton holds dear: his son, daughter-in-law, grandsons-and even Miranda.
"Desperate to save those he loves, Brockton is torn between the forces that have guided his life and career-the pursuit of justice and the quality of mercy. If he can't reconcile the two, which will Brockton choose in his ultimate moment of truth?"
Opinion: As with the other Body Farm books, this is a great thriller. The story behind the man who was murdered and hung on a tree is an interesting story all within itself. Adding the component of Satterfield adds to it. Definitely well worth the read.
Finished: 6/19/17
Year: 2016
Pages: 372
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton's latest case proves to be his most bizarre and merciless: A ravaged set of skeletal remains is found scattered in the woods of nearby Cooke County. The victim, a young male under the age of thirty, had been chained, hand and foot , to a tree on a remote mountainside. As Brockton and his longtime graduate assistant, Miranda, dig deeper to establish his identity, they uncover warning signs that long-simmering hatred is about to explode in violence.
"Then, in the middle of the troubling investigation, the unthinkable happens. Sadistic serial killer Nick Satterfield-the most frightening criminal Brockton has ever foiled-escapes from prison, bent on wreaking vengeance. And he's had two decades to prefect his plan.
"Killing Brockton isn't enough. Satterfield wants to make his nemesis suffer first by destroying everything Brockton holds dear: his son, daughter-in-law, grandsons-and even Miranda.
"Desperate to save those he loves, Brockton is torn between the forces that have guided his life and career-the pursuit of justice and the quality of mercy. If he can't reconcile the two, which will Brockton choose in his ultimate moment of truth?"
Opinion: As with the other Body Farm books, this is a great thriller. The story behind the man who was murdered and hung on a tree is an interesting story all within itself. Adding the component of Satterfield adds to it. Definitely well worth the read.
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