Found (The Missing #1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

My Rating: 2.8

Thirteen-year-old friends Jonah and Chip, who re both adopted, find out that they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies, with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to capture them.

Maybe this book would be great if you are 14 years old but for me, the premise was just too 'out there' for me to go with it. I also didn't care about any of the characters and the writing felt very juvenile. If I am going to read Young Adult, I would prefer it be smart and written for any maturity level.

The Mother In-Law by Sally Hepworth

My Rating: 3.8

Diana, Lucy's mother-in-law, has always kept Lucy at arm's length. Now Diana is dead just a short while after her husband's death and there is a note. Suicide seems to be the logical conclusion but as the police investigate, it seems there are a lot of motives for murder.

While I enjoyed the writing, the characters and the plot were lackluster. We were supposed to think the MIL was evil but it never delivered. Any supposed suspense felt anticlimatic and just didn't pull me in. I will try other books by this author as I did enjoy her writing style.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

My Rating: 3.8

In an unnamed South American country, a world-renowned soprano sings at a birthday party in honor of a visiting Japanese industrial titan. In the opening sequence, a ragtag band of 18 terrorists enters the vice-presidential mansion through the air conditioning ducts. Their quarry is the president, who has unfortunately stayed home to watch a favorite soap opera. From the beginning, things go awry.

Wow! There is no easy way to summarize this book. If you are reading it to "know what happens in the end" you will be disappointed. This isn't about the ending....it is about the beautiful journey that unfolds of each character - terrorist or hostage...and the lines get blurred.  I read this years ago and loved it. This time reading it was enjoyable but didn't have the grip that it did then. I don't deny that there is so much beauty in the prose and unfolding but, somehow, it didn't hold up. I am not sure if it didn't stand the test of time, if I expected too much or if I have advanced in my expectations as a reader. Good but not great.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

My Rating: 4.8

In Virginia, a special treatment center with a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. Then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident.  This book is told in flashbacks before the accident and through the current day trial.

This book captures so much - how it would feel to be the mother of a child on the Autistic Spectrum, how it would feel to be an Immigrant, how it would feel to try to make a contraversial business successful, courtroom dynamics and so much more. So many aspects were so well represented in this book. This is uncomfortable in dealing with so many issues but extremely well written. It is hard to believe it is her first book and I can't wait for her next.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

My Rating: 5.0

This is about two kids, Peter and Kate, who grow up next door to each other and fall in love. It starts before they are born with their dad's, Francis and Brian, as rookie Irish cops on the same beat. You get to know all of Peter and Kate's family members as well as what goes on behind closed doors. There is a pivotal event that changes everything for both families.

This readable family drama is about life, love, forgiveness and so much more. I love how she captures Irish cops, living in New York. I fell in love with all the characters, flaws and all. I couldn't wait to get back to this book. Wow. Just wow. So sad it is over. Without a doubt, the best book I have read in quite a while. LOVED it!!!

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

My Rating: 4.8

Emma marries Jesse, her high school sweet-heart. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter that goes missing...and is gone. Fast forward 10 years and Emma has rebuilt her life, now running her parent's book store and engaged to Sam, her childhood friend. It feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness, until Jesse is found, alive!

I admit, I thought this was going to be cheezy. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it, let alone wish that I had read this for bookclub as it would have made a GREAT discussion. The characters were real and well developed and nothing felt pat or easy. It was a quick easy read without being fluffy. I loved how it unfolded as well as the ending. 

The Face On The Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney

My Rating: 3.4

A 16 year old girl recognizes herself as the face of the missing child on the milk carton. Janie can't believe her loving parents kidnapped her. She realizes that there are no photos of her before she was 5 years old and other things don't add up. She starts to have memories and can't let go of wondering if she was kidnapped twelve years ago.

I enjoyed this book enough to get out book #2 and #3 from the library but, also was disappointed to discover that, despite being made into a movie, this is not based on a true story. I also felt that this was REALLY long and am concerned the sequels will be 'milking' (ha!) this even further. It definitely should have been edited down so it didn't drag so much. Still, a quick easy read.

The Night Before by Wendy Walker

My Rating: 3.2

Lori falls fast and hard for the wrong kind of men. Her sister Rosie who is happily married with a child is the 'steady' one in the family. You know that something has happened in Lori's past and you just aren't sure if it happened to Lori or she was the one who did something. Lori decides to try online dating and meets a man but doesn't come home from the date. Rosie and her husband and their childhood friend Gabe all try to track down Lori and it unfolds from there.

I loved the timeline going from Rosie and her husband in current day looking for Lori to the flashbacks to childhood as well as to Lori going out on the date. I enjoyed this until the last 1/4 which took a sudden turn in the plotline and got so horrifically cheezy that it lost me. So sad as I really did enjoy the first 3/4 of this book.

Bookmarks Sept/Oct 2019

I am always SO excited to get my Bookmarks magazine!  It has been crazy insane (more on what is going on in a video this Tuesday) but this couldn't have been more perfect timing! I don't know how to procrastinate so, when I walked to my mailbox and discovered this gem waiting for me, I immediately sought out a quiet corner in my house to curl up and devour this fabulous magazine. Such a needed escape!


      

      
   

The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

My Rating: 4.7

Emma is 22 years old and learning to bake since she was 13 under the tutelage of Ezra. With the Nazi occupation of her town, life changes completely. Emma has no hope of the Allied forces rescuing them but she can't handle seeing her fellow townfolk starving so, she does what she can to help them.

I really enjoyed this. Even though Emma didn't have hope of rescue, she provided hope to her fellow townfolk. It is amazing how much the human spirit can endure and survive and this captures the feeling of being one of the townfolk trying to survive.

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason

My Rating: 4.9

Vienna, 1914. Lucius is a twenty-two-year-old medical student when World War I explodes across Europe. Enraptured by romantic tales of battlefield surgery, he enlists, expecting a position at a well-organized field hospital. But when he arrives, at a commandeered church tucked away high in a remote valley of the Carpathian Mountains, he finds a freezing outpost ravaged by typhus. The other doctors have fled, and only a single, mysterious nurse named Sister Margarete remains.

This book won't be for everyone as it does lag at times. For me, the beautiful writing propelled it along. I truly FELT each scene - the weather, the war, the emotions - and that will stay with me. Absolutely gorgeous but not a light fluffy read and at times, I didn't like where the plot went but again, the writing held me to the end. Will definitely get more by this author.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

My Rating: 4.6

Three different people. who find their way back from loss and loneliness to a different kind of happiness. Arthur, a widow, meets Maddy, a troubled teenage girl who is avoiding school by hiding out at the cemetery, where Arthur goes every day for lunch to have imaginary conversations with his late wife, and think about the lives of others. The two strike up a friendship that draws them out of isolation. With Arthur’s nosy neighbor Lucille, they create a loving and unconventional family, proving that life’s most precious moments are sweeter when shared.

This was a heartwarming story that I didn't want to end. I particularly loved Arthur - the epitame of the sweet quirky old man that captures your heart

The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard

My Rating: 4.8

At St John's College in Dublin, Will and Alison are dating. Flash forward 10 years to when Alison is living in the Netherlands and Will is in a psychiatric hospital for being the most prolific serial killer in Ireland's history.

The Garda detectives visit Will to see if he can assist them in solving what looks like a copycat killing. Instead, Will tells them he has something new to confess-but there's only one person he's prepared to confess it to, and she doesn't want to have anything to do with the past she has worked so hard to put behind her.

This delicious story was like popcorn - light and I couldn't get enough. 

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

My Rating: 4.2

15 years ago, Emma and 3 other girls share a cabin at summer camp. When the other 3 girls sneak out and never return, it haunts Emma.

Fast forward 15 years and Franny, the owner of the camp, decides to reopen it and invites Emma back. It is immediately apparent that things are not right.

This had me second guessing the ending....right up until the ending (although I think my ending was better HA!) It was good but, rather repetitive and the 'sense of foreboding' seemed contrived. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if it had moved at a faster pace. 

My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

My rating: 4.9

It is the 1800's and Mary is a brilliant young midwife who dreams of becoming a surgeon. Mary travels to Washington D.C. to help tend the wounded from the Civil War.

This was wonderful in the details of the Civil War as well as the horrible lack of medical equipment and knowledge. I learned a lot and found this such a wonderful perspective of the every day person (vs the slave or the soldier) that I hadn't heard before. Very readable and I cared about all the characters. I can't wait to read the sequel to this! Definite recommend!