A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Started 9/21/16
Finished: 10/16/16
Year: 1996
Pages: 807
Genre: fantasy
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from Dave
Blurb (from back cover): "In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of thw Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones."
Opinion: I was curious what the hype was about and an ex had suggested that I would enjoy them several years ago. Definitely a lot of characters to try to keep track of but I didn't feel overwhelmed by it. Interesting enough for me to continue with the series and probably check out the TV show when time allows.

The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles

Started: 10/2015
Finished: 9/22/16
Year: 2009
Pages: 707
Genre: Mystery/suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Penn Cage was elected mayor of Natchez, Mississippi-the hometown he returned to after the death of his wife-on a tide of support for change. Two years into his term, casino gambling has proved a sure bet for bringing new jobs and fresh money to this fading jewel of the Old South. But deep inside the Magnolia Queen, a fantastical repurposed steamboat, a depraved hidden world draws high-stakes players with money to burn on their unquenchable taste for blood sport and the dark views that go with it. When an old high school friends hands him blood-chilling evidence, Penn alone must beat the odds tracking a sophisticated killer who counters his every move, placing those nearest to him-including his young daughter, his renowned physician father, and a lover from the past-in grave danger, and all at the risk of jeopardizing forever the town he loves."
Opinion: It took some time for me to get into the book....then I couldn't put it down.......then the blood sport details hit and put me in a hard place. Overall it is a great book-great story, great plot, constant action. But, I was not a fan of the blood sporting.

Brooklyn on Fire by Lawrence H. Levy

Started: 8/17/16
Finished: 9/8/16
Year: 2016
Pages: 337
Genre: mystery
Grade: D
Reason for reading: review for Library Thing
Blurb (from back cover): "After closing a case with the Brooklyn Police Department, Mary Handley is determined to become an official detective in her own right And when Emily Worsham shows up at her new office-convinced her uncle John Worsham was murdered-Mary's second assignment begins.
"As she investigates the curious circumstances surrounding John's death, Mary soon finds herself entangled in a high-stakes family scandal, a series of interconnected murders, political corruption, untrustworthy sources, and an unexpected romance with a central member of New York's elite.
"Featuring historic figures like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and the Vanderbilt Family Brooklyn on Fire takes Mary on a wild journey from New York City to North Carolina not only to uncover the truth of one man's death, but to unravel the mystery of three murders-with links tied perilously close to her own life."
Opinion: What started out as a great plot idea and story line, just turned into rubbish. I could care less about Mary Handley's character or any of the characters in this book. Only rated it a D since I finished the book even though I did not want to. If you're a New York City history buff and a mystery fan, you MIGHT enjoy this.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Started: 7/14/16
Finished: 9/2/16
Year: 2016
Pages: 340
Genre: suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for Library Thing
Blurb (from inside cover): "'Are you happy with your life?' Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
"Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
"Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, 'Welcome, back, my friend.'
"In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
"Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back tot he family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could have imagined-one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe."
Opinion: It started off slow but quickly evolved into a great story. A great plot line with some interesting twists. A must read for any fan of suspense and thrillers. Same author as Wayward Pines which was turned into a great TV series.

I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillan

Started: 8/4/16
Finished: 8/14/16
Year: 2016
Pages: 355
Genre: Romance
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for Library Thing
Blurb: Georgia has been married a couple of times and decides to go search for the men that she loved and let them know how much they had meant to her-not in a way of trying to get them back but as a thank you for being a part of her life.
Review: Terry McMillan does it again with another book that makes readers feel for the characters and has the characters do what most of us have thought about doing in our lives. She's able to build a strong female character who eventually finds the true love of their life. There is humor, serious issues, and romance throughout the story. Another solid read by McMillan

The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson

Started: 7/26/16
Finished: 8/3/16
Year: 2016
Genre: Literature
Grade: C-
Reason for reading: review for Library Thing
Blurb (from back cover): "Ben Jones lives a quiet life working as a trucker in a beautiful and desolate region of the Utah desert, which has become a haven for fugitives and others looking to hide from the world. But when he meets Claire, a mysterious woman playing a cello in an abandoned housing development, he is drawn into a love affair that has serious and life-threatening consequences, not only for both of them bur for others who have made this desert their sanctuary. Their passion reignites a decades-old tragedy at a roadside cafe known by the locals as The Never-Open Desert Diner, embracing Ben in the aftermath of a horrific crime that threatens to destroy everything that matters to him. In this remarkable story of love and loss, Ben learns the enduring truth that some violent crimes renew themselves across generations.
Review: This story is very slow at the beginning. I did not care about Ben or his life. It didn't start picking up until almost the end of the book. Why I stuck to it, I don't know why.  The reason why I gave it a C- was because it did pick up. The story did become interesting.

Host by Robin Cook

Started: 7/24/16
Finished: 7/26/16
Year: 2015
Pages: 448
Genre: medical mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: for fun
Blurb (inside page): "Lynn Pierce, a fourth-year medical student at South Carolina's Mason-Dixon University, thinks she has everything figured out. But when her otherwise healthy boyfriend, Carl, fails to return to consciousness after a routine surgery, her neatly ordered life is thrown into total chaos.
"Convinced there's more to the story than what the authorities are willing to reveal, Lynn attempts to hunt down evidence of medical error or malpractice.
"What she uncovers, however, is far more disturbing. Hospitals that are associated with Middleton Healthcare have unnervingly high rates of unexplained anesthetic complications and serious and terminal illness contracted in the wake of routine hospital admissions. Lynn soon enters a desperate race against time for answers before shadowy forces behind Middleton Healthcare and its partner, Sidereal Pharmaceuticals, can put a stop to her efforts once and for all."
Review: A decent medical mystery. Haven't read a book by Cook in a while and it was right in line with the rest of his others.

See Also Deception: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery by Larry D. Sweazy

Started: 7/16/16
Finished: 7/21/16
Year: 2016
Pages: 237
Genre: Literature
Grade: B-
Blurb (from back cover): "Just months after freelance indexer Marjorie Trumaine helped solve a series of murders in Dickinson, ND, she is faced with another death that pulls her into an unwanted investigation. Calla Eltmore the local librarian, is found dead at work and everyone considers it suicide. But Marjorie can't believe that Calla would be capable of doing such a thing, Marjorie's suspicions are further aroused when she notices something amiss at Calla's wake, but the police seem uninterested in her observations.
"Despite pressing job commitments and the burden of caring for a husband in declining health, Marjorie sets out to uncover the truth. What she finds is a labyrinth of secrets-and threats from someone who will kill to keep these secrets hidden."
Review: An interesting murder mystery that has a small twist that makes it unrealistic that the police wouldn't have noticed it. It had an interesting whodunit that I didn't think as a suspect but in thinking back, I could have seen it. Overall a decent murder mystery.

Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell

Started: 12/2015
Finished: 7/13/16
Year: 2014
Pages: 369
Genre: mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for Myshelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Dr. Kay Scarpetta is about to head to Miami for a vacation when she notices seven pennies on a wall behind their home. Is this a kids' game? If so, why are all of the coins dated 1981 and so shiny they could be newly minted? Then she learns there's a been a homicide five minutes away. A high school teacher was shot with uncanny precision as he unloaded groceries from his car. Yet no one heard or saw a thing.
"Soon more victims surface. The shots seem impossible to achieve, yet they are so perfect they cause death in an instant. There is no pattern to indicate where the killer will striker next. First it was New Jersey, then Massachusetts, and then the murky depths off the coast. There she comes face-to-face with shocking news that implicates her niece, Lucy-Scarpetta's own flesh and blood."
Review: Still hard for me to believe that Cornwell can continue with the consistancy of Scarpetta's character. This novel follows right in line with the rest and feels like an old friend came to visit. Another well crafted novel

If You Left by Ashley Prentice Norton

Started: 7/1/16
Finished: 7/7/16
Year: 2016
Pages: 241
Genre: literature
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "For most of their union, Althea has fluctuated between depressive and manic states-what she calls the Tombs and the Visions-and Oliver has been the steady hand. This summer, Althea decides that she will be different. She'll bring their nine-year-old daughter, Clem, to their East Hampton home once school is out-with no 'summer girl' to care for her this time-and become the loving, sexy wife Oliver wants, and the reliable, affectionate mother Clem deserves. but Oliver is distant and controlling, and Clem has learned to be self-sufficient, and getting to know her now feels like very hard work. Into this scene enters the much younger, David Foster Wallace-reading house painter, who reaches something in Althea that has been long buried."
Review: Not a bad characterization of someone with one form of Bipolar. Some sexual contact that some might view as not appealing. Overall a quick and fun read.

Haunted America by Armchair Reader

Started:  October 2015
Finished: 7/5/16
Year: 2011
Pages: 481
Genre: paranormal
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: for fun
Blurb (from the back cover): "...In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a woman in California and the paranormal investigators who tried to help her were stalked by the angry spirit of a murdered sailor.
"Many old hotels are haunted, but few house as many spectral celebrities as the Chelsea Hotel in New York City, which is the eternal haunt of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and punk-rock icon Sid Vicious, among others.
"A doll known as 'Annabelle' was possessed by a demonic entity in the 1970s. The doll changed positions on its own and even attacked a young man. It now resides in a museum of the occult in Connecticut.
"In the late 1890s, the ghost of Zona Heaster Shue appeared to her mother to identify her husband as her killer. It was the first-and perhaps only-case in which the testimony of a ghost led to a murder conviction."
Review: As a fan of the paranormal, I enjoyed the short blurbs about several different places in the United States of America. Some blurbs mention the more public haunts that were featured on paranormal investigation TV shows which made me think back to the episodes. Overall, enjoyable.

Quick Walk to Murder by jd daniels

Started: 6/27/16
Finished: 6/30/16
Year: 2015
Pages: 217
Genre: mystery
Grade: D
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Gifted college student, Tomas Moore, is the son of a crusty Pine Island crab fisherman and a Mexican homemaker who often seeks psychic guidance. When the young man is found murdered, his parents and the locals fear the law will not place a high priority on solving his death.
It is up to Jessie Murphy to find the killer. Is it another crabber? A rejected lover? His rich girlfriend? Her brother? Two cagey fisherman? Or, his college roommate?
Ties that bind. Rivalries of the heart. Threat of collapse to an island's livelihood. as Jessie tries to unravel the mystery of this promising young islander's murder she finds herself in a heart-stopping race against time in which honesty and love are tested, greed is rampant, and no one-including Jessie-is safe."
Review: Waste of time. No character development. No solid plot or good plot twists. Just blah

Second Chance by David M. Carner

Started: 4/24/16
Finished: 4/25/16
Year: 2016
Pages: 402
Genre: Literature
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: edit for friend
Blurb (taken from book): Who doesn't want a second chance? To fix something in your past that could possibly make your life easier today. Well, mega movie star Cameron Rock didn't think he needed one until a fatal mistake was made that could cripple his film career forever. And just when things couldn't get worse, he is involved in a horrible car accident leaving him with amnesia. Now, without knowing a single clue of who he truly is or the people in his life that he hurt, Cameron has to rebuild himself and ask the question if he truly has the stomach to accept the man that he once was or continue with his new self.
Review: Another outstanding book by Carner. Carner is able to write in different genres. This one is one of fiction. The characterization of Cameron Rock is key. The switches that Cameron's personality goes through is very well written and stays true to the overall character that Cameron is. Cameron reminds me of anyone that has gone through something traumatic-whether physical or emotional-and how we can have our personalities change.

The Case of Lisandra P. by Helene Gremillon translated by Alison Anderson

Started: 1/20/16
Finished: 1/23/16
Year: 2016
Pages: 292
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Buenos Aires, 1987. When a beautiful young woman named Lisandra is found dead at the foot of a six-story building, her husband, a psyschoanalyst, is immediately arrested for her murder. Convinced of Vittorio's innocence, one of his patients, Eva Maria, is drawn into the investigation seemingly by chance. As she combs through secret recordings of Vittorio's therapy sessions in search of the killer-could it be the powerful government figure? the jealous woman? the musician who's lost his reason to live? -Eva Maria must confront her most painful memories, and some of the darkest moments in Argentinian history."
Opinion: After struggling with the beginning of how the story was being told, I enjoyed this mystery. It had a good plot twist near the end that I didn't see coming. Some strong sexual content that isn't for the light hearted.

Relentless by Dean Koontz

Started: 11/16/14
Finished: 12/22/14
Year: 2009
Pages: 356
Genre: mystery/suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from my mom
Blurb (from book jacket): "Bestselling novelist Cullen 'Cubby' Greenwich is a lucky man and he knows it. He makes a handsome living doing what he enjoys. His wife, Penny, a children's book author and illustrator, is the love of his life. Together they have a brilliant six-year-old, Milo, affectionately dubbed 'Spooky,' and a non-collie named Lassie, who's all but part of the family.
"So Cubby knows he shouldn't let one bad review of his otherwise triumphant new book get to him-even if it does appear in the nation's premier newspaper and is penned by the much-feared, seldom-seen critic Shearman Waxx. Cubby knows that the best thing to do is ignore the gratuitously vicious, insulting, and inaccurate comments. Penny knows it; even little Milo knows it. If Lassie could talk, she'd tell Cubby to ignore them, too.
"Ignore Shearman Waxx and his poison pen is just what Cubby intends to do. Until he happens to learn where the great man is taking his lunch. Cubby just wants to get a look a the mysterious recluse whose mere opinion can make or break a career-or a life.
"But Shearman Waxx isn't what Cubby expects, and neither is the escalating terror that follows what seemed to be an innocent encounter. For Waxx gives criticism; he doesn't take it. He has ways of dealing with those who cross him that Cubby is only beginning to fathom. Soon Cubby finds himself in a desperate struggle with a relentless sociopath, facing an inexorable assault on far more than his life.
Opinion: Makes me wonder if Koontz ever had such a bad review that he wanted revenge against the critic. There was more humor mixed in with the suspense. Overall, an enjoyable book.

The Information by Martin Amis

Started: 10/28/14
Finished: DNF
Year: 1995
Pages: 374
Genre: fiction
Grade: F
Reason for reading: Booksfree.com book
Blurb: Novelists go after each other
Opinion: I just could not get into this book about revenge and trying to destroy another person's career and life.

The Cat Sitter's Nine Lives by Blaize and John Clement

Started: 9/1/14
Finished: 9/1/14
Year: 2014
Pages: 305
Genre: Cozy mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from library
Blurb (from book jacket): "While driving along the beachside road that runs through the center of her hometown, Dixie witnesses a terrible head-on collision. Ever the hero, she springs into action and pulls one of the drivers from his car just before it explodes in flames. A little shaken but none the worse for wear, Dixie proceeds to her local bookstore, where she meets Cosmo, a fluffy orange, tomcat, and Mr. Hoskins, the store's kind by strangely befuddled owner. The next day the driver whose life she saved claims that he is Dixie's husband.
"Meanwhile, both Cosmo and Mr. Hoskins  have disappeared without a trace, and a mysterious phone call from a new client lures Dixie to a crumbling, abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town. Soon she finds herself locked in a riddle of deception, revenger, murder, and mystery.
Opinion: A good cozy that is all wrapped up at the end. Everything and everyone is connected.

A Dancer in the Dust by Thomas H. Cook

Started: 8/28/14
Finished: 9/1/14
Year: 2014
Pages: 308
Genre: mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from library
Blurb (from book jacket): "Twenty years ago, Ray Campbell, now a cautious risk-management consultant, was an aid worker dedicated to improving conditions on Lubanda, a newly independent African country. He is forced to reconsider that year of living dangerously when a friend from his time in Lubanda is found murdered in a New York ally. Marks on this man's body suggest that his murder is connected to the tragic death of Martine Aubert decades ago. She was the only woman Ray ever truly loved, and he sealed her fate in a moment of grievous error.
"Martine Aubert was a white, native Lubandan farmer whose dream for her homeland starkly conflicted with those charged with its so-called development. And Ray's failure to understand Martine's commitment to her country had placed a noose around her neck, one tightened by a circle of vicious men.
"Now as Ray returns to Lubanda to investigate the cause of his friend's murder, he also returns to the passion he'd once felt for Martine-and vows, in her memory, to rectify his wrongs."
Opinion: It amazes me how different each novel is by Cook. This is another one with strong characters and an interesting plot.

Blossum Street Brides by Debbie Macomber

Started: 8/9/14
Finished: 8/28/14
Year: 2014
Pages: 318
Genre: Romance
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: borrowed from library
Blurb (from book jacket): "Lauren Elliott has waited years for her long-term boyfriend, Todd, to propose, yet he seems more focused on his career than their relationship. When Lauren learns that her younger sister is pregnant before she herself even has an engagement ring, she feels overjoyed yet disheartened. Knowing she can't put her future on hold, Lauren prepares to make a bold choice-one that leads her to a man she never dreamed she'd meet.
"Newly married to her second husband, Max, Bethanne Scranton is blissfully in love. But with Max's job in California and Bethanne's in Seattle, their long-distance marriage is becoming difficult to maintain. To complicate matters, Bethanne's cunning ex will do anything to win her back.
"Lydia Goetz, too, is wonderfully happy with her husband, Brad, though lately she worries about the future of A Good Yarn. As she considers how to bring in business, she discovers that someone has beaten her to the punch. Baskets of yarn are mysteriously popping up all over the town, with instructions to knit a scarf for charity and bring it into Lydia's store. Never before has her shop received so much attention, but who hatched this brilliant plan?
"As three women's lives intersect in unexpected ways, Lydia, Lauren, and Bethanne realize that love heals every heart, and the best surprises stilly lay ahead."
Opinion: A touching and predictable romance. Sweet connections between characters.

Nine Lives to Die by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown

Started 8/2/14
Finished: 8/6/14
Year: 2014
Pages: 248
Genre: mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: borrowed from the library
Blurb (from book jacket): "Winter has come to Crozet, VA bringing with it a fresh blanket of snow. Harry and her husband, Fair, are hip deep in their usual end-of-the-year activities: distributing food to needy residents, and shopping for outfits for the Silver Linings youth organization's annual fundraising gala. But buried beneath the white stuff are dark secrets from Crozet's past-and Harry and her posse of pet detectives are determined to sniff them out.
"Two Silver Linings mentors have been found dead in suspicious circumstances. If that weren't enough to chill the bones of the locals, a pair of severed human fingers has turned up in a pencil jar in the bookkeeper's office at St. Cyril's church. What does this grisly display have to do with the mysterious disappearance of Harry's voluptuous high school Latin teacher, a quarter of a century ago? Maybe nothing. But when the animals make another gruesome discovery in the woods behind Harry's farm, it becomes clear that terrible crimes have been committed in Crozet-and somebody's gone to great lengths to cover them up. It's time to stop shoveling snow and start digging for clues.
Opinion: A typical fun Rita Mae Brown book. The animals' antics always crack me up.