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R13: *** WINNING TEAM *** SS Team 12 - Librarians of the Galaxy
I couldnt find my answer so hopefully someone knows. I wanted to listen to
but I see a page number limit but I cant find a page number for this one. I see kindle and ebook versions but it doesnt give a page number. Would I still be able to use or need to pick another read?
I'm afraid without a page number (I looked also on Amazon but it just shows a kb number), you'll need to pick something else. My understanding is that there must be pages listed.
Ok no worries I had a backup just in case.
Week 6Spot: 50
Book: A Toast to Murder - Allyson K. Abbott
Qualification: A Mack's Bar Mystery, #5
Pages: 342
Finished: 3/1/22
Rating: 4 stars
Review: The letter writer villain who has been taunting Mack and killed two people associated to her is center stage in this book. The Capone Club who works with Mack and her synesthesia condition to solve crimes seem to have a traitor in their midst. Mack, Duncan, Mal, Cora and the Signoriello brothers (the core group) are working on forcing the villain's hand at a private New Year's Eve party. Well pulled together climax that exposes the culprit. I really like these characters and am looking forward to reading the last book in the series.
Mod
but I see a page number limit but I cant find a page number for this one. I see kindl..."I do need to have some way of checking that it meets the minimum page requirements. If GR doesn't have a page number, a link to e.g. Amazon or the author's own website is an option.
Just out of idle curiosity, I doublechecked Amazon using the German site (which is the one I use), and it lists 240 pages for the paperback edition. Turns out Amazon.com does too, it just doesn't have a page number for the Kindle edition. So if you do want to go with that book, include a link to the paperback edition on Amazon for the page number and you're all set. :)
Week 6: CompletionSpot: 50
I Must Betray You
336 pages
Qualification: Standalone
Read: 3/2/22
5 stars
Review:
Well that was amazing and completely heartbreaking. I will admit that I know almost nothing about Romania and their history and this shed a small, but important light on such a horrible time for the Romanian people living under tyranny. I'm so glad to have read this book and will be seeking out more accounts of Romania in this time and it's history. It was astounding the conditions people were forced to live under and taught were the norm. This story proves that you can do anything to try and break people, but there will always be those who will fight back no matter what the cost. To see how the government used fear to not only harm the citizens physically, but almost emotionally by threatening their family members was heartbreaking. To see into Cristian 's mind and the inter turmoil he faced was so sad, but also eye opening. The strength and resilience of the Romanian people at this time was incredible and I just felt so devastated for them and proud of their resistance to remove this tyrannical rule. This book will always stick with me and has fueled my need to learn more about not only this country, but other countries and stories that are rarely told.
Week 6 - Completion PostSpot: 50
Book: It's Only Love Marie Force
Qualification: Green Mountain #5
Pages: 314
Finished: March 2
Rating: 4 stars
Review: This story is about Ella and Gavin. Gavin has been in deep grief over his brother's death in Iraq and doesn't believe he deserves Ella. This story had some dark themes but I still really enjoyed it. Loved this couple and how they found their way to each other.
Week 6: Completion PostSpot:50
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Mine-Magi...
240 Pages
Qualification: Standalone
Review:
This was a cute and fun read. I loved the character of Claire was so loveable and the concept of magic in this book was fun and different from the norm. I loved seeing Claire figure it all out and how she decided to deal with the magic in the end. I may have to read more from this author.
Week 7 Roll: 1 + 6 = 7New Spot: 57
Can read Series #5, 7, or 57 or Alternate: 57. Young Adult/New Adult
Week 7 selection post:
Qualification: alternate ya fantasy
Mod
Spot: 57
Book: Origami Man by Matthew FitzSimmons
Qualification: Gibson Vaughn #5
Pages: 320
Finished: 06 Mar 2022
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Gibson and the rest of the team are lying low in the Caymans, providing security services for private clients and otherwise staying off the grid. Until, that is, the last person any of them expected to see turns up in their lives: Tinsley is the stone-cold killer who long ago murdered Gibson's father, and later almost succeeded in doing the same to Gibson himself. Tinsley is in possession of a heavily encrypted thumb drive a client just doublecrossed him and tried to kill him for. He needs Gibson to find out what's on it - which turns out to be a deadly cyberattack in the making, with up to half a million lives at stake. To stop the plot, the team has no choice but to join forces with Tinsley... for a time, at least.
The fifth and so far final book in the series offers the usual fast pace and suspense, though the ending was a little disappointing IMO - c'mon, we all wanted a proper showdown between Gibson and Tinsley at the end rather than everybody sailing off into the proverbial sunset, right? Still, an entertaining read all in all, but not as relentlessly gripping as some of the earlier installments.
Week 7 Review PostDenise (mod) - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Karen - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Linda C - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Rebecca - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Shy The WidowMaker - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Completion Post - Week 7Spot: 57
Desire in Lingerie Penelope Sky
Qualification: Lingerie #7
Finished: Mar 6
Pages: 213
Rating: 5 stars
Review: This book continues the story of Vanessa and Bones. She decides that she cannot stay with him even though she loves him because her family will never accept him. She tries to break up with him but discovers after a while that it won't be easy. This story had heartbreak, action and of course, ended on a cliffhanger.
Week 7 - CompletionSpot 57
Blaze of Memory - Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling, #7
373 pages
Read: 3/6/22
Rating: 5 stars
Review: When Dev Santos, Director of the Shine Foundation, finds a beaten, starved, amnesic Psy dumped on his doorstep he wonders if it's a trap. Dev works at protecting the Forgotten, the Psy who generations ago refused to join the Silence of the PsyNet. Now that the new generation seems to be developing some strong Psy aptitudes, the Psy wants to kill or kidnap and control them depending on their power. As Katya begins to remember she fears she is a walking time-bomb programmed to destroy but she doesn't know what or when. I really enjoyed the complexity of the plot and the backstory that came out in this book. Great group of new characters. The world itself is changing and evolving, effecting each of the four groups. Well done.
Week 7: CompletionSpot: 57
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire
160 pages
#7 in series
Read: 3/4/22
Review:
Loved this one so much! Even though we didn't get to see behind one particular door, we got to hear from various students about their doors and how it has changed them. Cora is a great character and this story was interesting because it showed a different school for wayward children and how different it can be. The way the students are being groomed to forget their doors and assimilate back into society is honestly hard to read about. Something sinister is at work there and Cora and her new friends are determined to figure it out and escape. The writing is beautiful and lyrical as always and I devoured this book and cannot wait for more.
Week 7 Completion Post:
The Darkening
400 Pages
Alternate: YA
5 Stars:
Read:3/10/22
Review:
Yall this book was everything and then some. I loved the character of Vesper and this whole concept of this book. I mean imagine being able to do just about anything by able to draw certain symbols. I cant wait for the next book after that ending.
Previous Spot: 57Week 8 Roll: 2 + 5 = 7
New Spot: 64
Can read Series #6, #4, #64 or Alternate: 64. Published 2021
Mod
Book: The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré
Qualification: George Smiley #6
Pages: 589
Selection Post - Week 8Spot 64
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Pages: 382
Qualification: published in 2021
Selection Post - Week 8Spot 64
Book: Last Call - Allyson K. Abbott
Pages: 342
Qualification: Mack's Bar Mystery #6
Selection Post - Week 8Spot 64
Deadly Coincidence Nicole Edwards
Pages: 256
Qualification: Brantley Walker: Off The Books #4
Week 8 Review PostDenise (mod) - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Karen - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Linda C - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Rebecca - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Shy The WidowMaker - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Completion Post - Week 8Spot 64
Deadly Coincidence Nicole Edwards
Pages: 256
Finished: Mar 16
Rating: 4.5 stars
Qualification: Brantley Walker: Off The Books #4
Review: Another really good book in this series. We get updates on Brantley/Reese, JJ/Baz and a new twosome, Trey/Magnus. The task force is still hunting Juliet but in the meantime JJ tries to help Dante and gets caught up in a kidnapping/possible murder scenario. Lots of action and a couple surprises in this one. I really love this series.
Completion Post - Week 8Spot 64
Dead Heat
Pages: 324
Finished: Mar 16
Rating: 4 stars
Qualification:4th in series
Review:
I freaking love Anna and Charles. Their bond is amazing and I feel like this book really brought it home even more seeing the way they worked together in this one. Cant wait for the next book.
Mod
Spot: 64
Book: The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré
Qualification: George Smiley #6
Pages: 589
Finished: 15 Mar 2022
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
Five years ago, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, that absolute classic of the spy thriller genre, was one of the very first books by John le Carré I picked up. Since then, I've slowly but surely made my way through quite a few of his books, but it's taken me until now to get to the direct sequel to that particular masterpiece.
In the wake of Tinker, Tailor, ...'s ultimately successful mole hunt, Smiley and a tiny inner circle he trusts have been going over old files, seeking other traces of Soviet spymaster Karla's activities. Believing to detect Karla's handiwork in a money laundering operation in South East Asia, Smiley dispatches an agent under cover as a journalist to Hong Kong, where he is to investigate potential Soviet machinations.
The settings in 1970s Hong Kong, Laos, Cambodia, etc. are vividly drawn, le Carré's on site research for this book clearly shows. The story itself is as intricate, clever and slow yet gripping as one expects from this author, though it doesn't quite live up to his best works. But then, Tinker, Tailor, ... was always going to be an incredibly hard act to follow.
Completion Post - Week 8Spot 64
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Pages: 382
Qualification: published in 2021
Finished: 3/17/22
Review:
Ok I understand why I've been seeing this book all over. When I first started the book, it took me a moment to get into it because I didn't know the characters yet and all their personalities. But once it clicked, I was hooked. I connected to the Thursday Murder Club and Donna and now I wish I could be apart of the club. I absolutely loved following their sleuthing and learning their quirks. They had me cracking up constantly and I felt all the warm fuzzies. This book took some very unexpected turns and I could never quite figure out the mystery until the revealed. It was surprisingly emotional and heartfelt; there were many secrets that really tugged my heartstrings, especially due to the care with which the club approached things and the fantastic writing. I already cannot wait for more because I miss these characters.
Completion Post - Week 8Spot 64
Book: Last Call - Allyson K. Abbott
Pages: 342
Qualification: Mack's Bar Mystery #6
Read: 3/18/22
Rating: 5 stars
Review: After the positive outcome of the last case Mack assisted on, she was asked to sign on as a consultant for the police with Duncan as her contact. This book is her first case as such, although it is also the last book published in the series and ties up the series well. The victim in this case is someone related to the undercover work that Duncan's friend Mal was working. Mal's prints and blood are found at the scene. So not only is Mack helping the detective's she is also trying to find evidence to support Mal's innocence. There is a child in the story that has a similar affliction to Mack's synesthesia with some suspected autism that brings out another side to Mack. Very good end to an interesting mystery series.
Previous Spot: 64Week 8 Roll: 6 + 2 = 8
New Spot: 72
Can read #7, #2, #72 or Alternate: 72. Romance
Mod
Book: Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Qualification: The Aurora Cycle #2
Pages: 495
Selection Post - Week 9Spot 72
Book: Shadows on a Maine Christmas - Lea Wait
Pages: 224
Qualification: Antique Print, #7
Selection Post - Week 8Spot 72
A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander
277 pages
Qualification: 2nd in series
Week 9 Review PostDenise (mod) - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Karen - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Linda C - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Rebecca - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Shy The WidowMaker - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Mod
Spot: 72
Book: Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Qualification: The Aurora Cycle #2
Pages: 495
Finished: 20 Mar 2022
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
May I just say... Holy motherfucking cliffhanger, you have got to be kidding me! That library had better hurry up and get me part three ASAP.
Book two of the Aurora Cycle trilogy is another unputdownable rollercoaster ride of action, emotion, and just enough humour to keep you from, y'know, spontaneously combusting amidst all the thrill and suspense, or sinking into a deep depression because feels. This installment throws a number of new plot twists into the mix (though I called the one involving Kal's secret, and everybody's hysterically dramatic overreaction thereto was the most irritating moment in the entire novel for me - even more irritating than Aurora's insanely annoying habit of employing desserts as swear words, and that's saying something), and gives hints of answers. For any definitive ones, however, one has to wait for the conclusion. Which had better be epic. (Just sayin'.)
Completion Post - Week 9Spot 72
A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander
277 pages
Qualification: 2nd in series
Finished: 3/22/22
4 stars
Review:
This was another delightful mystery in what is coming to be a favorite series of mine. I enjoyed this series even more than the last and I connect with Jules so much. The atmosphere of a baking show in the lovely town of Ashland had me wishing more than ever that I could visit. Even though a lot of the contestants aren't my favorite characters, they brought enough drama to keep me intrigued throughout the story. I had actually guessed the killer from the start, but that didn't take away any of my enjoyment of the story. Jules is such a down to earth, calm and collected character even in the face of danger or destruction and it makes this story extra cozy without a side of chaos that sometimes happens. I can't wait for more of this series and this town and characters.
Rebecca,You need to change your first line to
Completion Post - Week 9 ;D
Sorry to be a nag, Rebecca, but need to correct to Week 9 also
Sorry! Didn't have my coffee yet today
Completion Post - Week 9Spot 72
For 100 Nights Lara Adrian
294 pgs
Finished: 3/22/22
Rating: 4 stars
Qualification: 100 Series #2
Review: This is book 2 in this cliffhanger series. It continues the story of Nick and Avery who met when she agreed to housesit the condo of a person she met while working at a restaurant. She's now living with Nick and has not told him all her secrets. Throughout the book, her secrets come out with some suspenseful ramifications and then we get another secret which leaves us with a cliffhanger for the next book.
Completion Post - Week 9Spot 72
Motherhood is Murder
318 Pages
Finished 3/24/22
Rating: 3 Stars
Qualification: Maternal Instincts #2
Review:
This was another cute read and I am really starting to like the character of Kate and loving her having her own biz. The setting for this one was different from the norm too and I am loving seeing her grow into her role of mom. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.
Completion Post - Week 9Spot 72
Book: Shadows on a Maine Christmas - Lea Wait
Pages: 224
Qualification: Antique Print, #7
Finished: 3/24/22
Rating: 4 stars
Review:
I really enjoy the bits on the history of the prints and tools that Maggie and Will discuss in the series. This one is set over the Christmas holidays when Maggie comes to visit Will at his Aunt Nettie's. Will is looking to buy a big Victorian home to convert to an antiques mall and wants Maggie's input. While there the caregiver for a friend of Will's Aunt is murdered. Since Maggie has helped in an earlier investigation Will's friend, Nick a State Trooper, asks her to question some of the aunt's friends. The mystery was interesting and the problems concerning Will and Maggie's long distance relationship get some resolution. So a good volume in the series.
Previous Spot: 72Week 8 Roll: 5 + 5 = 10
New Spot: 82
Can read #8, #2, #82 or Alternate: 82. Author 'B'
Selection Post - Week 10Spot 82
Book: Shadows on a Morning in Maine - Lea Wait
Pages: 240
Qualification: Antique Print, #8
Mod
Book: The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
Qualification: The Golem and the Jinni #2
Pages: 472
The Challenge Factory
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A Killer Plot (other topics)Knocked Up by the Dom (other topics)
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A Killer Plot (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ellery Adams (other topics)Penelope Bloom (other topics)
Ellery Adams (other topics)
Penelope Bloom (other topics)
Darynda Jones (other topics)
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Spot: 50
Book: A Small Town in Germany by John le Carré
Qualification: Standalone
Pages: 316
Finished: 26 Feb 2022
Rating: ★★★★★
Review:
Bonn, the titular small town in Germany, found itself propelled into the unlikely role of capital of West Germany largely by virtue of being far from Berlin. In the 1960s this small town, like much of the rest of the country and the wider world, is roiling with radical protests and potential political upheaval - and amidst all that chaos, a minor British embassy official has gone missing, along with a bunch of confidential files. Suspecting him of having defected, the Foreign Office dispatches spycatcher Alan Turner, universally disliked but brutally efficient at his job, to find out what happened and do damage control. What he finds turns out to be rather less straightforward than it first seems.
Having himself been a young British intelligence officer stationed in Bonn in the 60s, le Carré writes about a milieu he is intimately familiar with in this intricately wrought story - and it shows. The novel contains all the usual hallmarks of his work, calling out the callousness, hypocrisy and cold calculation of political machinations and the dubious morals and shades of grey in the intelligence business, evoking his atmospheric settings in deft, subtle prose, and populating these pages with characters that are rarely altogether likable but always intriguingly complex. One of the best books by him that I've read so far.