Vanessa’s Comments (group member since Jun 15, 2017)

Vanessa’s comments from the Read, Reading, Planning to Read and More group.

Hi All! First of all, Kristi your hubby is in my thoughts and prayers.
I don't know if any of you do any of the kindle challenges, one of the categories was best books of the year so far. I chose "When We Ride" by Rex Ogle. It is written in a poetry form and I must say it was great. It tells the tale of two seventeen year olds. Both are raised in a single parent household, one Latino, and one Caucasian. They are best friends but in many ways polar opposites. The writer of the story, doesnt do drugs, doesn't drink, and is striving to be a college student, the first in his family. The other is a popular and handsome guy but he finds himself mired in the drug and teenage drinking scene. He also deals drugs to supplement his mother's welfare. The other works at a local diner bussing tables while is Mom works as a maid, and struggles with alcoholism. It is really a unique reading experience.

Oh and Doug, The Haunting of Paynes Hollow has a fantastic revenge finale!

I just finished Ilona Andrew's The Inheritance. I loved it. I want more in this world! I hope that there is another book coming.
On the other hand, I was refused by NetGalley for This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. I wish I knew their criteria. Currently, there are only 25 reviews on NetGalley and generally there are a lot more given the release of the ARC's.
I have received ARC's from Ilona Andrews in the past, I'm just a little bummed .
I read 2 different ARC's, Kelley Armstrong's The Haunting of Paynes Hollow, and Rebecca Zanetti's You Can Scream.
The Armstrong novel is a Stand-alone and it has a definite creepy supernatural vibe. A young woman turned her father in for the killing of a young boy, and later he kills himself. Her Grandfather's will dictates that she has to stay at the family cabin, (where the murder took place), for a month and then she can inherit the cabin(s), and all of the property which he has consulted for with a developer. The money can sustain her for a lifetime or more. He has always maintained that she was mistaken and that her father did not kill the boy. It's a horror story but not a gory descriptive kind. There are a lot of twists and her grandfather was not a nice or kind man. There are a couple of side characters and because this is on private property, not a lot of interaction with any others. It has great story telling, she sure can spin a tale.
The next ARC is one of my absolute favorite series. Laurel Snow is an FBI agent and the cases are excellent and the main characters are really intriguing. In this novel, Laurel's half sister is on trial for the murder of their disgusting father. Her sister is a true psychopath and Zanetti really has the creep factor down pat. There is always lots of action and cryptic clues in these books. Laurel's relationship with Huck progresses quite well and her coworkers are all well fleshed out and developing their own relationships. I can't express just how good these books are. She is competent, unbelievably intelligent, and brave. Her relationship with Huck is a true partnership. There are so many things that I could write about, but that would spoil the revelations that occur throughout the series. This is the 5th book in the series and I hope that there are many more to come.

Sorry I have to continue... The main character, Sam, (Samantha), Payne turned her father in. Her grandfather always maintained her father's innocence. Her grandfather in his will gives her the cottages on the lake and all of the property with the stipulation that she must remain there for one month. Once she gets there, there are many strange caveats, which makes it even creepier.
It's not my usual, but I know that Armstrong is a great writer and I enjoy her stories, so I took a chance.

I know that she has been traveling, but I would like to wish Kristi a very happy birthday.

I listen to a lot of books. I used to listen to them on my kindle, but I get most of them through Audible. I always look to see if say a KU book also has the audio for free or cheaper. The way to do this is download the KU, (kindle), version & then go back in on the Audible side and see if the audio version is free or at a reduced price.
As for reading, I tried to listen to Laura Thalassa's novel "Bewitched" but I'm not into it.
I've been listening to Helen Harper's "The Dark Hiss of Magic". This is the second book in the series, The Cat Lady Chronicles. Kit McCafferty is a middle age woman, a former assassin, who can let's say swap bodies with a cat to investigate or sometimes commit crimes. It's a fun novel to listen to.
On kindle I am reading a Kelley Armstrong ARC. It's a horror novel, (not my usual genre), titled "The Haunting of Paynes Hollow". It's a kind of headless horseman/ creepy things that go bump in the night kind of story. The premise is the as a child she witnessed her father trying to bury the body of a young boy that he had just killed.

For those who, (whom?), are Jane Austin fans, there is an Audible Original Drama for free until tomorrow, (August 31st). It includes, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Predudice, Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and my favorite, Persuasion. All are narrated by well know actors, Emma Thompson, Billie Piper, Claire Foy, to name a few.
Also, I see that Audible has some complete collections by others, Agatha Christie, Conan Doyle, Frank Baum, C.S. Lewis, etc. These all appear to be for 1 credit each series. It's nice sometimes to dip into the classics sometimes. Though I can't quite see myself reading Dostoyevsky anytime soon. I could never read more than a couple of chapters before I was sleeping quite contently.

Dorsey I also love the Laurel Snow series. The characters are excellent especially the bad ones!

Lisa... i know that you and I are a couple of holdouts and still read the BDB books. How do the characters look compared to the descriptions in the books? I saw some of the adverts for the casting calls, & they wanted huge guys.

The Elder Races is one of my favorite series. The Others, Jane Yellowrock, and for fun, I still love the Shelley Laurenston Shifters, no matter which group.

Remember the ones that we used to love? Dark Hunters, Nalini Singh, and more.

I've been listening/reading Mary Stone's Shadow Island series, but now at book 10 there is no audio book. Did the publishers think that we suddenly want to read the book? It's just weird.

Doug... I like the historical K-dramas. Some are a tad bit goofy, and many have the same actors play the villains. They take a long time to get through, but the bad guys get it in the end.

Thanks LAB! My friend Cathy, (who you met), and I have got to go to your store.

I can't even get the Ilona Andrews book to even come up on NetGalley.

I haven't read any Ruby Dixon in a long time. After the Shadow Island book that I am currently listening to and reading maybe I'll check that out.

Happy... Would you let me know when netgalley has Kelley Armstrong's latest book?

Hi All... I've been listening/reading a new, (to me), author, Mary Stone. I think that she has more series out but I'm currently into her Shadow Island series. Book 1 "Shadow's Secret" introduces us to Rebecca West who has returned to Shadow Island where she vacationed as a child with her parents. Wrung out from her work as an FBI agent, she has rented the cottage that they rented when she was a child in hopes to relive cherished memories of her now dead, (murdered), parents. She's not even unpacked when the local sheriff knocks on her door asking for her help and expertise regarding a missing teen. In this book we don't get the details, but Rebecca has resigned from the FBI but her skills are sharp and methodical. I really enjoy this series, it's free on KU. and if you look on the Audible side. you can scroll down and buy the books for $7.49. You must dl the Kindle version first to get the lower audible price. The books are only about 6 hours long so they are a fairly quick read.
Another "series" that I have enjoyed is the Mydworth Mysteries series. They're really more like novellas just direct and to the point.
Sir Harry Mortimer and his new wife Kat, an American, who is from the Bronx, daughter of a bartender, and also formerly in the "diplomatic corps" are arriving at his family's estate when a theft occurs at the manor house where Harry's Aunt lives. They use their skills as "diplomats", (spies), to solve the mystery of the robbery.
These are cozy mysteries set in the late 1920's . They work together to solve various crimes and develop a reputation for quick absolution.
Both series are well written and fun to read.

All set, voted! :-)

melindeeloo... Thanks for reminding me about the Harper book. I forgot about it. i like her fast paced stories and her quick humor.
I finished "Tiger's Magic". I had forgotten some of the details. When I can, I think that I'll do a re-listen to the whole Shifters Unbound series. I like a well written Shifters series. I tried a couple of books about Shifters by Jade Alders and they were rather bad. I got a few of the books through the book funnel app so they were cheap audio books.

I'm listening to the latest in the Lady Hardcastle series, "The Beast of Littleton Woods". These are fun novels set in the early 1900's. The main characters are Lady Emily Hardcastle, and her sidekick/lady's maid, Florence, (Flo), Armstrong. Years earlier Lady Hardcastle and Flo worked in Her Majesty's Service as spies. Lady Hardcastle is an expert shot and Flo is deadly with a knife. Retiring to the country they thought that their life would be restful and quiet. it is anything but, they have moved to the murder capital of rural England. There is snippy banter and great side characters. They fill their days with investigations on their own and to assist the police. It really is a fun series and I look forward to each new book.

I finished the Shifters Unbound book, Bear Facts. I liked it, she's introducing a different type of Shifter. She has healers, guardians, and this new variation. Tiger and 2 of the Morrisey clan make an appearance in this book so I grabbed Tiger and Carly's book, Tiger Magic. It's great to do a re-read sometimes and I really like reading as Carly & Tiger's relationship unfolds.

I saw that Jennifer Ashley has another Shifters Unbound book coming out soon. I realized that I didn't read the last novel out so I'm reading "Bear Facts". I had forgotten how much I like these books and I'm actually engaged and enjoying it.
I've been bouncing around between 19th century investigations in Irina Shapiro's novels. The latest is "Murder at the Orpheus Theater" a Tate and Bell Mystery Series. I've also been listening to little cozy mysteries set in the 1920's Mydworth Mysteries by co-authors Neil Richard's and Matthew Costello. These are really quick novella length stories.

ETA.. The author is Irina Shapiro and the first book is "Murder in the Crypt: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 1"

I've been listening to an excellent Historical murder series. It is the Redmond and Haze Mystery Series. Jason Redmond is an American Civil War Captain who inherits a title and an estate in England when his Grandfather dies. He was a prisoner of war and has a young boy, Micah, as his ward who served as a drummer boy. Jason promised his father and brother that if they died that he would care for him. Jason is a trained surgeon and his medical expertise comes in handy in their investigations.
Daniel Haze is a local policeman. He was a former London policeman who, after a personal tragedy, moves back to his wife's home village. They form a friendship over an investigation and Daniel and Jason rely on each other's opinion and form a partnership in inquiry.
These books are free on KU and if you get the KU version you can purchase the audio for $7.49, less than the price of a credit.