No Way to Treat a Child by Naomi Schaefer Riley

Started: 7/12/2026

Finished: DNF

Year: 2021

Pages: 205

Genre: non fiction-foster care system/child welfare

Grade: F

Reason for reading: won it through Goodreads.com giveaway

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Kids in danger are treated instrumentally to promote the rehabilitation of their parents, the welfare of their communities, and the social justice of their race and tribe—all with the inevitable result that their most precious developmental years are lost in bureaucratic and judicial red tape. It is time to stop letting efforts to fix the child welfare system get derailed by activists who are concerned with race-matching, blood ties, and the abstract demands of social justice, and start asking the most important question: Where are the emotionally and financially stable, loving, and permanent homes where these kids can thrive?"

Opinion: The author is a journalist-never actually worked in the child welfare system. I have worked in it and yes it is FAR from perfect but how about you actually work it and come up with something better?

On Thin Icing by Ellie Alexander

Started: 7/10/2026

Finished: 7/12/2026

Year: 2016

Pages: 270

Genre: cozy mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists-and fewer customers-for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up...until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.

"Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop-and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake-Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit...and make sure he gets his just desserts."

Opinion: Interesting off the main stage mystery. Not sure if I'm liking Carlos showing up.

Murder at an Irish Wedding by Carlene O'Connor

Started: 7/10/2026

Finished: DNF

Year: 2017

Pages 308

Genre: mystery

Grade: F

Reason for reading: library book, continuing series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Any wedding is a big deal in the small village of Kilbane—even more so when the bride is a famous fashion model. It’s also good for business. Not only has customer traffic picked up at Naomi’s Bistro, Siobhán O’Sullivan and her five siblings have a full plate catering for thet hree-day affair. And Siobhán’s own beau, local garda Macdara Flannery, gladly steps in as best man after the groom’s first choice makes a drunken arse out of himself,

"Even if he hadn’t been disinvited to the wedding, the original best man wouldn’t have been able to show. He’s been found murdered in the woods, casting a pall over the nuptials. And when a second member of the wedding party is poisoned by a champagne flute engraved with Macdara’s name, the garda goes from being best man to prime suspect.

"With a killer at large and a string of robberies plaguing Kilbane, Siobhán feels more than a little protective of her village. She vows to clear Macdara’s name, but the suspect list is as long as the guest list. Like the bride walking down the aisle, Siobhán needs to watch her step. For as she gets closer to unveiling the truth, the murderer is planning a very chilly reception for her . . ."

Opinion: Not sure why I borrowed this one considering I really didn't like the first one...didn't last long reading it. Not worth my time when I have so many other books to read

Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Started: July 3, 2026

Finished: July 10, 2026

Year: 2021

Pages: 351

Genre: fantasy

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "“Greetings, Crawlers! The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin.”

"The aliens have come, and they’ve transformed Earth into a multilevel, video game–like dungeon. It’s the newest season of the galaxy’s most watched game show, Dungeon Crawler World. Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the charts. Viewers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with: Quests.

"They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time?

"And can Carl finally find some pants?"

Opinion: Not as good as the first book-too much outside the dungeon interference. Stil and entertaining read.

The Bachman Books by Stephen King

Started: 6/20/2026

Finished: 7/3/2026

Year: 1982

Pages: 692

Genre: short stories

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "collection of four of Stephen King's earliest novels: "Rage", "The Long Walk", "Roadwork", and "The Running Man"."

Opinion: As with any short story collection, some I liked more than others. Overall, King has some issues ;)

The Pirate King by Sean Kingsley and Rex Cowan

Started: 6/16/2026

Finished: DNF

Year: 2024

Pages: 213

Genre: pirate history

Grade: D

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hard cover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery’s adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost.

"What happened to the notorious Avery has been pirate history’s most baffling cold case for centuries. Now, in a remote archive, a coded letter written by "Avery the Pirate" himself, years after he disappeared, reveals a stunning truth. He was a pirate that came in from the cold . . ."

Opinion: I just ended up not being interested so I stopped. It wasn't poorly written and the overall topic wasn't not interesting.

Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Cornwell

Started: 6/11/2026

Finished: 6/14/2026

Year: 1997

Pages: 338

Genre: Mystery/thriller

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, continuing with series

Type: Hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Returning home from Ireland, where she had been called in to examine the remains of a murder victim whose body was marked by the signature of a cunning serial killer, medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is shocked when another body turns up, this time in a Virginia landfill."

Opinion: Interesting plot...ending was too solved and came out of nowhere.

Pirate's Love by David M. Carner

Started: 6/7/2026

Finished: 6/10/2026

Year: 2026

Pages: 341

Genre: pirates, romance, thriller

Grade: B

Reason for reading: birthday present from my friend

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "When Anne Kingsley is taken—again—Captain Aaden Crowe is thrust back into a relentless fight against time, power, and the ghosts of his past. What begins as a desperate rescue quickly spirals into something far more dangerous, as enemies close in from all sides and old alliances begin to fracture.

"But this time, the stakes are higher.

"A powerful Spanish prince has entered the game—one with ambition far beyond a single capture—and a weapon capable of reshaping the balance of power across the seas. As Aaden races to find Anne, betrayal cuts deeper than ever before, forcing him to question not only who he can trust… but how far he’s willing to go.

"Across storm-torn waters and into the heart of enemy territory, Aaden and his crew must face impossible odds, devastating loss, and a truth neither of them can escape."

Opinion: I had read the first book with these characters years ago and one character has always lingered in my head. It is helpful to read the first book but there is enough information throughout the book that gives readers the background of these characters. Lots of suspenseful action. Felt a little like bits of The Princess Bride in parts. Definitely an enjoyable read.

Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade

Started: 6/1/2026

Finished: 6/6/2026

Year: 2024

Pages: 228

Genre: mystery

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Police Chief Jeep Mullane has been bounced back home to Long Island’s North Shore by a heartbreaking case that both earned him his NYPD detective’s shield and burned him out of the Job. Now heading up a small local police department, he finds himself navigating the same geography he did growing up there as the son of an NYPD cop. Jeep is a “have-not” among the glittering “haves,” a sharp-witted, down-to-earth man in a territory defined and ruled by multigenerational wealth and power and the daunting tribal codes and customs that come with it.

"When the corpse of Jeep’s childhood friend Johnny Chambliss―born into privilege and known as “Johnny Careless” for his reckless, golden-boy antics―surfaces in the Bayville waters, past collides with present, and Jeep is pulled into a treacherous web. He is challenged by Johnny’s wealthy and secretive family and his beautiful, enigmatic ex-wife as he untangles a knotted mystery fraught with theft, corrupt local moguls, and decades-old secrets, all while grappling with his own deep-seated grief for his lost pal."

Opinion: Not a fan of the whole going back and forth in time with almost each chapter but the overall story was good.