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REVIEWS for June theme: Enough of Being Indoors!
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The Mockingbird Next Door – Marja Mills – 3.5***
Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills was sent to Monroeville Alabama on an assignment to gather background information for a piece about To Kill a Mockingbird . She met Alice Lee and her younger sister, Nelle Harper Lee, and over years became friends with them. This is her memoir of her time in Monroeville and the lessons she learned from the sisters – about the South, about family, about justice.
My full review HERE
And the Trees Crept In - Dawn Kurtagich3★
An entire creepy forest with a demon that the girls created. I think if I had been them...I would have gone INSIDE and stayed there.
This would have made a better movie… but since it’s a book…I have to say that it’s a lot to be taken in. I love horror movies and ghost stories as most of you know. The fun thing for me about reading rather than watching is being able to put my own mental movie together with the help of the author’s words…this one was difficult to do that with. I have to give it high marks for being creepy and it had the ability to give the reader the feeling of “wrongness” long after the final page. The main thing that was “wrong” about it at least for me… was the lack of real development of the characters. So much went into the development of the “Creeper Man”, who was a great character…that the girls and their aunt became “second class citizens” of the storyline. The actions of the girls made them seem so much younger than they were supposed to be and the ending was…well, just an ending. The way it was done was almost nonsensical. I don’t think anyone that is a true horror fan is going to be enthralled with it...However If you just want a few hours of being scared…this will do that for you.
I am currently reading book 15
Manitou Canyon in William Kent Krueger Cork O'Connor series.
The series is set in Aurora, Minnesota. This book is set in the BWCA - Boundary Waters Canoe Area - which is the forest that surrounds the Minnesota/Canadian border.
I have immensely enjoyed this series and I know this book will be at least a 4 star read.
Manitou Canyon in William Kent Krueger Cork O'Connor series. The series is set in Aurora, Minnesota. This book is set in the BWCA - Boundary Waters Canoe Area - which is the forest that surrounds the Minnesota/Canadian border.
I have immensely enjoyed this series and I know this book will be at least a 4 star read.
I finished reading Back of Beyond, by CJ Box.
It is part crime drama / part wilderness adventure and is set in Yellowstone. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and highly recommend it!
The Year The Swallows Came Early - Kathryn Fritzmaurice
4★
I really liked the character of Groovy and her story of coming to terms with the betrayal within her own family. What I really had a difficult time with was figuring out the passage of time between scenes and the time of year it was supposed to be. The story was very well told with a good plot. Groovy was a very mature young lady, that despite her hardships and the faults and challenges her parents presented, she loved both of them very much and remained a loyal and faithful daughter. The ending was great filled with forgiveness and love. Good first book Ms. Fritzmaurice.
Hunting for dinosaur fossils in the wild west territories so it has lots of outdoor scenes. 
2 stars
From the book. "The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America’s western territories, even as lawless gold rush towns begin to mark the landscape. While the civilized East debates Mr. Darwin’s heretical new theory called evolution, two paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils in a rivalry that will come to be known as the Bone Wars."
I could not get into the book for a few reasons. First,it uses the typical stereotypes, turn the page, surprise me on showing there are other types of people in the 1870's. Second reason, lack of depth and rounded background of the characters. Third and big reason, lack of flow in the story telling, felt chopped off at times or just not well connected. I feel this may be because of the fact it was finished by a ghost writer and not only does it fall short, feels unfinished and misdirected. No real fault of the ghost writer, you can't read the mind of an Author who has passed away on the direction he was going.
Amelia is a restorer of lost or/and abandoned graveyards.The Visitor - Amanda Stevens
The Graveyard Queen series Book #4
5★
I started reading this series about eight of nine years ago and couldn't get enough. Since this is book #4 I know that I have read it before but after several thousand books... (that may be a slight exaggeration...or maybe not), I had forgotten a lot...so rereading was like visiting a friend you haven't seen in many years. There was a long wait for awhile there and I feared that something had "got" The Graveyard Queen and we had seen the last of her, but hoping that Amanda Stevens wouldn't do that to us. Amelia is a wonderful and believable character whose presence dominates the pages. The series is a plethora of chilling ghost stories. I love these stories and the entire idea of a cemetery restorer with a little something extra. Stevens creates vivid imagery that allows the reader to form their own "visions". A ghost story "movie" in your own head. Her career and passion of restoring old cemeteries seems to be...at least to me...the most interesting "job" in the entire world.
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Odds Against – Dick Francis – 3.5***
I’ve read a couple of Dick Francis mysteries, but this is the first in a series, starring Sid Halley. I really liked how Francis gave us Halley’s background and set up potential continuing relationships for future books in the series. I’d classify this as more thriller than mystery. Halley (and the reader) know pretty quickly who’s behind the nefarious doings at the track, though there’s a bit of a question as to why and how. Halley is tenacious, intelligent, a quick-thinker, and a realist. I like the way he thinks.
My full review HERE
This not a pleasant outdoor wildlife scene but it fits the theme. 
4 stars
Good but slow read. With all the details and disturbing details it made it a slow read. I like that the book is an unbiased account and did not go over the top with details of the men's suffering but did give you enough to know it was dreadful. I am very surprised there was not more deaths. The book does have the court hearing and what happened after the sentencing. I can understand why is a topic that is still debated today on what should have been done, what really happened and what happened in the aftermath. Yes book does go into the blame game but that is to be expected in a tragedy of this magnitude.
The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters - Amy Lane
Granby Knitting series Book#1
4.5★
Truthfully...I picked up this book because 1. I loved the cover (bad reason to choose a book I know...but... and 2. I needed the story setting for...yes...another challenge. (sigh) Actually I became engrossed in the story and Rance's efforts...that most of the time went completely over Ben's head. I know little and care nothing at all about yarn or knitting even though I come from along line of knitters. Now the animals were a different story...give me animals that are cared for and loved in any story...any day. I loved the characters. The grumpy Rance Crawford who hoped to win Ben's heart by knitting him countless warm gifts. Ben who was just a "fish out of water."..but lovable and sometimes clueless. I also liked how Rance said what he meant and made no apologies for who he was. It was a nice to see that they became friends before they became lovers.
Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood, 3 Stars
This is a book of short stories by an acclaimed author, and while most of them do NOT take place outdoors, the title story does. Stone Mattress is set on a remote Arctic beach where the protagonist plots revenge against a fellow cruise ship passenger.
I don't love short stories as a general rule, and I didn't love this book. Many of the stories are centered on the indignities faced by the aging. The collection is (for the most part) dark. I did enjoy Stone Mattress.
The cover has a scene of a girl on a horse, A cowboy, a truck, a barn, a fence, dry grass and a mountain in the background. 
2 stars
The book is about two couples,Ira and Ruth and Sophia and Luke. The book is full with sweet stories, predictable story lines and characters that you like and can relate to. Just wish I could have gotten into it more, I tried. I wanted to love the book but I just have to face the real fact, I don't like Chick lit romance book. No fault of the Author.
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The Art of Travel – Alain de Botton – 4****
Any travel guide will tell us where we should travel and what we should see when we get there. Alain de Botton tries to tell us WHY we should travel. In various chapters he expounds on what it is that travel offers us. He waxes poetic on the anticipation of arriving at a new location, the marvels of modes of transportation, on “country” vs “city,” on finding beauty – in the familiar as well as the exotic. I think he has opened my eyes and I will feel more open about all experiences henceforth, whether just the comfort of my own bedroom, or the excitement of a location that is completely new to me.
My full review HERE
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Tyrannosaur Canyon – Douglas Preston – 4****
This was one wild ride of a thriller! I was all set to follow independently wealth veterinarian Tom Broadbent, and then wanna-be monk and ex-CIA operative Wyman Ford steals the show. Plenty of action, more villains that you can shake a stick at, twists and turns and danger to keep the reader turning pages and trying (in vain, in my case at least) to guess where this is going. And I loved that the T-rex gets a few chapters of her own to “narrate.” Also, Preston’s female characters are really strong women!
My full review HERE
The whole story takes place in the wilderness.
3 stars
Taken from the back of the book. "In the harsh wilderness beyond the owl world of Ga'Hoole, a wolf mother hides in fear. Her newborn pup, otherwise healthy, has a twisted paw. The mother knows the rigid rules of her kind. The pack cannot have weakness. Her pup must be abandoned on an icy riverbank-condemned to die. But alone in the forest, the pup, Faolan, does the unthinkable. He survives. This is Faolan's story, the story of a courageous wolf pup who rises up to change forever the wolves of the beyond. "
Good story but dragged in so many spots that I almost lost interest. I enjoyed the interaction of the pup Faolan and the bear, just wished it lasted a little longer. The mother wolf that was forced to leave a pup behind story line is depressing and yet inspirational. The whole book has ups and down and very raw moments but overall a good read. I would have loved this book when I was younger but I have a few issues here and there with the structure and time line of the book.
This book is more or less a group of short stories that all relate to one another. They are all, in some way or another, about trees, and the author masterfully leads us from Johnny Appleseed, to the death of the American Chestnut, the American Elm, and the few remaining giant red wood trees. It almost all takes place outdoors. It is a fascinating, if lengthy, look at trees and how we use and abuse them, and in some instances, how we live to protect them.
It will likely stay with the reader for a long time.
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The Woman Who Walked In Sunshine – Alexander McCall Smith – 4****
Book sixteen in the immensely popular – and equally enjoyable – series starring Mma Precious Ramotswe and other residents of Gabaron, Botswana. I love this series for the gentle “mysteries of daily life” and for the wonderful way that Precious arrives at the truth and solves her cases. There are no gristly murders here, though there are mysteries of human behavior. Spending time with the characters of these novels is like enjoying an afternoon libation on a patio in the sunshine.
My full review HERE
We Speak in Storms - Natalie Lund
5★
A beautifully written story of how important it is to not only find yourself..but even more important to find friends worth fighting for. The book was filled with very descriptive text that easily let the reader form pictures of a small mid-west town...a deadly tornado... three very different and diverse main characters...ghosts...bonds of friendship... grief, and regret. I know without a doubt that this book will reach and touch teen readers but it also has the ability to appeal to the adults in the reading world.
Lighting storm on the cover. 
1 star
Book started off with Nell running away from life. I should have stopped reading but nope, I plunged on into the never ending Nell find herself saga story. I am all for so many things in this book,
a couple examples, the fight for a simple life and protecting earth and wildlife. The rest of the forbidden love story, just could not get into nor the constant complaint of the cost of things. To many mixed messages in the book for me. I could go on more of why I did not like the book but I don't want to give away to much to others who might like or enjoy the book. It just was not for me.
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The Hideaway – Lauren K Denton – 2.5**
I wasn’t expecting great literature, and I didn’t get it. The writing is simple. The plot is rather predictable. The cast of characters, typically eccentric. There are secrets to be unearthed and solved. There’s also the ubiquitous dual timeline, with present-day Sara unearthing bits and pieces of her grandmother’s story. It was a fast read and moderately entertaining. But I’ve already forgotten it.
My full review HERE
Most of the book took place in Lafayette Park across from the White House.
Hell's Corner - David Baldacci
The Camel Club Series Book #5
4★
First let me clarify that David Baldacci is incapable of writing a "bad" or mediocre book...but some are just more compressive and easier to get involved in than others. This book had so many possible bad guys and so many alphabet government agencies going after poor Oliver Stone and MI6 agent Mary Chapman that it became a muddle attempt to keep up with it all. There were some very exciting parts...the characters were excellent and well drawn...even the minor ones. The thing that was rather disappointing about the entire story was that Oliver's friends that comprise "The Camel Club" and had helped him throughout the other 4 books, were nearly absent until almost the very end of this one. These people are what made this series so good should have been treated better in this last book of the series. Still worthy of 4 star rating but if I had never read any of the other books I don't believe I could have given it this rating.
Cover is filled with clouds, mountains and grass, 
2 stars
The book is set in Holt County Colorado and has several Characters. Victoria Roubideaux who is disowned by her Mother when she discovers her daughter is 17 and pregnant. Tom Guthrie who is a school teacher, has two boys and a wife who is not a Mother nor wife. Brothers,Ike and Bobby, their Mother abandoned them and their Father. Bachelor farmers Raymond and Harold McPheron. School teacher Maggie Jones. I wanted to love this book, I just could not keep myself focused. It is hard to pinpoint my dislike. The romance part is not overdone so that is not the problem. I think the big issue is the lack of balance in the story telling. Some scenes draw you in and well put together, other scenes are flat and under developed. The story is raw real look into a rural community with good and bad people who live in them and their struggles with good and bad choices.
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The Women In the Castle – Jessica Shattuck – 3***
Three German widows are brought together shortly after World War II ends. I liked the idea of this novel’s story more than I liked the actual book. There are some interesting and thought-provoking themes presented, but I’m probably just overloaded on WWII. On the whole, I found the novel forgettable.
My full review HERE
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The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek – Kim Michelle Richardson – 4****
I love reading historical fiction, particularly when it focuses on an element of history about which I know little. This covers two such elements: the Pack-Horse Librarians and the “blue people” of Kentucky. Cussy Mary Carter is a marvelous lead characters – kind, compassionate, determined and tenacious. The author’s use of vernacular dialect helped transport me to a different time and place.
My full review HERE
Karen Kay wrote: "I am currently reading book 15 Manitou Canyon in William Kent Krueger Cork O'Connor series. The series is set in Aurora, Minnesot..."
I will have to check out this book. I have family in Aurora, Minnesota.
Saturn and stars on the cover. 
3 stars
First off, I purchased this book just for the beautiful cover, had no idea who the Author was nor what her style was. Science meets poetry, meets myth then swills them all into popular culture. The writing draws you in. Did I fully understand everything I was reading, no, but I did not give up. I will do a re-read just so I can re-think and try and get a better understanding of the full picture of her out of box thinking. I did admire the Author for giving the planets their own chapter. I also liked the glossary at the end of the book. It helped refresh me with some things I had in my brain but don't use very often on science.
Taken from the second chapter, Genesis, "All the while the planets were forming, projectiles flew through the young Solar System like avenging angels." I Love this description.
Cover of Snow - Jenny Milchman
This is one of those novels that you can't stop reading. It isn't particularly exciting or something that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats...but it does grab your curiosity and insist that you read just one more chapter since you Just have to find out what was going to happen to Nora next. Would the "good guys" win? Who exactly are the "good guys? Are they maybe the same as the "bad guys" with secrets that they have been willing to kill to protect for over 80 years. It's a mystery without the usual blood and guts that I usually read...but it was a really nice change of pace with a captivating story line. Bring your coat and boots there is LOTS of snow:)
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O Pioneers! – Willa Cather – 4****
Cather’s first novel follows one family over decades as they settle the great plains of Nebraska. The heroine is Alexandra Bergson, who takes charge of the family farm after her father dies, and ensures the family’s prosperity despite setbacks. This is a strong woman! Her love of the land is evident, but she is no romantic. The story encompasses tragedy as well as triumph.
My full review HERE
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Peach Pies And Alibis – Ellery Adams – 3***
Book two in the Charmed Pie Shoppe series, starring Ella Mae LeFaye, who discovered her magical powers in book one of the series. This installment in the series did serve to better explain the premise and Ella Mae’s family’s magical history. It’s far from literature, and pretty predictable, but I did find it entertaining.
My full review HERE
THE GARDEN OF LOST AND FOUND-HARRIET EVANS
Synopsis
Past and Present cross their paths in Harriet Evan's compelling novel. It was an emotional family drama stretching decades. Drama, love, and tragedy in the plot can sweep away anyone's feet. The connection between modern-day characters with ancestors in a story that's at once charming and heartbreaking. The story revolves around a house that has secrets, stories, mysteries, and memories prowling from every corner.
Review
1919, Liddy Horner discovers her husband, the world-famous artist Sir Edward Horner before his best-known painting, "The Garden of Lost and Found", seize his children on a perfect day, playing the promenade garden of heaven made by him and Liddy. Liddy and Ned's love story is something out of the lovey-dovey TV series but though full of hope, love, hardships, and devotion. Some characters are unseen but mend one of the greatest bonds within the family.
Another side of the story placed in time to 2014. Here's Liddy's great-granddaughter Juliet, an oracle in Victorian art who's at hardships in her life. She's been thrown out of her job, has dismantled relationships with her husband, and losing emotional connection with her three children. She mysteriously received a key and a letter-she sees it as not only escape from her crippling marriage but a new start, a refuge for her future and her children too.
ONE-KEY, ONE MAGICAL MOMENT AND every memory locks start CLICKING!!!!
SOMETHING SPLINTERED THIS CORNER OF PARADISE. BUT WHAT??
MY RATING *****/5
Dog sitting in the grass looking at traffic, Mountains and clouds in the background.
4 stars
The book fills in some of the blanks on the Teitlebaum divorce case and you get to see more of Chet and Bernie interacting with each other. Chet the dog is still the narrator and I just love the dogs view on things. Very Quick smooth read.
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The spruces gave out as he neared the lake. A grove of pines stood black to the south, then a line of boulders or upthrust crags and a dead tree trunk that bent toward the lake as it had kept watch for years.
Virgil Wander – Leif Enger – 4****
I love character-driven novels and this one perfectly fits the bill. I love Enger’s way with words, the way he paints the landscape and draws his characters who so perfectly fit the scenario he gives us. There is a spirituality, or mysticism about Enger’s story-telling that captures my attention as well. Enger’s town is small, but the people in it are larger than life. There are moments of humor and tenderness, and some evil and tragedy as well. However, the overall feeling is one of hope and resilience and of looking forward to the future, whatever it may bring.
My full review HERE
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A Rule Against Murder – Louise Penny – 3.5***
Book four in the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series, set in and around Three Pines, Quebec. This time he’s pressed into service when a murder occurs at an isolated resort where he and his wife are celebrating their wedding anniversary. I love Gamache and the deliberate way he goes about investigating cases.
My full review HERE
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Rise & Shine Benedict Stone – Phaedra Patrick – 3.5***
This is a charming novel of one man’s awakening. Patrick has crafted a sort of modern fairy tale, with a cast of eccentric characters, a romantic quest, the mythology of gems, and a happy ending (of course). It was a delightful, heart-warming read.
My full review HERE
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To the Bright Edge Of the World – Eowyn Ivey – 4.5****
This is a marvelous adventure story, and an engaging look at personal growth. Both these lead characters experience heartache and difficulties and yet both persevere in reaching their goals despite obstacles, naysayers and setbacks. I loved the use of diary entries and letters to tell this bifurcated story. The book is full of Native Alaskan people’s culture, traditions, and stories. There are several very strong Native characters. I love magical realism and Ivey seamlessly weaves these elements into her story.
My full review HERE
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Work Song – Ivan Doig – 4****
What a charming and engaging story! Morrie Morgan has arrived in Butte, Montana just after the end of World War I. The pace is somewhat slow. As events unfold we learn about the residents of Butte. I liked Morrie’s slow, deliberate way of judging a situation. The bookworm in me loved all his literary references, but he’s no milquetoast librarian; Morrie can, and does, take care of himself. Grace is a marvelous strong woman. Doig’s skill at character building shows in the way her actions reveal her inner struggles. I need to read of this author’s works.
My full review HERE
Grab a Book & Play Booktivity!
Books mentioned in this topic
Work Song (other topics)To The Bright Edge of the World (other topics)
Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone (other topics)
A Rule Against Murder (other topics)
Virgil Wander (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
William Kent Krueger (other topics)Margaret Atwood (other topics)
William Kent Krueger (other topics)
Here's the place to share your opinions / reactions / recommendations.
Our June theme was suggested by SouthWestZippy:
Enough of being indoors! - Read a book with an outdoor/wildlife scene on the cover -or- described in the text.
If you use the cover option, be sure to post the COVER image.
If you use the "text" option, be sure to quote the relevant description.
Enjoy!