Carol J.'s Books Read in 2021

[Carol]

77. The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben - Book had the vibe of being one of many books in a series, but(for now) is a stand alone. It covers many characters, Hester Crimstein-TV Lawyer, Wilde-a 30 something man, who, as a boy was rescued from living feral in the woods, Naomi-a high school girl who is tormented mercilessly every day, Matthew-watches Naomi at school and finally asks his grandmother, Hester to help finder Naomi when she goes missing. A very complex but enjoyable book. Recommend writing the characters down because there are a lot. **** 3/30/2021

[Elyse, Moderator]

You've already cracked 75 books read, nice!

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "You've already cracked 75 books read, nice!"

Thanks! My work and lifestyle allow me to listen to audio books throughout the day!

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "You've already cracked 75 books read, nice!"

Thanks! My work and lifestyle allow me to listen to audio books throughout the day!"

I got a promotion last month and now I have my own office and I am also able to listen to audiobooks all day! It's been wonderful. :)

[Carol]

78. Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr. - The prequel to The Thing. A group at an antarctic research camp discovers a frozen, alien body and thaws it. *** 3/30/2021

[Carol]

79. The Godfather Returns by Mark Winegardner - Oops I read book 3 of the Godfather series before book 2 (but I saw the movies, so I was able to keep up. Micheal Corleone continues to try to go legit but his life falls apart anyway. **** 4/2/2021

[Carol]

80. Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton - A real sweet autobiography on Dolly Parton, based on the lyrics of some of her songs. **** 4/2/21

[Carol]

81. Orient Express by Graham Greene - Warning! This is not Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express which was published in 1934. This is Graham Greene's Orient Express which was originally published as Stamboul Train in 1932. The story of a group of various people traveling from Ostend to Constantinople. *** 4/3/21

[Carol]

82. The Sea Before Us by Sarah Sundin - A sweet Christian, Romance that takes place in WWII London. Dorothy Fairfax, a "Wren" in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS). She is in love with an old family friend but finds out he may not be as perfect as she had once imagined. *** 4/4/21

[Carol]

83. Do Something Beautiful for God: The Essential Teachings of Mother Teresa, 365 Daily Reflections by Mother Teresa - "Spread love everywhere you go." ~Mother Theresa This is a book of quotes by Mother Theresa. One reflection for each day. *** 4/5/2021

[Carol]

84. Bar-20/b> by Clarence E. Mulford - The first adventure of Hopalong Cassidy. *** 4/5/21

[Juli, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "80. Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton - A real sweet autobiography on Dolly Parton, based on the lyrics of..."

I want to read this!

[Carol]

Juli wrote: "Carol wrote: "80. Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton - A real sweet autobiography on Dolly Parton, based on..."

OMG Juli! This was such a good book. Dolly Parton has so much personality. If you can, listen to the audio book. You really get a sense of her.

[Carol]

85. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell - The Durrell family moves from England to the island of Corfu. Gerald tells the story of his adventures with the animals of the island and how they affected his family. *** 4/9/2021

[Carol]

86. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert - The Dune series continues with twins, Leto and Ghanima Atreides, whose father, the Emperor Paul Muad'Dib disapeared. *** 4/10/2021

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "86. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert - The Dune series continues with twins, Leto and Ghanima Atreides, whose father, the Emperor Paul Muad'Dib disapeared. **..."

I don't know if I have it in me to continue the series. I struggled so much with the first one. Maybe I will try audio.

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "86. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert - The Dune series continues with twins, Leto and Ghanima Atreides, whose father, the Emperor Paul Muad'Dib ..."

I listened to it and am kinda getting burned out of the series. You might like the audio book version better. It is well done and very dramatic.

[Carol]

87. Beneath the Mountain by Luca D'Andrea - I thought this was a creative and interesting book. Jeremiah Salinger has left his job and moved to the Italian Dolomites. While living there he hears a story about 3 college students that were savagley killed in 1985. He becomes obsessed with the story and has to find out who killed him. **** 4/11/2021

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "86. Children of Dune by Frank Herbert - The Dune series continues with twins, Leto and Ghanima Atreides, whose father, the Emperor ..."

Good to know, thanks!

[Carol]

88. The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett - Margie Lane is excited. It is 1927 and she is going to work at Mount Rainier National Park as a naturalist. Of course, the rangers at the park are questioning if she can handle things. That turns out to be the least of her problems. This is the first book in the Vintage National Parks series. **** 4/12/2021

[Carol]

89. The Dancer at the Gai-Moulin by Georges Simenon - Two male youth from the city of Liege are in need of money and plan on robbing the club Gai-Moulin after hours. While in the cellar they stumble across the body of a Greek man. Inspector Maigret helps solve the case. *** 4/14/2021

[Carol]

90. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - A glorious book! The poor Dashwood girls. Their father dies and they and their mother must leave their family home so that the son and his wife may live their. That is one of the many troubles they must face. Will they persevere? ***** 4/14/2021

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "90. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - A glorious book! The poor Dashwood girls. Their father dies and they and their mother must leave their family home..."

I haven't read this one yet! I did enjoy Pride & Prejudice but that's the only Austen I've read.

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "90. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - A glorious book! The poor Dashwood girls. Their father dies and they and their mother must leave the..."

I am becoming a big fan of Jane Austen! I also read Northanger Abbey. It is about a romantic girl who reads romances and gets carried away with things. It was made into a movie a few years ago and was wonderful. Sense... was made into a movie many years ago starring Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. It was WONDERFUL.

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "90. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen - A glorious book! The poor Dashwood girls. Their father dies and they and their mother ..."

Good to know, thanks!

[Carol]

91. Ride the Savage Land by William W. Johnstone - Those Jensen boys keep finding themselves in trouble. This time, they offer to escort a wagonload of mail order brides to San Angelo, Texas. That's the easy part. **** 4/17/2021

[Carol]

92. Castle Danger by Chris Norbury - Matt Lanier is on the run and ends up in the Boundary Waters. In the beginning of the book he rescues an inured trapper and hauls him to safety. Before he goes into deep hiding again, he ends up in Castle Danger. In this book, that town earned it's name. **** 4/17/2020

[Carol]

93. The Doctor of Thessaly by Anne Zouroudi - Hermes Diaktoros investigates a crime where a doctor has harsh chemicals thrown at him, burning his face and eyes, blinding him. **** 4/17/2021

[Carol]

94. March Violets by Philip Kerr - Bernie Gunther is an ex-policeman trying to to avoid the Nazi sub culture and is asked to investigate the death of a couple. *** 4/18/2021

[Carol]

95. In Like Flynn by Rhys Bowen - Molly Murphy is sent on an assignment given to her by Captain Sullivan. She is to go undercover at Senator Flynn's home to investigate possible fraud by way of two sisters who claim to talk to the dead. She investigates the mystery, but possibly finds much more. **** 4/19/2021

[Carol]

96. The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss - Mary Jekyll is almost penniless and looking into the death of her parents. She is on the lookout for her father's murderer, Edward Hyde. What she finds is a list of characters (and their daughters) from Classical Horror literature. *** 4/19/2021

[Carol]

97. Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman - Amanda Pym, a mousy young woman, was on a flight to the Middle East which was under hijack. She calmly got up and asked one of the hijackers for their gun, foiling their plot. At the airport, she accidentally gets into the wrong car and disappears. Mrs. Pollifax is sent to the Middle East, as Amanda's "Aunt", to see exactly what happened. *** 4/20/21

[Carol]

98. The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie - Mrs. Marple is meeting with the Tuesday Night Club. They try to solve current crimes. This book tells about 13 such crimes, 13 problems. *** 4/21/2021

[Carol]

99. Well Played by Jen DeLuca - Stacey was asked to stay at home when her mother got ill. That was years ago, but there is no sign of her leaving home. Starting to feel lonely she texts her "Ren Faire hook up" from a couple of summers. She gets a surprising answer and over the summer, gets a few more surprises. **** 4/22/21

[Carol]

100. Destined for You by Tracie Peterson - Gloriana has dealt with loss. First her mother and two siblings died of smallpox. Then her fisherman father goes down with the ship during a storm on Lake Superior. She has to look after her younger brother and the orphan baby from their renters. Gloriana is very angry with God. **** 4/23/21

[Carol]

101. Unwind by Neal Shusterman - Wow. I think Neal Shusterman is the king of the dystopian novel. After reading the Scythe series I am starting the Unwind series. Parents have the option of having their teen sent to be Unwound. Not put to death, but have almost every piece of their body harvested, so they could "live on" with the possibility of doing great things. **** 4/25/2021

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "101. Unwind by Neal Shusterman - Wow. I think Neal Shusterman is the king of the dystopian novel. After reading the Scythe series I am starting the Unwind series. Parents ..."

Oooh the Unwind series is so messed up!! lol.

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "101. Unwind by Neal Shusterman - Wow. I think Neal Shusterman is the king of the dystopian novel. After reading the Scythe series I am starting the Unwind se..."

I am surprised how much I liked it!

[Carol]

102. At the Earth's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs - David Innes and Abner Perry travel in a device to drill them deep into the earth, even though they fear they will die a fiery death. What they find, instead is the world of Pellucidar. *** 4/27/2021

[Carol]

103. Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani - Valentine is now in charge of the Angelini Shoe Company now that her grandmother, Teodora is getting married and moving to Italy. Life does not stand still for the Angelini family. **** 4/28/21

[Carol]

104. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - Satoru finds a cat and adopts it. It has a crooked tail, in the shape of a 7, so he is named Nana, which is Japanese for 7. They have lots of adventures together. ***** 4/28/2021

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "104. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - Satoru finds a cat and adopts it. It has a crooked tail, in the shape of a 7, so he is named ..."

This little book! So much emotion!

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "104. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - Satoru finds a cat and adopts it. It has a crooked tail, in the shape of a 7, s..."

I teared up.

[Carol]

105. Murder on the Marmora by Conrad Allen - This is a fun cozy mystery series set on ocean liners in the early 1900s. In this book, George Dillman & Genevieve Masefield are undercover as ship's detectives for the P&O Line. They are not welcomed by the ship's purser and shortly afterwards, there are thefts on board and then a murder! **** 4/29/21

[Carol]

106. The X Factor by Andre Norton - Diskan Fentress is the son of a space explorer. He steals a spaceship and finds the planet Mirmir. ** 4/29/21

[Carol]

107. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie has an adventure with her Grandma Mazur and Diesel in Atlantic City. *** 5/1/2021

[Carol]

108. The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami - This book was about the employees of The Nakano Thrift Shop. *** 5/5/21

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "107. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie has an adventure with her Grandma Mazur and Diesel in Atlantic City. *** 5/1/2021"

Does the series still hold up even at #13? Or 13.5 in this case. lol.

[Carol]

Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "107. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie has an adventure with her Grandma Mazur and Diesel in Atlantic City. *** 5/1/2021"

Does the series still..."

I still like it. Like the goofy funny stuff in it and I have been reading it so long I feel like Stephanie's friends and family are my friends and family. I have dropped a lot of books over the past 12 months, but I am pretty sure I won't be dropping any of this series.

[Elyse, Moderator]

Carol wrote: "Elyse wrote: "Carol wrote: "107. Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie has an adventure with her Grandma Mazur and Diesel in Atlantic City. *** 5/1/2021"

Does th..."

Oh that's good to hear!