Boundary Waters #2 Cork O'Connor Series by William Kent Krueger

 My Rating: 4.7

Shiloh -- a country-western singer at the height of her fame -- has disappeared. Her father arrives in Aurora, Minnesota, to hire Cork O'Connor to find his daughter, and Cork joins a search party that includes an ex-con, two FBI agents, and a ten-year-old boy. Others are on her trail as well -- men hired not just to find her, but to kill her.

I continue to love this series and Krueger's writing. Cork is a lovable character with such a good heart that, despite murders and violence, this book feels wholesome.

Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss

 My Rating: 4.8

Life is a series of negotiations you should be prepared for: buying a car, negotiating a salary, buying a home, renegotiating rent, deliberating with your partner. Taking emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level, Never Split the Difference gives you the competitive edge in any discussion.

This was a business book but the audio version has a great narrator. We read it in 'chunks' which made it easier but it was somewhat dry. That being said, we have implemented some of the techniques and I can tell you that THEY WORK!

The Absolute Value of Mike by Katherine Erskine

 My Rating: 4.7

Ever since 14 yo Mike's mother died, he has been responsible for the care of his father, a brilliant math & engineering professor, who's fantastic with numbers, and terrible at managing life. Mike's own dyscalculia (a math disability) is a sticking point between he and his father. To help solve this, Mike's father announces that while he will be teaching overseas for the summer, Mike will go to stay with relatives in rural Pennsylvania, to help build an artesian screw. This project, in the eyes of Mike's father, will help Mike build the necessary skills to enter a prestigious math/science high school. Upon arrival in the town, though, Mike discovers that Moo and Poppy (his relatives) are in their 80s, grieving the death of their adult son, and that the "artesian screw" Moo described to his father is really an "artisan's crew," working to raise the funds necessary for the town's minister to adopt a Romanian orphan. Mike quickly gets involved in the plan, despite his ongoing protests that he's too young to help, and the town's unusual residents all pitch in to make the adoption work

    

This was a delightful quirky story with so many fun characters. Sometimes it felt a bit 'much' but if you get in the spirit of it, it really was so cute.

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

My Rating: 4.7

Malcolm owns a bookstore and is a mystery aficionado. As part of promoting the bookstore when it first opened, he blogs a post titled "Eight Perfect Murders" from the best mystery books (Agatha Christie, Death Trap, etc.) Fast forward to current day and no one is more surprised than Malcolm when the FBI come knocking on his door looking to solve murders that seem to match the books on Malcom's list. Malcolm starts looking into the murders to understand the connection and soon believes that the killer is watching him - and aware of his every movement. As the murders continue, it seems that Malcolm may be the one who is accused.

This psychological thriller was fast paced and typical Swanson where I didn't know who did it and it kept me entertained all the way through.

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

 My Rating: 4.7

Kate is a fragile 20 year old who has panic attacks due to her ex-boyfriend kidnapping her, holding her hostage and eventually he commits suicide. This makes it a bold move for her when she decides to swap her flat in Britain with her American 2nd cousin Corbin in Boston. On her second day in his beautiful apartment, she discovers that the next door neighbor has been murdered, and starts to wonder if Corbin is involved. 

Warning, this is VERY disturbing and twisted...and really good. It gets into some twisted minds - voyeurs, accidental murder and intentional murdered with a deeper twist. Very disturbing. and all so creepy that I couldn't just put it down. This is not the best Peter Swanson novel I have read but it kept me coming back for more.

The Other End Of The Leash by Patricia B. McConnell

 My Rating: 4.9

The Other End of the Leash demonstrates how even the slightest changes in your voice and the way you stand can help your dog understand what you want. Once you start to think about your own behavior from the perspective of your dog, you’ll understand why much of what appears to be doggy-disobedience is simply a case of miscommunication. 

With our getting a new puppy, this book was fabulous. It was recommended by the breeder and it really helped me realize the MANY things I could do inadvertently that send the wrong signals to my dog. Very educational and one of the best dog training books that I have read.

Churchill's Secret Messenger by Alan Hlaad

 My Rating: 4.9

A riveting story of World War II and the courage of Rose who goes from working in Churchill's typist room to being drafted into Churchill’s overseas spy network, aiding the French Resistance behind enemy lines and working to liberate Nazi-occupied Paris. 

I enjoy Hlaad's writing and this book was no exception. I loved knowing that he pieced together various parts of history and created this amazing novel with a lot of little known facts interwoven through-out. 

Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca by Maria Goodavage

 My Rating: 4.6

Lucca K458 was a decorated and highly skilled military working dog. An extraordinary bond develops between Lucca and Marine Corps dog handlers Chris Willingham and Juan Rodriguez, in what would become a legendary 400-mission career. A Specialized Search Dog, Lucca belongs to an elite group trained to work off-leash at long distances from her handler. She served alongside both Special Forces and regular infantry, and became so sought-after that platoons frequently requested her by name.

This was an entertaining read about Lucca. It is amazing the work that these Marine Corps dogs do, as well as their handlers. This detailed Lucca's life and her missions. It described the grittiness of her missions but also included a lot of humor.

Iron Lake Book #1 by William Kent Krueger

 My Rating: 4.9

Cork is part Irish and part Anishinaabe Indian. He is also the former sheriff of Aurora Minnesota. His marriage and his career are in shambles. When the town's judge is brutally murdered, and a young Eagle Scout is reported missing, Cork takes on a mind-jolting case of conspiracy, corruption, and scandal.

I fell in love with Cork as a boy in the prequel Book #0 Lightning Strike. When I picked up this book, the first in the series, it was an adjustment to Cork not only being an adult, but to him having a less than idyllic life. I quickly feel in love with Cork, Aurora and all of the characters in this book. So well told and I will continue this series. 

Habakkuk by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

My Rating: 5.0

This is a series on Revive Our Hearts (listen through their webpage or their free app). Do you ever feel like God is not hearing your prayer? The prophet Habakkuk did. He looked at the injustice around him and wondered why God did not seem to change the situation. As he continued to look to God, the prophet ended up getting answers—but they were far different from what he expected. Learn how to worship in the middle of worry, confusion, and frustration in this practical series on Habakkuk.

I love listening to Revive Our Hearts and this series broke down the little book of Habakkuk and made it applicable to my own life. Nancy is fabulous at not only breaking down each verse to help understand what the Bible is saying but, she applies it to our real life/world circumstances. Absolutely fabulous!  

Friends Like These by Kimberly McCreight

 My Rating: 4.4

Five friends go the Catskills. They have been friends since college, back before what happened to Alice all those years ago. They are a complicated group with so many personalities, secrets and history (dysfunction).

Lots of "who dunnits" but, I figured out the 'who' about 2/3 of the way in. I didn't get all the 'why' or other details till the end. This was a fast paced light, easy thriller. 

Traveling Light by Max Lucado

My Rating: 4.8

Using the 23rd Psalm as our guide, Max Lucado walks us through a helpful inventory of our burdens. The Burdens discussed in this book are the following: 

• lesser God
• self reliance
• discontent
• weariness
• worry
• hopelessness
• guilt
• arrogance
• grave
• grief
• fear
• loneliness
• shame
• disappointment
• envy
• doubt
• homesickness

Along with my Christian book friends, we read two chapters a week and discussed it. It was the perfect pace to be able to absorb everything and reflect on it. I enjoyed his analogies and his insights helped me to look deeper to analyze myself.

Out Of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys

 My Rating: 4.4

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street.

Despite capturing the prostitutes, brothel and their business so well, there was also a wholesome feel to this savey street-wise book. Septeys has an amazing gift of taking a piece of history and bringing it to life. My two favorite books of hers so far are I Must Betray You and Between Shades of Grey. I will continue reading everything that she puts out as her writing really is amazing.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

 My Rating: 4.9

Claudia decides to run away and asks her younger brother James to accompany her, mainly because he is a miser and will have money. She has it all planned - of how they will get from their home in Greenwich to New York City and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

This captures both Claudia and James personalities so well. I know many of you have read this when you were younger but, I had never heard of this. So very cute and engaging.

Lightning Strike (Cork O'Connor #0) by William Kent Krueger

 My Rating: 4.9

Set in 1963 in Aurora Minnesota, a small town alongside the shores of Minnesota’s Iron Lake. Cork O’Connor is 12-years-old, and stumbles upon the body of a man he revered hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp. It is the first in a series of events that will cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family, and himself. 

Cork’s father, Liam O’Connor, is Aurora’s sheriff, and it is his job to confirm that the man’s death was the result of suicide, as all the evidence suggests. In the shadow of his father’s official investigation, Cork begins to look for answers on his own. 

Together, father and son face the ultimate test of choosing between what their heads tell them is true and what their hearts know is right. 

As always, William Kent Krueger writes with masterful story telling and captures so much heart - of a young man, the town and the Indian people. Amazingly well done. Even though this prequel was written later, I decided to start the series with this book. So good and I can't wait to immerse myself in the rest of this series.