A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise by Sandra Allen

 Started: 10/25/20

Finished: 10/30/20

Year: 2018

Pages: 275

Genre: biographical

Grade: C

Type: ARC Trade Paperback

Reason for reading: Goodsread.com giveaway

Blurb (from back cover): "Sandra Allen did not know her uncle Bob very well. As a child, she had been told he was 'crazy', that he had spent time in mental hospitals while growing up in Berkeley in the sixties and seventies. But Bob had lived a hermetic life in a remote part of California for longer than she had been alive, and what little she know of him came from rare family reunions or odd, infrequent phone calls. Then in 2009 Bob mailed her his autobiography. Typewritten in all caps, a stream of error-riddle sentences over sixty single-spaced pages, the often incomprehensive manuscript proclaimed to be a 'true story' about being 'labeled a psychotic paranoid schizophrenic' and arrived with a pleat to help Bob get his story out to the world.

"In A Kind of Mirracules Paradise, Allen translates her uncle's autobiography, artfully creating a gripping coming-of-age story while sticking faithfully to the facts as her shared them. Lacing Bob's narrative with chapters providing greater contextualization, Allen also shares background information about her family, the culturally explosive time and place of her uncle's formative years, and the vitally important questions surrounding schizophrenia and mental healthcare in America more broadly. The result is a heart-breaking and sometimes hilarious portrait of a young man striving for stability in his life as well as his mind, and an utterly unique lens into an experience that, to most people, remains unimaginable."

Opinion: So this was different. Not sure if I wanted more of his story in his own words or more of his story in her words. The mix of the two just didn't fully work for me. 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

 Started: 6/21/20

Finished: DNF

Year: 2000 (this edition)

Pages: 817

Genre: Classic Literature

Grade: F

Type: paperback with jacket

Reason for reading: 1001 books to read before you die/booksfree.com

Blurb (from Amazon): "Described by William Faulkner as the best novel ever written and by Fyodor Dostoevsky as “flawless,” Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and thereby exposes herself to the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia, the novel's seven major characters create a dynamic imbalance, playing out the contrasts of city and country life and all the variations on love and family happiness."

Opinion: It didn't grab my interest and after 300 pages, I decided that I have hundreds of other books to grab my attention. So this will be sent back to booksfree.com 

Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien

 Started: 10/14/20

Finished: 10/24/20

Year: 2018

Pages: 326

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Grade: B

Type: Mass Market Paperback

Reason for reading: TBR pile

Blurb (from back cover): "The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family's restaurant. But after a brutal breakup and a dramatic workplace walk-out, she figures that a return to the Cleveland area to help wait tables is her best option for putting her life back together. Even if that means having to put up with her mother, who is dead-set on finding her a husband.

"Lana's love life soon becomes yesterday's news once the restaurant's property manager, Mr. Feng, turns up dead-after a delivery of shrimp dumplings from Ho-Lee. But how could this have happened when everyone on staff knew about Mr. Feng's severe, life-threatening shellfish allergy? Now, with the whole restaurant under suspicion for murder and the local media in a feeding frenzy-to say nothing of the gorgeous police detective who keeps turning up for take-out-it's up to Lana to find out who is behind Feng's killer order...before her own number is up."

Opinion: This is the first of the Noodle Shop Mystery series and a decent one at that. I do want to know more about this breakup with the one who will not be named and to see what Lana gets herself mixed up in next. The mystery plot was decent and the motive turns up to be something that isn't expected.

Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima

 Started: 10/9/20

Finished: 10/13/20

Pages: 329

Year: 2015

Type: Mass Market paperback

Genre: Mystery

Grade: A

Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR pile

Blurb (from back cover): "When a forest ranger hears gunshots an find blood on a cabin's porch, she calls in the first K-9 team in Timber Creek, Colorado. Deputy Mattie Cobb and her partner, police dog, Robo, follow the scent from the blood trail into the woods, where a Bernese mountain dog is guarding the body of a young girl.

"With the help of Cole Walker, local veterinarian and a single father, Mattie and Robo must track down the truth before a killer claims another victim. But as Mattie investigates, she realizes how many secrets her hometown holds. And the key may be Cole's daughter, who knows more than she's saying. Murder is just the beginning, and if Mattie isn't careful, she and Robo could be next."

Opinion: I've read the other books of this series and had not gotten to the first one. Even though you can get the gist of the characters, reading the series in order is helpful. Definitely enjoyed this one. Can't wait for the next one.

Christmas Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

 Started 10/3/20

Finished: 10/8/20

Year: 2020

Pages: 356

Genre: Cozy mystery

Grade: C

Type: Hardcover

Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com

Blurb (from book jacket): "While Hannah speeds through a lengthy holiday checklist, drama in town grows like Santa's waistline on Christmas Eve. Her sister Andrea wants to stave off the blues by helping out at The Cookie Jar, Michele's love life is becoming complicated, Lisa needs Hannah's advice, and Delores has a Christmas secret she's not willing to share. But nothing dampens the holiday mood more than the chilling mystery surrounding the man found near death in an abandoned storefront two doors down from Hannah's bakery...

"The befuddled John Doe can't recall a thing about himself-except for his unusual knowledge of restoring antique furniture. With a smattering of clues and barely enough time to frost Christmas cookies, Hannah must solve a deadly puzzle that could leave her dashing through the snow for her life!"

Opinion: Not one of the greatest Fluke novels. I've read them off and on over the years. Some great looking recipes are throughout the book but the title is misleading and the mystery isn't completely solved. The ending was very rushed. A more complete review will be on MyShelf.com in the near future.

Meet Isabel Puddles by M. V. Byrne

 Started: 9/26/20

Finished: 10/2/20

Year: 2020

Pages: 330

Type: ARC Trade Paperback

Genre: cozy mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: review for Myshelf.com

Blurb (from back cover): "To the tourists and summer residents, Kentwater County is a picturesque community of small-town charm, fruitful farmland, and gorgeous freshwater beaches. To  middle-aged widow Isabel Puddles, it's where she enjoys breakfast every morning at a local cafe with her childhood best friend and spends her evening cozying up with a good book and her devoted Jack Terrier, Jackpot. In between, Isabel makes ends meet through a variety of trades-preserving pickles, baking pies, working the counter at her cousin's hardware shop, and occasionally helping 'fix-up' the hair of corpses at the local funeral parlor.

"When Isabel discovers a two-inch nail embedded in the skull of Earl Jonasson, it seens the octogenarian may not have died of a stroke. His son is quickly arrested when his alibi doesn't check out. But Isabel has known Earl, Jr since they were kids and can't believe he'd murder his father, regardless of his financial difficulties. As gossip about Earl, Sr's land, and insurance policy money starts to spread around the county, Isabel finds herself conducting her own investigation to clear her friend's name. But real detective work isn't like what she sees on TV, and she's meeting dangerous suspects who don't like Isabel poking around in their business...."

Opinion: You certainly meet Isabel Puddles in this book and at first I was wondering if it was too much detail. Because this is the first of a new series, it probably isn't too much and it will be interesting to see if the following books contain as much detail. For  more complete review, please visit Myshelf.com in the upcoming months.

Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings by Liz Ireland

 Started: 9/20/20

Finished: 9/25/20

Year: 2020

Pages: 289

Genre: Mystery

Grade:  B

Type: Trade Paperback

Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com

Blurb (from back cover): "Love is full of surprises-though few compare to realizing that you're marrying the real-life Santa. April Claus dearly loves her new husband, Nick, but adjusting to life in the North Pole is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous elf named Giblet Hollyberry is killed-felled by a black widow spider in his stocking-shortly after publicly arguing with Nick.

"Christmastown is hardly a hotbed of crime, aside from mishaps caused by too much eggnog, but April disagrees with Constable Crinkle's verdict of accidental death. As April sets out to find the culprit, it'll mean putting the future of Christmas on the line-and hoping her own name isn't on a lethal naughty list..."

Opinion: Always wondered how Santa continued on for thousands of years. This was a decent cozy-lots of suspects, lots of murder, lots of characters. For a more complete review, please check out MyShelf.com in the upcoming months

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

 Started: 5/31/20

Finished: 9/13/20

Year: 2008

Pages: 618

Genre: Literature

Grade: B

Type: mass market paperback

Reason for reading: bookcrossing.com book, off TBR pile

Blurb (from back cover): "If Danny Cartwright had proposed to Beth Wilson on any other day he would not have been arrested and charged with the murder of his best friend. But when the prosecution witnesses happen to be a group of four upper-crust college friends-a barrister, a popular actor, an aristocrat and the youngest partner in an established firm's history-who is going to believe Danny's side of the story?

"Danny is sentenced to twenty-two years and sent to Belmarsh prison, the highest-security jail in the land, from where no inmate has ever escaped. But Spencer Craig, Lawrence Davenport, Gerald Payne, and Toby Mortimer all underestimate Danny's determination to seek revenge-and the extent to which his fiancee Beth will go in pursuit of justice."

Opinion: First book that I've read by Archer and it was pretty interesting. Wasn't sure how Danny's antics would get the revenge that he wanted but in the end it was nicely tied up. Might seek some other Archer books.

Hanging Falls by Margaret Mizushima

 Started: 8/30/20

Finished: 9/5/20

Year: 2020

Pages: 282

Genre: mystery

Grade: B+

Type: hardcover

Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com

Blurb (from book jacket): "A deluge has flooded the high ground near Hanging Falls-but heavy rains aren't the only menace descending on Timber Creek while on a counting mission to pinpoint trail damage, Officer Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner, Robo, stumble upon a body floating at the edge of a lake. Robo catches a human scent, which leads to an enigmatic forest-dweller who quickly becomes suspect number one.

"With help from veterinarian Cole Walker, Mattie identifies the victim and discovers an odd religious cult whose dress and manners harken back to the nineteenth century. As the list of suspects grows, an unexpected visit from members of Mattie's long-lost family sheds new light on her childhood as they help Mattie piece together details for the fateful night when she was abducted at age two.

"The tangled threads of the investigation and family dynamics begin to intertwine-but darkness threatens to claim a new victim before Mattie and Robo can track down the killers."

Opinion: Another enjoyable mystery from the Timber Creek K-9 mystery series. A more complete review will be posted on MyShelf.com in the upcoming months

It's Not All Downhill From Here by Terry McMillan

 Started: 5/28/20

Finished: 8/28/20

Year: 2020

Pages: 350

Genre: Literature

Grade: B

Reason for reading: Librarything.com giveaway

Blurb: "Loretha Curry's life is full. A little crowded sometimes, but full indeed. On the eve of her sixty-eighth birthday, she has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband whose moves still surprise her. True, she's carrying a few more pounds than she should be, but Loretha is not one of those women who think her best days are behind her-and she's out to prove wrong her mother, her twin sister, and everyone else with that outdated view. It's not all downhill from here. But after an unexpected loss, Loretha must summon all her strength, resourcefulness, and determination to endure heartbreak, pursue joy, heal old wounds, and chart new paths. With help from her friends, of course."

Opinion: Another decent book by McMillan. Follows along the same themes as many of her other books-the emphasis of family and friends and overcoming life's obstacles. If you're a fan of her works, you should enjoy this one.

High Five by Janet Evanovich

 Started: 8/15/20

Finished: 8/21/20

Year: 1999

Pages: 317

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: rereading/catching up on the series booksfree.com book

Blurb (from back cover): In the fifth high-octane thriller, bounty hunter Stephanie Plum sets out to find her missing uncle-and along the way smacks slam-bang into: a dead body, a nasty bookie, her stun-gun-toting grandmother, two very sexy men, an angry little man who won't leave her apartment and a Mafia wedding...

"Jersey's favorite bounty hunter has never been better! With high hair, street smarts and plenty of attitude, Steph's sure to nail this case-or risk life and spandex-clad limb trying..."

Opinion: Another fun read. Probably so far the funniest one in the series so far. 

The Nicotine Chronicles Edited by Lee Child

 Started: 8/9/20

Finished 8/13/20

Year: 2020

Pages: 275

Genre: short stories/fiction

Grade: B

Reason for reading: LibraryThing.com giveaway/review

Blurb (from back cover): "In recent years, nicotine has become as verboten as many hard drugs. The literary styles in this volume are as varied as the moral quandaries herein, and the authors have successfully unleashed their incandescent imagination on the subject matter, fashioning an immensely addictive collection."

Opinion: Overall a decent collection of short stories by some well known authors like Lee Child, Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Imperioli to name a few. As with most collections of short stories by different authors, some you'll love, some you'll hate. I'm not a fan of nicotine but it was interesting to see how each other put cigarettes into their stories.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

 Started: 8/2/20

Finished: 8/7/20

Year: 2000

Pages: 272

Genre: Essay

Grade: C

Reason for reading: bookcrossing.com book exchange/TBR pile

Blurb (from Amazon.com): "A recent transplant to Paris, humorist David Sedaris, bestselling author of "Naked", presents a collection of his strongest work yet, including the title story about his hilarious attempt to learn French"

Opinion: I'm probably one of the few that did not think that this was laugh out loud funny. Some amusing stories but none left a lasting impression on me. I'm glad that I read it but won't be seeking out any of his other books.

American Pastoral by Philip Roth

Started: 5/13/20

Finished: 8/1/20

Year: 1997

Pages: 423

Genre: Literature

Grade: C

Reason for reading: 1001 books to read before you die, TBR pile

Blurb (from back cover): "As the American century draws to an uneasy close, Philip Roth gives us a novel of unqualified greatness that is elegy for all our century's promises of prosperity, civic order, and domestic bliss. Roth's protagonist is Swede Levov, a legendary athlete at his Newark high school, who grows up in the booming postwar years to marry a former Miss New Jersey, inherit his father's glove factory, and move into a stone house in the idyllic hamlet of Old Rimrock. And then one day in 1968, Swede's beautiful American luck deserts him.

"For Swede's adored daughter, Merry, has grown from a loving, quick-witted girl into a sullen, fanatical teenager-a teenager capable of an outlandishly savage act of political terrorism. And overnight Swede is wrenched out of the long-for American pastoral and into the indigenous American berserk."

Opinion: My first reaction is eh. An average read. Couldn't get into it-and felt that Swede's reaction to his daughter was over the top in some aspects. 

The Best New True Crime Stories Small Towns Edited by Mitzi Szereto

Started: 7/19/20

Finished: 7/24/20

Year: 2020

Pages: 249

Genre: True Crime

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com

Blurb (from back cover): "We've been told that nothing bad happens in small towns. You can leave your doors unlocked and your windows wide open. We picture peaceful hamlets with a strong sense of community, where everyone knows each other. But what if this wholesome, idyllic image doesn't always square with reality? Small towns might look and feel safe, but statistics show this isn't really true.

"Featuring murder stories, criminal case studies, and more, The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns offers all-new accounts from today's finest writers of true crime, crime fiction, and beyond. What's more, these entries are not based on a true story-they are true stories. Edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, the stories in this volume span the globe. Discover how murders, shooting sprees, violent robberies, and other bad things can and do happen in small towns all over the world."

Opinion: A decent collection of true crime stories that most are unaware of from all over the world. A more complete review will be posted on www.MyShelf.com in the near future.

The Food is My Friend Diet by Ruth Frechman MA, RD, CPT

Started: 7/12/20

Finished: 7/18/20

Years: 2012

Pages: 444

Genre: Diet/Health

Grade: B

Reason for reading: Goodsreads.com giveaway

Blurb (from back cover): "Ruth Frechman's clients have lost thousands of pounds! Does your circle of friends include anyone names Pizza, Pasta, Chips or Chocolate? People have their own special food friends to make themselves feel better. Ruth will show you how to keep your old food friends, make new ones, and melt the pounds away.

"Take a good look at this book. Day One reveals your own personal motivations that will inspire you to new actions and new attitudes. Let your desire to drop the pounds be your guide as you effortlessly lose weight, regain confidence, and have more fun.

"In 30 days...grab those skinny jeans from the back of your closet. Flirt your face off and falaunt your new figure. Go 24/7 with the energy of a teenager. Feel awesome about all that new attention you're getting.

"Ninety percent of Ruth Frechman's clients overate because of their emotions. Understand what drives YOU. With the help of this remarkable book, you will take one small step at a time for 30 days to eat less, exercise more, and re-channel your feelings. Achieving a 10% weight loss can make you look 5 years younger!"

Opinion: I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. Been a WW member off and on for years (currently on).  This book looks at a different topic for 30 days in a workshop journal. You can focus on a topic for as long as you need to. Definitely one of the better "diet" lifestyle change books that I've read.

Into the Fury by Kat Martin

Started: 7/5/20

Finished: 7/11/20

Year: 2016

Pages: 354

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Grade: B

Reason for reading: grabbed from TBR pile

Blurb (from back cover): "Sinners, whores, and sluts beware-your time is at hand: a faceless menace is threatening lingerie models on a cross country tour, and Ethan Brodie is there to defend and protect.

"Ethan's learned the hard way that beauty is no substitute for character. So even though Valentine Hart is one of the most breathtaking women he's ever seen, he's keeping his hands off and his eyes open. Or that's what he tells himself.

"Then one of the models is murdered, and the closer Ethan gets to the answers, the closer he finds himself to Valentine-and the hotter the pressure feels. There's more to Val-more to the other girls-than he could have guessed. Bit one is keeping a secret that could kill them all."

Opinion: This was a pretty decent romantic suspense novel. Decent murder mystery plot. The romance was intense.

Gerald's Game by Stephen King

Started: 6/28/20

Finished: 7/3/20

Year: 1992

Pages: 445

Genre: suspense

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: grabbed from TBR pile, bookcrossing.com book

Blurb (from Amazon.com): "'And now the voice which spoke belonged to no one but herself. Oh my God, it said. Oh my God, I am all alone out here. I am all alone.'

Once again, Jessie Burlingame has been talked into submitting to her husband Gerald’s kinky sex games—something that she’s frankly had enough of, and they never held much charm for her to begin with. So much for a “romantic getaway” at their secluded summer home. After Jessie is handcuffed to the bedposts—and Gerald crosses a line with his wife—the day ends with deadly consequences. Now Jessie is utterly trapped in an isolated lakeside house that has become her prison—and comes face-to-face with her deepest, darkest fears and memories. Her only company is that of the various voices filling her mind…as well as the shadows of nightfall that may conceal an imagined or very real threat right there with her…"

Opinion: I feel like I've read this one before. Certainly makes one wonder where King gets some of his ideas from. If you like King or just suspense books in general, pick it up

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Started: 3/15/20

Finished: 6/20/20

Year: 1997

Pages: 428

Genre: Literature

Grade: C

Reason for reading: TBR pile, 1001 books to read before you die

Blurb (from back cover): "A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel presents with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.

"In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount, where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction-at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful-and completely unforgettable."

Opinion: I feel like I'm one of the few that did not thoroughly enjoy this novel. I don't even know why it would have made the 1001 books to read before you die list. Definitely not the worst book I've read but certainly not one of the best.

99 Red Balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter

Started: 6/7/20

Finished: 6/14/20

Year: 2017

Pages: 336

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: Goodreads.com giveaway win

Blurb (from back cover): "Eight-year-old Grace is last seen in a candy store. Her mother Emma is living a nightmare. But as her loved ones rally around her, cracks begin to emerge.

"What are the emails sent between her husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is there more to the disappearance of her daughter than meets the eye?

"Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees a familiar face in the newspaper. A face that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl-the first girl who disappeared..."

Opinion: What starts off as a one time kidnapping turns into so much more. Some confusion on keeping everyone straight on who they are in relationship to each other but a fresh prospective on a kidnapping plot.