What Are You Reading / Reviews - January thru March 2021

[Book Concierge]

Olive Kitteridge – Elizabeth Strout – 4****
After my F2F book club chose to discuss the sequel, Olive, Again , I decided to revisit the original. I can clearly see her growth as a character. And I’m more sympathetic to Olive, even though she is still hard to like.
My full review HERE

[Book Concierge]

The Dutch House – Ann Patchett – 4****
Patchett uses the youngest member of the Conroy family, Danny, to tell this decades-long story of the family’s fortunes. I love Patchett’s writing. I love the way she reveals her characters in what they say and do. We see Danny grow from a young child to a middle-aged man with children of his own. And we watch Maeve take on the mantle of responsibility for her younger brother, encouraging and pushing him to succeed, to prove that they can thrive without the legacy they expected.
My full review HERE

[James]

Cathryn J. Prince, A Professor, a President, and a Meteor: The Birth of American Science [2011] 254 pages

This book is a short biography of Benjamin Silliman, one of the first American academic scientists to gain international recognition, and a fairly interesting account of the 1807 meteorite fall in Weston, Connecticut, which he investigated and wrote about, giving the first real chemical analysis of a meteorite and establishing that they come from "outer space" (Prince's term). The president (Thomas Jefferson) is something of a red herring, as his alleged comment on the fall only takes up a page or two of the book.

Unfortunately, the author, a journalism professor who has written books on a number of miscellaneous topics, seems to have no understanding of the scientific background which she puts together from a variety of mutually inconsistent and mostly popular secondary sources. She tells us that "It would be some time before people knew that Earth plows through hundreds of tons of meteors every day. Orbiting in a belt between Mars and Jupiter, these meteors make shooting stars." In another place, she tells us that one of the main reasons for studying meteorites is that they help us to understand the big bang theory. She constantly tells us that "we now know" or "scientists think" followed by some very speculative hypothesis taken from the Internet. Her forays into history aren't any more successful. She tells us that the earliest recorded meteorite fall was "about four thousand years ago" in Phrygia, and it was immediately brought to Rome; knowing that Rome didn't exist four thousand years ago, I looked at the reference in her endnote, and the title of the article says the meteorite fell in "467 Be" -- assuming that Be is a typo for BCE, that falls a bit short of four thousand years ago. In addition, the writing is very awkward and often just ungrammatical; there are many non sequiturs, introducing a totally unrelated subject with an initial "But".

Despite the interest of the main story, I can't really recommend this muddle to anyone.

[Melissa]

Light as a Feather (Light as a Feather #1) by Zoe Aarsen
3 ★

A simple game at a sleepover turns into a nightmare for a group of high school juniors. As they start dying as predicted during the game, McKenna and her friend, Trey, try to figure out if Violet is using spirits to exterminate her competition in the popular crowd.

This was an interesting take on a couple of games I remember playing at parties when I was a kid. We always thought about what would happen if the games really worked and this book gives you a clear picture.
The storyline is strong and smooth. It was a bit slow for me at the start, but the ending made it very hard to put down. Violet’s change throughout the book is quick and suspicious. McKenna and Trey do a lot of research and figure things out in a timely manner. Unfortunately not quick enough for 2 of her friends. I think McKenna’s backstory helps her handle the whole situation.


Dead Heat (Lucy Kincaid #8) by Allison Brennan
4 ★

Lucy Kincaid is now a rookie FBI agent and assigned to the Texas San Antonio’s Crimes unit. Her first case, Operation Heatwave, involves drugs, guns, murder, and child enslavement. Lucy’s search for a missing boy who was held captive leads her to Kane Rogan in Mexico and a mission that may cost her her job.

With Sean moving to Texas with Lucy, she was able to adjust to the area and her new assignment well. Their relationship is strong and it’s something they both need. Sean continues to support Lucy in everything she does even though he is working on building his own business.
Lucy seems to really like to break the rules, but I have to agree with her on this one. If she hadn’t gone with Kane and Sean the boy would have been killed. The FBI has to follow protocols before entering another country and that would have taken too much time. I was very excited to see Kane again. Although his work is very outside the box, he and his team get the job done.
Some parts of this story were rough. The way the runaways and kidnapped kids were treated and the conditions they were kept in was heartbreaking.
This series just keeps getting better with every book and I look forward to reading the next one.

[Book Concierge]

Summer Of the Monkeys – Wilson Rawls – 4****
At the end of the 19th century, Jay Berry Lee lives with his parents and twin sister on a farm in Oklahoma. A troop of escaped circus monkeys provide a summer’s entertainment as well as the opportunity to earn a large monetary reward - if only he can capture them! Fun adventure and a charming boy-and-his-dog tale.
My full review HERE

[Book Concierge]

The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling – 3.5***
Of course I was familiar with Mowgli, Shere Khan, and Baloo, but I had never this classic of children’s literature. This edition had Mowgli’s tale, but also included three bonus stories: Rikki-Tikki-Tavi (the mongoose), Toomai (who watches the elephants dance), and Kotick (the white seal). They are marvelous adventure stories with a few life lessons included. The exotic nature of the setting appeals to the imagination as well.
My full review HERE

[Book Concierge]

The Last Rhinos – Lawrence Anthony & Graham Spence – 3.5***
Lawrence Anthony has been called the Indiana Jones of conservationism. He certainly lives up to that moniker in this memoir of his efforts to save the last remaining Northern White Rhinos in the wild. Anthony went to great lengths to plan a rescue of these magnificent beasts. I only wish that more of the book was focused on the animals rather than on the negotiations with government officials and rebel group leaders.
My full review HERE

[Book Concierge]

Dead Man’s Switch – Tammy Kaehler – 3***
This was a fun, fast read that taught me a bit about racing. I liked Kate as a lead character. She’s intelligent, prepared, determined, skilled and strong. I liked the way she thought through the scraps of information she collected to arrive at her conclusions. I also really liked her focus on the job at hand – driving that Corvette as part of a team.
My full review HERE

[Book Concierge]

Hot Six – Janet Evanovich – 4****
Episode Six in the Stephanie Plum series has our charmingly inept bounty hunter on the trail of her mentor, and man of hot dreams, Ranger. This is possibly the funniest of the books in the series that I’ve read. I first read this in about March 2003, and I remember clearly reading in the cafeteria during my lunch break and bursting out in laughter loud enough to have people several tables away look up to see what was going on.
My full review HERE

[Melissa]

The Desolations of Devil’s Acre (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #6) by Ransom Riggs
5 ★

There is nothing worse than seeing the words “epic conclusion” on a series that is this good. I wish it wouldn’t end.
Jacob and Noor end up back at his grandfather’s house after the events at the end of the last book. I love how each of these books starts up right where the other left off. The continuation is refreshing and there is no need for the author to refresh minds. Caul has returned and has created a whole new breed of hollows that Jacob is unable to control. When Jacob and Noor reunite with Miss Peregrine and the rest of their friends in Devil’s Acre they find that Caul has released desolations over the area and show everyone how strong he has become. The main journey in the book is the trip made to a collapsed loop so that Noor can join the other light-eaters. The prophecy states that they will end Caul’s terror. There are many obstacles that they must overcome and many disappointments. The new peculiar characters throughout the book are an interesting bunch with unique talents. Many that have not yet been mentioned.
This book is full of fabulous pictures that the author has once again done a brilliant job incorporating into the story. It also has humor, surprises, shocks (both sad and happy), and disappointments. It’s one big rollercoaster ride that brings the reader to the end too quickly. The final battle is quick and action packed. It really keeps the reader’s attention. The ending is the best. Miss Peregrine’s surprise for her children is heartfelt and a bit of a tearjerker. It brought everything full circle for the reader and there are no loose ends. All in all: a great series.


Best Laid Plans (Lucy Kincaid #9) by Allison Brennan
4 ★

Lucy has a new case to investigate, the death of a congresswoman’s husband, and a very by-the-book new partner, Barry Crawford. Harper Worthington was poisoned and Lucy suspects his wife Congresswoman Adeline Worthington is involved. A teenage prostitute was seen leaving his hotel room and disappeared. We find out fairly early that Adeline is a dirty politician, but it takes a bit to follow the clues and see what is really going on. I liked how this book was a continuation of the last. Some of the same characters are involved and part of Worthington’s murder.
Sean gets hired by HWI, Harper’s company, to run a security audit and finds a bug on Worthington’s phone that is linked to the FBI. This creates an issue with another FBI task force and now the 2 must try to work together. Sean always seems to get involved in Lucy’s cases and I’m hoping it doesn’t continue to create problems for her. He really needs to let her do her thing and he needs to find something do to himself. He even turns down a job in this book so that he can stay with Lucy because she’s having nightmares again. He is way too clingy for my taste.
This book has a good storyline and some twists. Just when you think it’s one person, something changes and it’s someone else on your radar. Lucy is still having nightmares about her kidnapping and rape. The cases she is currently working seem to bring it all back. In my opinion, it’s getting rather annoying. The repetition takes up space and, I don’t think, is needed. The video from her kidnapping resurfaces again in this book and I wonder how many times this will happen. I understand that the event is what made Lucy who she is, but I don’t feel that the author has to go into detail all the time. I am enjoying the series though. It’s interesting, informative, and fun.

[Book Concierge]

How To Train Your Dragon – Cressida Cowell – 4****
A delightful children’s fantasy book about dragons and Vikings and young people who rise to the occasion. I’ve never seen the movie, and I don’t have children, so really didn’t know what to expect. But I was completely charmed by this outrageous story. It’s fantastical, but relatable. The names of the characters (SnotLout, Fishlegs, Dogsbreath…etc) will appeal to tween boys as well.
My full review HERE

[Terris]

Melissa wrote: "
The Desolations of Devil’s Acre (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #6) by Ransom Riggs
5 ★

There is nothing worse than seeing the words “epic ..."

I just finished The Desolations of Devil's Acre and enjoyed it. But I kept thinking "Is this the last one?" It had such a tidy, sweet ending. I'm so glad that you mentioned it in your review!