Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Started: 9/27/2023

Finished: 9/29/2023

Year: 2017

Pages: 356

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, looked interesting

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Ten years after her teenage daughter disappears, a woman crosses paths with a charming single father whose young child feels eerily familiar. The unanswered questions she's tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Did Ellie really run away from home, as the police suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?"

Opinion: Interesting character development-sad that this could also be possible. 

Valiant Women by Lena Andrews

Started: 9/25/2023

Finished: DNF

Year: 2023

Pages: 295

Genre: Military History

Grade: C

Reason for reading: sounded interesting, library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Valiant Women is the story of the 350,000 American women who served in uniform during World War II. These incredible women served in every service branch, in every combat theater, and in nearly two-thirds of the available military occupations at the time.

"They were pilots, codebreakers, ordnance experts, gunnery instructors, metalsmiths, chemists, translators, parachute riggers, truck drivers, radarmen, pigeon trainers, and much more. They were directly involved in some of the most important moments of the war, from the D-Day landings to the peace negotiations in Paris. These women—who hailed from every race, creed, and walk of life—died for their country and received the nation’s highest honors. Their work, both individually and in total, was at the heart of the Allied strategy that won World War II.

"Yet, until now, their stories have been relegated to the dusty shelves of military archives or a passing mention in the local paper. Often the women themselves kept their stories private, even from their own families.

"Now, military analyst Lena Andrews corrects the record with the definitive and comprehensive historical account of American servicewomen during World War II, based on new archival research, firsthand interviews with surviving veterans, and a deep professional understanding of military history and strategy."

Opinion: Well written but heavy. My mind didn't want to stay focused on the women for WWII and how important they were during the war.

Monsterland: Shamons, Sasquatch, Synchronicity and High Strangeness by Ronny Le Blanc

Started: 9/25/2023

Finished: 9/26/2023

Year: 2019

Pages: 159

Genre: paranormal

Grade: B

Reason for reading: fan of Le Blanc's

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Author Ronny Le Blanc stars in EXPEDITION BIGFOOT and PARANORMAL CAUGHT ON CAMERA on Discovery and Travel Channel. Ronny's first book, MONSTERLAND: ENCOUNTERS WITH UFOS, BIGFOOT AND ORANGE ORBS catapulted him into the world of the paranormal. His second book takes readers down the trail of the invisible worlds. We can only see 1% of the visual spectrum with our own eyes. What lies hidden within the 99%? Sasquatch, otherwise known as Bigfoot, is considered by many Native American tribes to dwell within two worlds. These beings have one foot in the physical realm and one foot in the spiritual. Shamans have been known to have the ability to visit the spirit world. What can we learn from these spirit science masters about consciousness, sasquatch, these invisible worlds and our own reality?"

Opinion: This book, the second, has more personal stories of paranormal activity, in particular Bigfoot and UFOs. Some pretty interesting stories and theories of what is behind it all. 

Murder at an Irish Bakery by Carlene O'Connor

Started: 9/21/2023

Finished: 9/25/2023

Year: 2023

Pages: 307

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: sounded interesting, library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "In Kilbane, opinions are plentiful and rarely in alignment. But there’s one thing everyone does agree on—the bakery in the old flour mill, just outside town, is the best in County Cork, well worth the short drive and the long lines. No wonder they’re about to be featured on a reality baking show.

"All six contestants in the show are coming to Kilbane to participate, and the town is simmering with excitement. Aside from munching on free samples, the locals—including Siobhan—get a chance to appear in the opening shots. As for the competitors themselves, not all are as sweet as their confections. There are shenanigans on the first day of filming that put everyone on edge, but that’s nothing compared to day two, when the first round ends and the top contestant is found face-down in her signature pie.

"The producers decide to continue filming while Siobhan and her husband, Garda Macdara Flannery, sift through the suspects. Was this a case of rivalry turned lethal, or are their other motives hidden in the mix? And can they uncover the truth before another baker is eliminated—permanently . . ."

Opinion: Just enough suspects. Just enough plot twists. Interesting mystery.

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

Started: 9/19/2023

Finished: 9/21/2023

Year: 2018

Pages: 306

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: continue with the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "There's nothing like a good deli, and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World-famous for its pastrami, cole slaw, and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, and the only clue in each case is one shoe that's been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it's a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they'd better figure out what's going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum."

Opinion: Another fun read. Mystery was another decent one and the ending is definitely a cliff hanger.

Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen

Started: 9/15/2023

Finished: 9/18/2023

Year: 2022

Pages: 274

Genre: Literature

Grade: C

Reason for reading: Reese's book club, library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Money can’t buy happiness… but it can buy a decent fake.

"Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home—she’s built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava’s world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn’t been used in years, and her toddler’s tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point.

"Enter Winnie Fang, Ava’s enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances. Now, twenty years later, Winnie is looking to reconnect with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava once knew has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange. The secret to her success? Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to help manage her business—someone who’d never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava. But when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes once again, Ava is left to face the consequences."

Opinion: Eh. Not a subject matter that I care about (fashion) and the "friendship" was annoying. I did like how it was written-basically Ava telling her story to a detective.

(Need) Blind Ambition by Kevin T. Myers

Started: 9/11/2023

Finished: DNF

Year: 2023

Pages: 274

Genre: fiction

Grade: D

Reason for reading: Early Reviewers giveaway on Librarything.com

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "The desire for relevance—and to save his marriage—is ultimately what pushed Peter Cook to leave his beloved Alaska for the prestigious Parker College. Lured by the chance to work with his childhood political idol turned college president, Peter moves his family to Portland, Oregon to help promote his hero’s fundraising initiative that would eliminate financial status from the college’s admissions process. 

"Peter arrives on campus as the Great Recession looms, the stock market is trending toward disaster, and the opioid crisis has breached the walls of the privileged college. He quickly learns the reality of Parker College strays far from its professed idealistic mission after discovering a plot to cover-up felonious drug activity in return for a seven-figure payday to the Need Blind Campaign. 

"While plumbing the depths of his conscience for the conviction to do the right thing, Peter’s untreated childhood trauma resurfaces, threatening to cloud his perception when it needs to be at its sharpest. Peter must stabilize his mental health while also trying to parse competing versions of “the truth” as law enforcement investigates the criminal conspiracy.

"Need Blind Ambition asks: how far will a college stray to protect its reputation?"

Opinion: A thorough review is posted on librarything.com

Fear Street: The Beginning by R. L. Stine

Started: 9/10/2023

Finished: DNF

Year: 1989

Pages: 552

Genre: mystery, horror

Grade: D

Reason for reading: local bookstore horror bookclub pick

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Welcome to Fear Street…

\"Where strange things happen, people go missing, and nightmares come true.

"This is where it all began. When Fear Street became legend, forever linked with danger, and curses, and things that go bump in the night. Go back to how it all started—to the moment when Corey Brooks falls for perfect, incredible Anna, only to learn that she’s gone missing...on Fear Street.

"Venture into the terrifying Fear Street woods where Meg Dalton’s best friend Evan died under mysterious circumstances, and discover why only Meg can uncover the truth behind his death. Follow Della to Fear Island and learn about the terrifying threats that force Della to confront her past—and the incident that occurred on the island between her and a dangerous stranger.

"Return to Fear Street with Mark and Cara Burroughs who come home to find that their parents have disappeared, plunging them into a nightmare of chaos that neither of them could have ever predicted. The only thing they know for sure is that though Fear Street may be a mystery, not everyone escapes such an evil place alive.

"Only danger awaits those brave enough to travel down Fear Street. You’re not afraid…are you?"

Opinion: This also falls under the young adult category and I just can't seem to get into those. It definitely wasn't a bad collection of stories but eh...just wasn't feeling it.

The Confidante by Christopher C. Gorman

Started: 9/1/2023

Finished: 9/5/2023

Year: 2023

Pages: 313

Genre: history, biography

Grade A

Reason for reading: sounded interesting, library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "As Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s special envoy to Europe in World War II she went where the president couldn’t go. She was among the first Allied women to enter a liberated concentration camp, and stood in the Eagle’s Nest, Hitler’s mountain retreat, days after its capture. She guided the direction of the G.I. Bill of Rights and the Manhattan Project. Though Anna Rosenberg emerged from modest immigrant beginnings, equipped with only a high school education, she was the real power behind national policies critical to America winning the war and prospering afterward. Astonishingly, her story remains largely forgotten.

"With a disarming mix of charm and Tammany-hewn toughness, Rosenberg began her career in public relations in 1920s Manhattan. She became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt, who recommended Anna to her husband, who was then running for Governor of New York. As FDR’s unofficial adviser, Rosenberg soon wielded enormous influence—no less potent for being subtle. Roosevelt dubbed her “my Mrs. Fix-It.” Her extraordinary career continued after his death.

"By 1950, she was tapped to become the assistant secretary of defense—the highest position ever held by a woman in the US military—prompting Senator Joe McCarthy to wage an unsuccessful smear campaign against her. In 1962, she organized John F. Kennedy’s infamous birthday gala, sitting beside him while Marilyn Monroe sang. Until the end of her life, Rosenberg fought tirelessly for causes from racial integration to women’s equality to national health care."

Opinion: A remarkable history about a woman that most people probably never have heard of and she did so much for ALL Americans despite not even being born in America.

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich

Started: 8/31/2023

Finished: 8/31/2023

Year: 2017

Pages: 275

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: continuing with the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Trouble comes in bunches for Stephanie Plum. First, professional grave robber and semi-professional loon, Simon Diggery, won’t let her take him in until she agrees to care for his boa constrictor, Ethel. Stephanie’s main qualification for babysitting an extremely large snake is that she owns a stun gun—whether that’s for use on the wandering serpent or the petrified neighbors remains to be seen.

"Events take a dark turn when headless bodies start appearing across town. At first, it’s just corpses from a funeral home and the morgue that have had the heads removed. But when a homeless man is murdered and dumped behind a church Stephanie knows that she’s the only one with a prayer of catching this killer.

"If all that’s not enough, Diesel’s back in town. The 6-foot-tall, blonde-haired hunk is a man who accepts no limits—that includes locked doors, closed windows and underwear. Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli isn’t pleased at this unexpected arrival nor is Ranger, the high-powered security consultant who has his own plans for Stephanie.

"As usual Jersey’s favorite bounty hunter is stuck in the middle with more questions than answers. What’s the deal with Grandma Mazur’s latest online paramour? Who is behind the startling epidemic of mutilated corpses? And is the enigmatic Diesel’s sudden appearance a coincidence or the cause of recent deadly events?"

Opinion: More silly antics, another car destroyed-really creative way this time though. Just another fun mystery.

Monsterland: Encounters with UFOs, Bigfoot and Orange Orbs by Ronny Le Blanc

Started: 8/29/2023

Finished: 8/30/2023

Year: 2016

Pages: 247

Genre: paranormal

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: fan of Expedition Bigfoot and Paranormal Caught on Camera, wanted to know more about him

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "There is an area known to the locals of Leominster, Massachusetts as MONSTERLAND™. There are sightings of UFOS, Bigfoot and Orange Orbs. They have been coming and going for years. But where are they coming from? Why are they here? It seems that the state of Massachusetts has had a long history of sightings and encounters with these mysterious entities and they are occurring in the present day.Could all of these events somehow be connected? What is so special about Leominster that they have plagued the area for so long? Author and Researcher Ronny Le Blanc of Leominster thinks that he might have the answers to some of these questions. But the answers received lead to a whole new understanding of the unknown....Welcome to MONSTERLAND"

Opinion: It is very obvious that he did A LOT of research for this book and for his own passion. Even though it starts off being about Leonminster, MA, other interesting sites are discussed.

N is for Noose by Sue Grafton

Started: 8/24/2023

Finished: 8/29/2023

Year: 1998

Pages: 353

Genre: mystery

Grade: B+

Reason for reading: continuing with the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Tom Newquist has died. A detective in the Nota Lake sheriff's office, Tom was tough, honest, and respected by all. He was also a heavy drinker and a workaholic, much to his wife Selma's distress. And now that Tom is gone, Selma can't help but wonder what it really was that was troubling him….

"What made Tom so restless during the last six weeks of his life? Why was he up all night and brooding all day long? What―or who―was at the heart of his dark moods? With the coroner's report in hand, Selma decides to enlist the help of Kinsey Millhone to find the truth about what happened to her husband.

"But the residents of Nota Lake keep their secrets close―and their enemies closer. And the deeper Kinsey's investigation goes, the closer she comes to confronting the most dangerous outcome of all: the truth…"

Opinion: Much more suspenseful than most of Grafton's other books...which I like.

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Started: 8/21/2023

Finished: 8/23/2023

Year: 2015

Pages: 319

Genre: horror

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, book club book with local bookstore-even though I'm not participating in it, I'm still interested in reading the books that are chosen.

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Deep in the heart of Appalachia stands a crooked farmhouse miles from any road. The Morrows keep to themselves, and it’s served them well so far. When girls go missing off the side of the highway, the cops don’t knock on their door. Which is a good thing, seeing as to what’s buried in the Morrows’ backyard.

"But nineteen-year-old Michael Morrow isn’t like the rest of his family. He doesn’t take pleasure in the screams that echo through the trees. Michael pines for normalcy, and he’s sure that someday he’ll see the world beyond West Virginia. When he meets Alice, a pretty girl working at a record shop in the small nearby town of Dahlia, he’s immediately smitten. For a moment, he nearly forgets about the monster he’s become. But his brother, Rebel, is all too eager to remind Michael of his place…"

Opinion: Certainly not the family that I would want to be living with after being kidnapped.

A Wicked Snow by Gregg Olsen

Started: 8/17/2023

Finished: 8/21/2023

Year: 2014 (this edition)

Pages: 389

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: read other books by Olsen, booksfree.com

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Hannah Griffin was a girl when tragedy struck. She still remembers the flames reflected against the newly fallen snow and the bodies the police dug up--one of them her mother's. The killer was never found....

"Twenty years later Hannah is a talented CSI investigating a case of child abuse when the past comes hurtling back. A killer with unfinished business is on the hunt. And an anonymous message turns Hannah's blood cold:

"Your Mom called..."

Opinion: Interesting twist near the end and wish that it was elaborated more. Interesting development of an evil character.

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica

Started: 8/16/2023

Finished: 8/17/2023

Year: 2020

Pages: 159

Genre: horror, dark fiction

Grade; C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica’s vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways—often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In “Roberto,” a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman’s neighbor jumps to his death in “A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound,” and in “Candy Pink,” a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps."

Opinion: Like with all short story collections, some are better than others. Some of these will linger in my mind longer than others. 

The Children's Book by A. S. Byatt

Started: 8/15/2023

Finished: DNF

Year: 2009

Pages: 675

Genre: literature

Grade: F

Reason for reading: grabbed off the TBR pile

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "A spellbinding novel, at once sweeping and intimate, from the Booker Prize–winning author of Possession, that spans the Victorian era through the World War I years, and centers around a famous children’s book author and the passions, betrayals, and secrets that tear apart the people she loves.

"When Olive Wellwood’s oldest son discovers a runaway named Philip sketching in the basement of the new Victoria and Albert Museum—a talented working-class boy who could be a character out of one of Olive’s magical tales—she takes him into the storybook world of her family and friends.

"But the joyful bacchanals Olive hosts at her rambling country house—and the separate, private books she writes for each of her seven children—conceal more treachery and darkness than Philip has ever imagined. As these lives—of adults and children alike—unfold, lies are revealed, hearts are broken, and the damaging truth about the Wellwoods slowly emerges. But their personal struggles, their hidden desires, will soon be eclipsed by far greater forces, as the tides turn across Europe and a golden era comes to an end."

Opinion: It had grabbed my attention...and then it didn't. And the longer I went, the more my attention was not grabbed so off I go to start a different book.

Woom by Duncan Ralston

Started: 8/14/2023

Finished: 8/15/2023

Year: 2016

Pages: 129

Genre: dark fiction

Grade: C

Reason for reading: library book

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Warning: this book contains graphic violence and sexuality most readers will find offensive."Trust me when I say, this is messed up..." - Matt Shaw, author of Sick B*stards"I believe pain lingers," Angel said. "Do I believe in spirits? In the supernatural? Probably not."The Lonely Motel holds many dark secrets... and Room 6 just might possess the worst of them all.Angel knows all about pain. His mother died in this room. He's researched its history. Today he's come back to end it, no matter the cost, once and for all.Shyla, a plus-sized prostitute, thinks the stories Angel tells her can't be true. Secrets so vile, you won't want to let them inside you.But the Lonely Motel doesn't forget. It doesn't forgive. And it always claims its victim."

Opinion: Definitely could trigger some people so it isn't for everyone. It's horrific in some aspects. Psychologically disturbing in others.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

Started: 8/13/2023

Finished: 8/14/2023

Year: 2023

Pages: 388

Genre: Literature

Grade: B

Reason for reading: library book, title sounded interesting

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Who hasn’t wondered for a split second what the world would be like if a person who is the object of your affliction ceased to exist? But then you’ve probably never heard of The McMasters Conservatory, dedicated to the consummate execution of the homicidal arts. To gain admission, a student must have an ethical reason for erasing someone who deeply deserves a fate no worse (nor better) than death. The campus of this “Poison Ivy League” college—its location unknown to even those who study there—is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate…and where one’s mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live."

Opinion: Wasn't quite what I was expecting but definitely interesting way of looking at murder and what it takes to perform a perfect one.

Turbo Twenty-Three by Janet Evanovich

Started: 8/9/2023

Finished: 8/10/2023

Year: 2017

Pages: 319

Genre: mystery

Grade: B

Reason for reading: continuing with the series

Type: paperback

Blurb (from Amazon): "Larry Virgil skipped out on his latest court date after he was arrested for hijacking an eighteen-wheeler full of premium bourbon. Fortunately for bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, Larry is just stupid enough to attempt almost the exact same crime again. Only this time he flees the scene, leaving behind a freezer truck loaded with Bogart ice cream and a dead body—frozen solid and covered in chocolate and chopped pecans.

"As fate would have it, Stephanie’s mentor and occasional employer, Ranger, needs her to go undercover at the Bogart factory to find out who’s putting their employees on ice and sabotaging the business. It’s going to be hard for Stephanie to keep her hands off all that ice cream, and even harder for her to keep her hands off Ranger. It’s also going to be hard to explain to Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, why she is spending late nights with Ranger, late nights with Lula and Randy Briggs—who are naked and afraid—and late nights keeping tabs on Grandma Mazur and her new fella. Stephanie Plum has a lot on her plate, but for a girl who claims to have “virtually no marketable skills,” these are the kinds of sweet assignments she does best."

Opinion: Working undercover at an ice cream factory allows for more silly antics that Stephanie gets herself into.

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge by Spencer Quinn

Started: 8/7/2023

Finished: 8/9/2023

Year: 2023

Pages: 291

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Reason for reading: library book

Type: hardcover

Blurb (from Amazon): "Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a recent widow in her seventies, is settling into retirement in Florida while dealing with her 98-year-old father and fielding requests for money from her beloved children and grandchildren. Thankfully, her new hip hasn’t changed her killer tennis game one bit.

"One night Mrs. Plansky is startled awake by a phone call from a voice claiming to be her grandson Will, who desperately needs ten thousand dollars to get out of a jam. Of course, Loretta obliges―after all, what are grandmothers for, even grandmothers who still haven’t gotten a simple “thank you” for a gift sent weeks ago. Not that she's counting.

"By morning, Mrs. Plansky has lost everything. Law enforcement announces that Loretta's life savings have vanished, and that it’s hopeless to find the scammers behind the heist. First humiliated, then furious, Loretta Plansky refuses to be just another victim.

"In a courageous bid for justice, Mrs. Plansky follows her only clue on a whirlwind adventure to a small village in Romania to get her money and her dignity back―and perhaps find a new lease on life, too."

Opinion: In the era of phone scammers, this had an interesting take on how to handle these scams and what most people would want to do.