The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight

 My Rating: 4.7

Wylie hasn’t heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn’t matter. Cassie’s in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself. This time it’s different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help. Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn’t feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him.

I read The Good Marriage by this author and enjoyed it so that is what made me pick this one up. I think this was even better! I could tell it was Young Adult but, it was well written. The perfect suspense thriller to curl up with on a chilly night. Love the build up of suspense, the characters and the short chapters that kept me flipping the pages for more. I was thrilled to find that this is a series so I am hoping the library will have the second book in this series. In the meantime, I am going to definitely read more by McCreight.

Bookmarks Magazine Nov/Dec 2020

 I LOVE getting my Bookmarks magazine. It is truly something I look forward to and get so happy when I see it in my mailbox. This month has some good recommendations. Here are the ones I picked:

How did I not know that Fredrick Backman had a new book out!!! This is one of the many reasons that I love Bookmarks!

        

I already have summer on my Kindle so may need to move it (and Autumn and Winter) up in my queue

 

I actually just started reading this one:

 

  

Let me know what you are reading!

No Exit by Taylor Adams

 My Rating: 4.9

Darby is driving in a horrific winter storm to see her dying mother. She is lucky to make it into a truck stop, along with four other strangers, to wait out the storm. As she is walking through the parking lot, she sees into a back of a van where there is a young girl trapped in an animal cage!  Who is the girl? Which of the four people in the rest stop drives that van? How can Darby rescue the girl?

Agh, the suspense! This had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. Such a sense of dread was perfect for this spooky time of year. With short chapters and so much suspense, this is another one you shouldn't read if you have to be up early in the morning.

The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels

My Rating: 4.9

Robin has spent most of her life running from her past. She thought she'd finally found sanctuary in her rather unremarkable used bookstore just up the street from the marina in River City, Michigan. But the store is struggling and the past is hot on her heels. 

This book opens with "Now" when Robin wakes up on the day her Father is sentenced to be executed and unfolds from there. It flashes back to "Then" when she is a teenager and she has to move in with her Grandmother and her feisty parrot "The Professor". I thought the writing was beautiful without being ostentatious or distracting. The perfect pitch was hit between feeling for Robin and also wondering what had/was going on. Fabulous read. I also loved this author's last book We Hope For Better Things. Erin - you need to write faster!

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

 My Rating: 4.8

Lakshmi is a soft after Henna Artist in 1950's Jaipur. Not only does she have beautiful intricate unique designs but, she keeps secrets as well as gives advice and potions to help her rich clientele.

This well written story flowed beautifully. I loved all the characters, the story line and the plot twists. I would definitely recommend as well as read more by this author.

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

 My Rating: 4.8

Lawyer, Lizzie Kitsakis works a lot of hours. Until recently, she was doing her dream job of being an underpaid federal prosecutor but, thanks to her husband, she had to sell her soul to the Corporate law firm of Young & Crane. She is working late at night and gets a call from an old college friend, Zach Grayson, who tells her he is in an inmate at Rikers. Zach is desperate: his wife, Amanda, has been found dead at the in their Brooklyn brownstone and Zach is the primary suspect.

I do NOT recommend this book if you have to but up in the morning. I literally kept reading thinking "one more chapter". It kept me thoroughly engaged. I loved the legal aspects, the character development, the twists and turns and most of all, the not knowing!!!  Don't read too much about it. Just get it....when you can stay up late reading till you are done 😁

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

 My Rating: 3.7

Manon Bradshaw is a devoted and respected member of the Cambridgeshire police force, and though she loves her job, what she longs for is a personal life. Single and distant from her family, she wants a husband and children of her own. One night, after yet another disastrous Internet date, she turns on her police radio to help herself fall asleep—and receives an alert that sends her to a puzzling crime scene. 

Edith Hind—a beautiful graduate student at Cambridge University and daughter of the surgeon to the Royal Family—has been missing for nearly twenty-four hours. Her home offers few clues: a smattering of blood in the kitchen, her keys and phone left behind, the front door ajar but showing no signs of forced entry. Manon instantly knows that this case will be big—and that every second is crucial to finding Edith alive. 

The investigation starts with Edith’s loved ones: her attentive boyfriend, her reserved best friend, her patrician parents. As the search widens and press coverage reaches a frenzied pitch, secrets begin to emerge about Edith’s tangled love life and her erratic behavior leading up to her disappearance. With no clear leads, Manon summons every last bit of her skill and intuition to close the case, and what she discovers will have shocking consequences not just for Edith’s family but for Manon herself.

I enjoyed this but, it went in to far too much detail of each character and the story felt bogged down. I didn't care for most of the characters. As much as it dragged on, I felt that the ending had these sudden convenient things thrown in so they could wrap it all up in a bow. The writing was good enough that I read it till the end but the story needed and editor.

Titans by Leila Meicham

 My Rating: 4.6

Texas in the early 1900's. twins Samantha and Neal are born. The mother insists she can only keep one. The father makes the difficult decision and Samantha is whisked away for adoption. The story continues from there of the different paths of Samantha and Neal as well as their parents.

While the good and bad characters were a bit too obviously laid out - to the point where I wasn't sure if the author thought the reader wasn't very bright. I still enjoyed this wholesome read. Meicham captured the quaint period of time, ranching and Texas ranch life very well. 

It's Always The Husband by Michele Campbell

My Rating: 4.7

Kate, Aubrey and Jenny are inseparable as college roommates – friends who promised they’d always be there for each other. But twenty years later, their friendship is about to take a deadly turn.

I enjoyed getting to know the three girls and their different backgrounds. When it first transitioned to "twenty years later" it took me a chapter or so to adjust but then I got right back in to it. This was a fun thriller that I didn't have figured out till the very end.

A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee Book #2

 My Rating: 4.9

In this sequel, Captain Sam Wydnham and Sergeant Banerjee of the Calcutta Police Force investigate the dramatic assassination of a Maharajah's son.

I am really enjoying this series. The writing is fabulous and I love that "India" is a character of it's own. As much as this is a detective novel, it also has me chuckling at several points. Very well done and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

Enjoy Your Journey by Joyce Meyer

 My Rating: 5.0

Do you ever think "I will be happen when....". You will learn such lessons as how to make the decision to enjoy life, how to rid yourself of regret, how to experience simplicity in life, how to find joy during times of waiting, and much more! Enjoying life is an attitude of the heart, and you can learn how to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.

I consider myself an optimistic person so I wasn't sure if I would glean much from this book. I definitely did - things from working too hard to our expectations of other people. As usual, Joyce had a lot of gems that made me look at things differently.

We Hope For Better Things by Erin Bartelo

 My Rating: 4.6

Three stories in the same house: one set in the late 1800's, one in the 1960's and one in current day. Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request--that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos--seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.

I don't care for books that are about current events and was concerned that this would be too close to things going on in our world. Thankfully, it only had a bit on it and covered it from a good angle.  I really enjoyed the tie in of the various events and the characters perspectives in the different generations.

Bookmarks Magazine Sept/Oct 2020

I don't know if it just me but, when horrible things are going on in the world, that is the last thing I want to read about so, Bookmarks having their focus on "pandemics" this month felt wrong. I skipped that whole section which limited the books that I did pick out.

Here are the books that I have added to my queue:


      

      


    

Let me know if you are like me and read to escape or if you will be reading some of their recommended Pandemic books?

Simplify: Ten Practices To Unclutter Your Soul by Bill Hybels

My Rating: 5.0


Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Overscheduled. Sound familiar? What if your life could be different? What if you could be certain you were living the life God called you to live―and building a legacy for those you love? If you crave a simpler life anchored by the priorities that matter most, roll up your sleeves: Simplified living requires more than just cleaning out your closets or reorganizing your desk drawer. It requires uncluttering your soul. By eradicating the stuff that leaves your spirit drained, you can stop doing what doesn’t matter―and start doing what does.

Let me start that I am not a fan of the Marie Kondo method and I will never be a minimalist. That being said, this book for prioritizing the focus  and simplifying of your soul was excellent! It covers everything from Family, Work, Exercise, Friendships and more. He tells stories to enhance the point and get you to understand how you can apply these techniques to prioritize your life.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

My Rating: 4.8

Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him. But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.

This kept me entertained all the way through. Towards the end I was continually guessing and many things didn't fall in to place till very close to the end. Loved the twists!