Grateful by Marnie Olson

Started: 9/20/2022

Finished: 9/25/2022

Year: 2015

Pages: 354

Genre: Mystery/thriller

Grade: C

Reason for reading: review for Reader Views

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Grace Elliott is a grief-stricken woman confronted with ongoing tragedy and loss, whose fantasies of being liberated from her agonizing existence are paralleled by the gruesome tale of the lovelorn Kent Clark. Kent regards himself a hopeless romantic, ceaselessly pursuing his perfect mate. As Kent’s deluded quest for love turns up nothing but bodies, homicide detective Erin Taylor relentlessly pursues the madman, determined to end the massacre. The psychological dance between criminal and crime-fighter, and victim and killer, increases in tempo until Grace is faced with a final, heart-pounding dilemma. Is her wretched life worth fighting for?"

Opinion: a thorough review is posted on Reader Views

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

Started: 9/26/2022

Finished: 9/27/2022

Year: 2021

Pages: 376

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Having entertained the idea for years, and even offered a few questionable opportunities ("It's a piece of cake! Just do 4 hours of interviews, find someone else to write it, put your face on the cover, and voila!") I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I've recorded and can't wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child. 

"This certainly doesn't mean that I'm quitting my day job, but it does give me a place to shed a little light on what it's like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, walking through life while living out the crazy dreams I had as young musician. From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters…the list goes on. I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement."

Opinion: I've been a fan of Dave's since Nirvana. I had the pleasure of seeing him with Foo Fighters (RIP Taylor) after their first album. It was an awesome show and it was before they sold out stadiums. This provided more insight to a very talented musician who is just a fan like I am.

Moments in Time by Tom Locke

Started: 9/18/2022

Finished: 9/19/2022

Year: 2021

Pages: 268

Genre: Music History

Grade: B

Reason for reading: review for Reader Views

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Moments In Time is all about music. This book will put a smile on your face as the author, Tom Locke, takes you back in time to the music of the 50s, 60s, and 70s with entertaining, informative stories about known and forgotten artists and songs. To top it off, Tom has made this book interactive by creating access to the songs featured in each of these stories. One click and you’ll be listening, singing, and dancing.

"These stories will provide you with answers to questions about artists and their songs. How did Tommy James come up with the title for his hit record, “Mony Mony”? Who was the three-time Oscar winner to have a Top 10 record at the age of 67? What motivated Doc Pomus to write “Save The Last Dance For Me”? When did the original version of “Blue Velvet” appear on the music charts? What singer was classified as a two-time “one-hit wonder”?"

"The perfect escape back to yesteryear, these stories will provide insight for both young and old, and perhaps jog your memory about the fun times you experienced because of this era of music, which continues to be embraced today."

Opinion: A thorough review is posted on Reader Views

Into the Forest by Rebecca Frankel

Started: 9/15/2022

Finished: 9/17/2022

Year: 2021

Pages: 275

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "In the summer of 1942, the Rabinowitz family narrowly escaped the Nazi ghetto in their Polish town by fleeing to the forbidding Bialowieza Forest. They miraculously survived two years in the woods―through brutal winters, Typhus outbreaks, and merciless Nazi raids―until they were liberated by the Red Army in 1944. After the war they trekked across the Alps into Italy where they settled as refugees before eventually immigrating to the United States.

"During the first ghetto massacre, Miriam Rabinowitz rescued a young boy named Philip by pretending he was her son. Nearly a decade later, a chance encounter at a wedding in Brooklyn would lead Philip to find the woman who saved him. And to discover her daughter Ruth was the love of his life.

"From a little-known chapter of Holocaust history, one family’s inspiring true story."

Opinion: A lot of us know what happened to the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe when WWII occurred. This is a different story of what happened to some Jewish members in Poland. Still horrible but interesting to read the strong will to survive no matter what happens.

Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni

Started: 9/12/2022

Finished: 9/15/2022

Year: 2015

Pages: 406

Genre: mystery/thriller

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: library book, continuing the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite has returned to the police force after the sensational retrial of her sister’s killer. Still scarred from that ordeal, Tracy is pulled into an investigation that threatens to end her career, if not her life.

"A serial killer known as the Cowboy is killing young women in cheap motels in North Seattle. Even after a stalker leaves a menacing message for Crosswhite, suggesting the killer or a copycat could be targeting her personally, she is charged with bringing the murderer to justice. With clues scarce and more victims dying, Tracy realizes the key to solving the murders may lie in a decade-old homicide investigation that others, including her captain, Johnny Nolasco, would prefer to keep buried. With the Cowboy on the hunt, can Tracy find the evidence to stop him, or will she become his next victim?"

Opinion: Picked up exactly where the first book left off. Great serial killer plot. Definitely continuing on with the series.

New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Starts, Shows, and Songs that Make NYC Rock by Frank Mastropolo

Started: 8/31/2022

Finished: 8/31/2022

Year: 2022

Pages: 208

Genre: History/music

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: review for Reader Views

Type: Paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Where did Elvis record "Hound Dog" and Bill Haley record "Rock Around the Clock"? Where did Dylan play his first major gig? Or the Beatles make their US debut? Where was Hendrix discovered? New York City, where rock history has been made on the street corners of Harlem, the coffee houses of Greenwich Village, and the city's clubs, theaters, studios, and arenas.

"NEW YORK GROOVE: AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE STARS, SHOWS, AND SONGS THAT MAKE NYC ROCK tells more than 200 of the inside stories of the musicians who came together in Manhattan to make rock history from the 1950s to today. Go behind the scenes of New York's legendary gigs at Fillmore East, Madison Square Garden, the Bottom Line, Central Park, and the Apollo Theater. Discover how the iconic songs written about New York were produced. And visit rock's landmark recording studios, record shops, and radio stations. Artist interviews and more than 200 archival and performance photos, posters, albums, buttons, and memorabilia bring rock history to life in this comprehensive work."

Opinion: A thorough review is on Reader Views

The Homecoming by A. R. O'Brien

Started: 9/9/2022

Finished: DNF

Year: 2022

Pages: 353

Genre: romantic suspense

Grade: F

Reason for reading: librarything Early Reviewers giveaway

Type: trade paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Suffocating under the strict hand of her father and his cult-like family dynamic, Brooke Reynolds still dares to dream of one day finding a safe place to call home. Knowing she has basically been sold to a man who has been obsessed with her for years, Brooke is desperate to get out and create a new life for herself before it's too late.

"The Homecoming follows Brooke as she strikes out on her own with what little she has in the world. This story defines the journey of a girl lost in a world she is incapable of understanding until one person reaches out a hand to show her kindness. Realizing that not everyone is hard and heartless, may change the way she sees the world. A local, loving family gives her a second chance for friendship and a new life, but Brooke doesn't trust that she's worthy of anyone's kindness and may not be able to accept it as reality. Her feelings and powerful attraction to the handsome but infuriating Cole Burton, aren't helpful. Neither is the persistence of her stalker, a man who believes she belongs to him in the eyes of God. The author hopes that every reader thinks of that one person who took the time to show them that they matter. For those of you who haven`t yet met that person, never give up hope and faith that there is someone out there that cares deeply about you and can truly see your soul."

Opinion: First, the font is beyond small. If it was normal font, I would have made it to my 100 page determination mark. There are also a lot of time issues and grammar mistakes (and I know that I'm not perfect when it comes to grammar so when I see something, it's glaring).  There wasn't a lot about Brooke's background of how she grew up which would have added a lot to her character. Overall, not worth my time when I have several hundred books at home to read.

The Neighborhood by Matthew Betley

Started: 9/5/2022

Finished: 9/8/2022

Year: 2002

Pages: 285

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "What happens when your neighborhood harbors a secret so destructive that dangerous men are willing to kill for it?

Welcome to Hidden Refuge, a normal American subdivision full of normal American suburbanites. At least that's what the citizens thought before men impersonating police officers show up on their doorsteps in the middle of the night. Once the entire community is under siege, so begins a long, dark night that will prove to be anything but ordinary.

But Zack Chambers, suburban family man and programmer by trade, has his own secret. One he had dearly hoped that he’d never need to use again. The deadly ex–CIA agent and trained operative plots to take back the night, doing whatever it takes to protect his neighborhood.

In the face of a small army of trained killers, he's got his wits, his babysitter, his equally lethal brother, and a ragtag group of neighbors willing to help.

Action-packed and relentless with twists and turns and old scores to be settled, this propulsive and brilliantly plotted can't-miss thriller brings a shocking end you won't see coming. Fans of Matthew Betley’s trademark blend of gritty realism and edge-of-your-seat action will be delighted."

Opinion: I'm not usually a reader of military suspense novels but this one was good-plus it helped that Zack was a former agent. Lots of action and an interesting twist.

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

Started: 8/31/2022

Finished: 9/4/2022

Year: 2014

Pages: 402

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: library book

Type: Paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the facts surrounding her sister Sarah’s disappearance and the murder trial that followed. She doesn’t believe that Edmund House―a convicted rapist and the man condemned for Sarah’s murder―is the guilty party. Motivated by the opportunity to obtain real justice, Tracy became a homicide detective with the Seattle PD and dedicated her life to tracking down killers.

"When Sarah’s remains are finally discovered near their hometown in the northern Cascade mountains of Washington State, Tracy is determined to get the answers she’s been seeking. As she searches for the real killer, she unearths dark, long-kept secrets that will forever change her relationship to her past―and open the door to deadly danger."

Opinion: A new to me mystery series...and I will be getting the next ones in the series. Tracy is a great character and I want to see what's next for her. Overall a suspenseful mystery with a great twist.