D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton

Started: 9/12/18
Finished: 9/17/18
Year: 1990 (this edition)
Pages: 229
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: Alphabet title bookring, reread
Blurb (from back cover): "It was late October, the day before Halloween. He introduced himself as Alvin Limardo, which wasn't his real name.
"The job he hired Kinsey to do seemed simple enough...until his cheque bounced.
"By the time she caught up with him he was dead and Kinsey had collected far more than shed bargained for..."
Opinion: A slightly different twist to this mystery series. Lots of motives, lots of suspects. I'm glad that I'm reading the series in order including rereading the ones that I've read years ago.

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

Started: 8/23/18
Finished: 9/6/18
Year: 1990 (this edition)
Pages: 243
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: reread, part of a bookring through Bookcrossing.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Kinsey met Bobby Callahan in the gym on Monday morning. By Thursday, he was dead.
"He was convinced someone was trying to kill him and it turned out to be true, but no one figured it out in time to save him.
"Kinsey had never worked for a dead man before and hoped she wouldn't have to again. This report was for him…"
Opinion: This book shows a more raw characterization of Kinsey. And as much as I enjoyed it, it didn't seem normal. I had remembered parts of this book when I reread it years prior but it had been long enough that I didn't remember whodunit. Several people could have been the one to arranged the murder which adds to the solid mystery.

Finders Keepers by Stephen King

Started: 7/24/18
Finished: 8/31/18
Year: 2015
Pages: 525
Genre: Suspense
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf, saving for Author Alphabet ring
Blurb (from back cover): "'Wake up, Genius.' So commands deranged fan Morris Bellamy to iconic author John Rothstein, who once created the famous character Jimmy Gold and hasn't released anything since. Morris is livid, not just because his favorite writer has stopped publishing, but because Jimmy Gold ended up as a sellout. Morris kills his idol and empties his safe of cash, but the real haul is a collection of notebooks containing John Rothstein's unpublished work...including at least one more Jimmy Gold novel. Morris hides everything away before being locked up for another horrific crime. But upon Morris's release thirty-five years later, he's about to discover that teenager Peter Saubers has already found the stolen treasure-and no one but former police detective Bill Hodges, along with his trusted associates Holly Gibney and Jerome Robinson, stands in the way of his vengeance…"
Opinion: What is it with Stephen King writing characters about crazed fans of authors? Similar to the craziness of Misery but takes it to a different level. Some good levels of suspense and hard to stop reading.

Let Go of Emotional Overeating and Love Your Food by Arlene B. Englander

Started: 8/19/18
Finished: 8/27/18
Year: 2018
Pages: 169
Genre: Self-Help
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "Readers will learn how to become aware of the difference between eating in a healthy way and eating emotionally-neither to satisfy hunger nor for enjoyment, but in a desperate attempt to distract oneself from painful thoughts and feelings. Diets don't work for people who eat through their emotions. Instead, learning to recognize the stressors that lead to emotional eating and to address those tensions through other methods besides eating is the goal. When we handle stress well away from the table, we're free to relax and savor out food when we choose to eat. proven techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are presented in an innovative, easy-to-remember way. Learning to eat mindfully, for health and enjoyment, becomes the goal, and Arlene B. Englander walks readers through table techniques designed to make mindful eating easier, habitual, and ultimately second nature.
"Allowing for both fun food and health foods, Englander's approach emphasizes eating healthfully and being aware of best practices and the behavioral objectives of coping with stress, exercising regularly, mindful eating, good nutrition and hydration, and controlling overeating situations. She addresses late-night eating, parties, vacations, and other situations where overindulging may be a risk. She concludes with a prescription that is meant to last so that readers can love their food for a lifetime."
Opinion: This is a straight forward look and approach to emotional eating. It isn't a diet plan and it isn't meant to be. A more complete review will be posted on MyShelf.com.

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

Started: 7/24/18
Finished: 8/20/18
Year: 1986 (this edition 2007)
Pages: 363
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: reread, part of a book spiral on Bookcrossing.com
Blurb (from back cover): There was nothing about Beverly Danziger to cause Kinsey concern. She was looking for her sister. There was a will to be settled. She paid up front. And if it seemed a lot of money for a routine job, Kinsey wasn't going to argue.
"She kicked herself later for the things she didn't see-Beverly Danziger did not look as if she needed a few thousand dollars and she didn't seem like someone longing for a family reunion. But just as Kinsey begins to suspect foul play and start asking questions, Beverly Danziger pulls her off the case and fires her..."
Opinion: In rereading the series in order, it is nice to see Kinsey's character development. The plot for this book was a good one with a good plot twist at the end.

Great American Ghost Stories Volume Two Edited by Frank D. McSherrry, Jr., Charles G. Waugh and Martin H. Greenberg

Started: 8/4/18
Finished: 8/18/18
Year: 1991
Pages: 257
Genre: Horror
Grade: C
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "America...home of the free, the brave, and the haunted...Take a chilling cross-country tour with America's most acclaimed storytellers...
"Madness in Maine-everyone knows cats have nine lives...but what if each one is a little bigger and meaner than the one before?
Cold fear in California-it was prime California real estate. Real cheap, real scenic...real weird.
"Mayhem in Massachusetts-if you try to rationalize a psychic flow of unearthly voices...you might drown in your own logic.
"Omens in Ohio-never leave the window open...when there's a corpse in the house."
Opinion: Not the worst collection of short stories but definitely could be better. I only recognized one author's name.

Probable Claws by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown

Started: 7/8/18
Finished: 8/2/18
Year: 2018
Pages: 319
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B-
Reason for reading: review for LibraryThing.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "With the New Year just around the corner, winter has transformed the cozy Blue Ridge Mountain community of Crozet, Virginia, into a living snow globe. It's the perfect setting for Mary Minor 'Harry' Haristeen to build a new work shed designed by her dear friend, local architect Gary Gardner. But the natural serenity is shattered when out of the blue, right in front of Harry and Deputy Cynthia Cooper, and in broad daylight, Gary is shot to death by a masked motorcyclist.
"Outraged by the brazen murder, Harry begins to burrow into her fiend's past-and unearths a pattern of destructive greed reaching gar back into Virginia's post-Revolutionary history When Harry finds incriminating evidence, the killer strikes again.
"Heedless of her own safety, Harry follows a trail of clues to a construction site in Richmond, where the discovery of mysterious remains has recently haltered work. Aided as always by her loyal, if opinionated, companions, crime-solving cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and Tee Tucker the Corgi, Harry hunts for a link between the decades-old dead, the recently violently deceased-and ancient secrets that underlie everything. And while other deaths are narrowly averted in a flurry of fur, the killer remains at large-ever more desperate and dangerous. the deep-rooted legacy of corruption that's been exposed can never be buried again. But if Harry keeps pursuing the terrible truth, she may be digging her own grave.
Opinion: I usually enjoy Brown's books that involve the cats and dogs. This one I'm on the fence about because within the present day story, there is a back story that never seems to fit. The antics of Mrs. Murphy, Pewter and Tucker are great like always and they continue to play an important part of the story. The present day mystery is a decent one but the ending seemed rushed and out of character for Harry. If you have been a fan of Brown's other books in this series, I would pick up a copy of this but be forewarned that I did not think that it was as good as some previous ones in the series.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Started: 7/5/18
Finished: 7/24/18
Year: 2003
Pages: 390
Genre: historical
Grade: A
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR pile
Blurb (from back cover): "Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life. Erik Larson's spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men-the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America's place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction."
Opinion: This is one of the better nonfiction novels that I have read. It reads like a good fiction novel with twists.  It was the winner of the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and I can see why. The develop of Chicago for the World's Fair could be boring but Larson has made it enjoyable. I highly recommend this book.

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

Started: 7/18/18
Finished: 7/20/18
Year: 1993 (this edition)
Pages: 253
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: reread as part of a bookring for Grafton's books
Blurb (from back cover): "Kinsey had been out for most of the morning and the client was waiting in the corridor.
"Nikki Fife. The eight years since Kinsey had seen her had left no visible scars. But now she was looking for the help that only a detective could provide.
"For whoever had killed her husband, it wasn't Nikki Fife. And if his wife wasn't the murderer, that meant someone else was..."
Opinion: Grafton's books are good enough to reread. And it is has been several years since I read this the first time so I had forgotten the whodunit.

Burning Ridge by Margaret Mizushima

Started: 6/29/18
Finished: 7/15/18
Year: 2018
Pages: 280
Genre: Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Colorado's Redstone Ridge is a place of extraordinary beauty, but this rugged mountain wilderness harbors a horrifying secret. When a charred body is discovered in a shallow grave on the ridge. Officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are called in to spearhead the investigation. But this is no ordinary crime-and it son becomes clear that Mattie has a close, personal connection to the dead man.
"Joined by local veterinarian Cole Walker, the pair scours the mountaintop for evidence and makes another gruesome discovery: the skeletonized remains of two adults and a child. And then, the unthinkable happens. Could Mattie become the next victim in the murderer's deadly game?
"A deranged killer torments Mattie with a litany of dark secrets that call into question her very identity. As a towering blaze races across the ridge, Cole and Robo search desperately for her."
Opinion: I have not read the previous books in this series but I will be on the search for them. I was quickly swept into the story and the characters. For a more thorough review, please find it on MyShelf.com

A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

Started: 6/12/18
Finished: 7/7/18
Year: 2005
Pages: 325
Genre: Fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: participant in bookray through Bookcrossing.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "At an inn in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts, seven former schoolmates gather for a wedding.
"Bridget, the mother of a fifteen-year-old boy, is marrying Bill-who was her lover at Kidd Academy years ago-after a chance encounter has brought them together again. Nora, the owner of the inn, has agreed to host this reunion of her old friends, a group that was once close as only high school friends can be but was scattered by a tragedy that occurred just before graduation.
"It is a disparate crew that gathers in the gorgeous winter light. Bridget faces uncertainties about her health and her future that have made this wedding all the more urgent. Nora has recently had to reinvent her life following the death of her renowned husband. Harrison, who still hears echoes from the tragic event at Kidd twenty-seven years ago, has made a life and family for himself in Toronto but is now drawn to Nora even more strongly than he was in the past. These four join Jerry, now a Wall Street banker with a disdainful wife; Rob, a well-loved concert pianist, and his love, Josh; and Agnes, a history teacher at Kidd Academy who longs to tell a secret she has sworn never to reveal.
"Throughout the wedding weekend, the guests uncover the choices and chances that have transformed them in the years since high school, and delve for the first time into what really happened the night that changed all their lives. Even as these dramas unfold, Agnes tells another tale, that of the terrible explosion that devastated the city of Halifax during World War I. One young surgeon's feats of heroism during this cataclysm resonate powerfully with present-day events, as he deals with undreamed-of exigencies and makes an agonizing choice between passion and loyalty."
Opinion: The main story of the reunion of former high school classmates was okay but could have been better. There was no point at all to Agnes' story of the surgeon. I didn't understand the point as I read it and then skimmed through it from middle to end, or after letting the book soak in after I finished it.  The character development could have been stronger. It could have allowed readers to love or hate the characters instead of just floating through the story.

Solitude Creek by Jeffery Deaver

Started: 6/1/18
Finished: 7/4/18
Year: 2015
Pages: 579
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "A tragedy occurs at a small concert venue on the Monterey Peninsula. Cries of 'fire' are raised and, panicked, people run for the doors, only to find them blocked. Some of the concertgoers die in the ensuing rush, scores are seriously injured. But it's the panic and the stampede that killed them; there was no fire.
"Kathryn Dance-a brilliant California Bureau of Investigation agent and body language expert-discovers that the stampede was caused intentionally and that the perpetrator, a man obsessed with turning peoples own fears into weapons, has more attacks planned. She and her team must race against the clock to find where he will strike next before more innocents die."
Opinion: This was a standard Deaver book featuring Dance. Some interesting twists involving Dance's family that wasn't expected. The plot was interesting in how a person used people's own fears to kill. Any fan of Deaver will appreciate this book.

Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shavis

Started: 5/30/18
Finished: 6/25/18
Year: 2018
Pages: 358
Genre: Romance/Chick Lit
Grade: A
Reason for reading: review for LibraryThing.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Six months after Lanie Jacobs's husband's death, it's hard to imagine anything could deepen her sense of pain and loss. But then Lanie discovers she isn't the only one grieving his sudden passing. A serial adulterer, he left behind several other women, each of whom, like Lanie, believed she was legally wedded wife.
"Rocked by the infidelity, Lanie is left to grapple with searing questions. How could she be so wrong about a man she though she knew better than anyone? Will she ever be able to trust another person? Can she even trust herself?
"Desperate to make a fresh start, Lanie impulsively takes a job at the family-run Capriotti Winery. At first, she feels like an outside among the boisterous Capriottis. With no real family of her own, she's bewildered by how quickly they all take her under their wing and make her feel like she belongs. Especially Mark Capriotti, a gruff, handsome Air Force veteran turned deputy sheriff who manages to wind his way into Lanie's cold, broken heart-along with the rest of the clan.
"Everything is finally going well for her, but the arrival of River Brown changes all that. The fresh-faced twenty-one-year-old seems as sweet as they come...until her dark secrets come to light-secrets that could destory the new life Lanie's only just begun to build."
Opinion: This was a refreshing and fun read. I don't read a lot of Chick Lit/Romance books but this one hit the spot and I would highly recommend it. The characters are well developed and hit me hard.

The Perfume Burned His Eyes by Michael Imperioli

Started: 5/29/18
Finished: 5/29/18
Year: 2018
Pages: 253
Genre: Fiction
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "Matthew is a sixteen-year-old living in Jackson Heights, Queens, in 1976. After he loses his two most important male role models, his father and grandfather, his more uses her inheritance to uproot Matthew and herself to a posh apartment building in Manhattan. Atlhough only three miles away from his oyhood home, 'the city' is a completely new and strange world to Matthew.
"Matthew soon befriends (and becomes a factorum of sorts to) Lou REed, who lives with his transgender girlfiend Rachel in the same building. The artistic-shamanic rocker eventually becomae an unorthodox father figure to Matthew, who finds himself head over heels for the mysterious Veronica, a wise-beyond-her-years girl he meets at his new school.
"Written from the pont of view of Matthew at age eighteen, two years after th story beigns, teh novel concludes with an eplilogue in the year 2013, three days after Lou Reed's death, with Matthew in his fifties.
Opinion: I love Michael Imperioli's acting but his writing needs work. Each chapter jumped time lines and story lines...basically two stories in one. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com

XO by Jeffery Deaver

Started: 12/15/17
Finished: 5/23/18
Year: 2012
Pages: 468
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Grade: B
Reason for reading: grabbed off TBR shelf
Blurb (from back cover): "Country-pop ingenue Kayleigh Towne's career is just reaching new heights with her huge hit single 'Your Shadow'-but fame is also bringing unwanted attention. An innocent exchange with a fan leads Kayleigh into the dangerous and terrifying realm of obsession, and when California Bureau of Investigation agent Kathryn Dance intervenes on the singer's behalf, she draws the admirer's ominous attention to herself. Then a member of Kayleigh's road crew is murdered in an eerie echo of her chart-topping song. As Kathryn Dance races to stop the stalker with her considerable skills of investigation and body-language analysis, she soon discovers that Kayleigh has ore than one frightening fan with a mission...."
Opinion: I have been in the process of reading all of Deaver's works, in order, no less. This is not one of Lincoln Rhyme's books but Lincoln does make an appearance. Like most Deaver's books, he includes a twist that most readers would not be expecting. I felt that the ending dragged a little too long and it was because of this twist. The twist was a good one, but I feel like it could have been done earlier and make the book more concise. Overall, an enjoyable read and most of Deaver's fans will enjoy it.

Watch Me by Jody Gehrman

Started: 3/9/18
Finished: 5/8/18
Year: 2018
Pages: 308
Genre: Thriller
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: Review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "Kate Youngblood is disappearing. Muddling through her late thirties as a creative writing professor at Blackwood College, she's dangerously close to never being noticed again. The follow-up novel to her successful debut tanked. Her husband left her for a woman ten years younger. She's always been bright, beautiful, independent, and a little wild, but now her glow is starting to vanish. She's heading into an age where her eyes are less blue, her charm worn out, and soon no one will ever truly look at her, want to know her, again.
"Except one."
"Sam Grist is Kate's most promising student. An unflinching writer with razor-sharp clarity who gravitates toward dark themes and twisted plots, Sam has a raw talent that Kate wants to nurture into literary success. But he's not there solely to be the best writer. He's been watching her. Wanting her. Working his way to her for years.
"As Sam slowly makes his way into Kate's life, they enter a deadly web of dangerous lies and forbidden desire. But how far will his fixation go? And how far will she allow it?"
Opinion: This book started off very strong and roped me in quickly. The story is told by both main characters and it was well written. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com

Beyond the Body Farm by Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson

Started: 2/16/18
Finished: 3/7/18
Year: 2007
Pages: 257
Genre: Forensics
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: TBR shelf
Blurb (from book jacket): "There is no scientist in the world like Dr. Bill Bass. A pioneer in forensic anthropology, Bass created the world's first laboratory dedicated to the study of human decomposition-three acres of land on a hillside in Tennessee where human bodies are left to the elements. His research at 'the Body Farm' has revolutionized forensic science, helping police crack cold cases and pinpoint time of death. But during a forensics career that spans half a century, Bass and his work have ranged far beyond the gates of the Body Farm. In this riveting book, the bone sleuth explores the rise of modern forensic science , using fascinating cases from his career to take readers into the real world of C.S.I.
"Some of Bill Bass's cases rely on the simplest of tools and techniques, such as reassembling-from battered torsos and a stack of severed limbs-eleven people hurled skyward by an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory. Other cases hinge on sophisticated techniques Bass could not have imagined when he began his career: harnessing scanning electron microscopy to detect trace elements in knife wounds; and extracting DNA from a long-buried corpse, only to dine that the female murder victim may have been mistakenly identified a quarter-century before."
Opinion: I have enjoyed Bass/Jefferson's fictional series and was happy to read some of Bass's real cases. The Body Farm has always intrigued me since reading Patricia Cornwell's book so I've been trying to read up on it as much as I can.

The Colony Chronicles: Colony by David M. Carner

Started: 1/16/18
Finished: 2/14/18
Year: 2018
Pages: 203
Genre: Sci-Fi
Grade: C
Reason for reading: edit for friend
Blurb: New Alien Invasion
Opinion: This was a first draft so there were some editing things. The premise of trying to find a new place to live after Earth's moon was destroyed and the Earth's climate have changed dramatically isn't new but still interesting. Overall the idea is good, the plot is good (possible alien invasion) but since I'm not a big sci-fi fan, it kinda fell short

Crazy Like a Fox by Rita Mae Brown

Started: 11/27/17
Finished: 12/7/17
Year: 2017
Pages: 271
Genre: Mystery
Grade: DNF
Reason for reading: review for LibraryThing.com
Blurb (from book jacket): "As the calendar turns, the crisp October winds bode well for this year's hunting season. But before the bugle sounds, Sister Jane takes a scenic drive up the Blue Ridge Mountains for a board meeting at the Museum of Hounds and Hunting. Brimming with colorful stories and mementos from hunts of yore, the mansion is plunged into mystery when a venerable hunting horn is stolen right out of its case. The only clue, on a left-behind cell phone, is what seems to be a 'selfie' video of the horn's original owner, Wesley Carruthers-decreased since 1954.
"Odder still, Wesley's body was never found. When Sister makes a discovery that may explain his unsolved disappearance, it leads her back to the Jefferson Hunt at midcentury, with her faithful hounds at her side. But as the clues quickly mount, Sister is no longer sure if she's pursuing a priceless artifact, a thief, Wesley's killer...or a ghost. The only certainty is that someone wants to put Sister off the chase-perhaps permanently."
Opinion: I did not finish this-made it more than halfway. Just couldn't get into it even despite the amount of animals and their conversations. The writing and plot were fine. Think that me not being able to finish it is totally me.....not the writing.

Christmas, Present by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Started: 11/21/17
Finished: 11/21/17
Year: 2003
Pages: 132
Genre: Literature
Grade: C
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "A fourteenth wedding anniversary is nothing to sneeze at. Elliott Banner knows, but it's not exactly a landmark year-like fifteen, or twenty, when he plans to take his wife, Laura to Paris. But when a headache on the drive home from their anniversary date-two days before Christmas-turns out to be more than a migraine, he wishes he had celebrated every year as though it were their last."
Opinion: A disappointing average read by Mitchard. I have thoroughly enjoyed her other books but this one fell short. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com