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Reviews for June 2022 theme: PRIDE MONTH
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The Light Years by Chris Rush
I chose this book randomly and was so pleased to read it! It isn't often that the first book of the month is a 5 Star book. It also fits firmly into the category of Pride Month. This is a biography of the author, a young boy growing up in the late 1960's. At the age of 12, his sister's boyfriend gives him a taste of acid. From that moment on, his life revolves around drugs. The story is both fascinating and heartbreaking.
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Olga Dies Dreaming – Xochitl Gonzalez – 2.5** (rounded up)
I really wanted to like this. I’d heard the author in a virtual event and felt her enthusiasm for the story and for her characters. I liked that her focus was on two successful siblings and their rise to those positions, and on the issues of living up to expectations (our own and those of our parents and community). But I never warmed up to the characters, even though I like how Gonzalez portrayed the siblings’ relationship.
LINK to my full review
- (Pride Blue)What My Sister Knew - Nina Laurin -(Canada)
3.5★
I don't quiet know what to say about this book. I liked parts of it well enough but others left me feeling that I had missed something rather important but I couldn't figure out what it was. It's a story about twin a twin brother and sister, a sad childhood, and an escape from a house fire that affects their lives in later years. It covers all of the fallacies and mistakes of life. It had a good enough climax but a really sudden ending. It left me wondering about the outcome of the other characters and just wanting more.
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
Pride - Yellow
This a nonfiction book detailing what happens when animals "break the law", for example bears breaking into cabins. It is an oftentimes lighthearted look at the damage our furred and feathered (and sometimes scaled) friends can cause and what we can do to prevent unfortunate interactions. There are glossed-over discussions of eradicating animals which some will find unpleasant. At the end of the book I am convinced we should just try to co-exist harmoniously. If I am confronted with a raccoon in my attic, my point of view could definitely change. 4 Stars for this book.
- Dying Light - Stuart MacBride -(Scotland)
Logan MacRae Series Book #2
(Pride Blue)
3★
I have read this series it seems since time began. I enjoyed the first book of the series which this is a part of...but as the series progresses some of the characters began to become more than slightly annoying and progressed to nearly unreadable. My trouble with the characters actually started with this one. The story begins with Logan McRae in trouble with his squad commander and going through disciplinary actions. This becomes a common occurrence. He finds himself being sent down to D.I. Steele’s squad, (horrible character by the way) also known throughout Aberdeen law enforcement as the “fuck-up squad.” I had forgotten how much I had always hated the character of D.I. Steele. She has no integrity, the manners of an untrained chimp, talks like a drunken sailor, and smokes like a chimney. She thinks nothing of miss-treating or “using” members of her squad. This is what our super cop, Logan McRae, enters into. D.I. Steele has every intention of using Logan for whatever means is at her disposal to get herself some fame and glory and on to better pastures than the “fuck-up squad.” Logan, on the other hand will do just about whatever it takes to get out of this squad and back into his former squad. The book is filled with flawed characters and bad habits. Then there are the bad guys and the REALLY bad guys. A lot of losers. There is plenty of action going on. You will never figure out what is happening in this story before it ends. I've read it before, and I still couldn't do it. There are fire bombings, prostitutes galore that have seen their better days, unfaithful men by the truck load, drug dealers, murdered girls, and even a dog. The dog is innocent. Well good people...we're not in Mayberry anymore that's for sure.
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Young Jane Young – Gabrielle Zevin – 4****
The novel is divided into five sections, each narrated by a different character: Rachel, Jane, Ruby, Embeth and Aviva. The basic plot is that a young woman gets a job interning with a congressman, and then begins an affair with him. Can you forgive yourself your youthful mistakes? Can you recover from such a public humiliation? Will you make further bad decisions to compound the problem? Or will you be able to put it behind you and go forward with grace and dignity and courage? Will the public let you? This is a wonderful exploration of the ways in which women deal with such personal disasters.
LINK to my full review
Breathe - Joyce Carol Oates - (New Mexico) (Yellow and Blue)
1 star
I almost have to say that I hated it more than 1 star could ever convey. Not because it was badly written but because Gerald's slow death was agonizing to read about. I ask you...who wants to read about all the excruciating details about a loved one dying? I caught myself breathing with Gerald as he breathed what could have been his last breath, and it was almost a relief when it finally was. I truly understood Michaela's love and devotion to begin with, but the story was beyond difficult. I guess that was probably the whole point of the title. Another thing that I started to hate Michaela for was that she refuses the most minute extensions of any support. I believe this one may actually give me more nightmares than any of the horror/paranormal genre books I read ever could.
One True Loves
4 Stars.
A young woman's husband of one year goes on trip and the helicopter goes down over open seas. All passengers are dead or presumed dead. Fast forward 4 years as the young woman prepares for her upcoming wedding, only to receive a phone call from her husband. He has been rescued and is returning home.
The writing is excellent and I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly.
Rhapsody in Blood - John Morgan Wilson - (California)
Benjamin Justice -Book#7
5★
The story is a complex, captivating mystery that approaches to teach lessons about the dangers of bigotry and the shallowness of some people, and how dangerous both can be affecting how we deal with our everyday lives. The author takes the character out of his cozy nest in West Hollywood, teaming him with longtime friend, LA Times reported Alexandra Templeton, covering the shooting of a movie at a historic hotel in the remote town of Eternal Springs, now known as "Haunted Springs" due to two murders that took place there, and which is the focus of the film being made. They meet the cast, including the 30ish male lead...a frequent subject of tabloid rumors about his sexuality whose seeming interest in Benjamin has him simultaneously flattered and flustered. When another reporter, known for her merciless "expose'" stories about celebrities, is found murdered with her throat cut (the same as the two victims that are the subject of the film), Benjamin finds himself in the middle of the mystery, with no shortage of colorful suspects around for him to choose from. Was the murderer the actor, who feared the reporter would try to "out" him, or perhaps it was the rapper with the "gangsta" image who seemed to alienate everyone, or the troublemaker midget stuntman, the hotel owner living with a troubling secret from his past, or perhaps it was the ghostlike female figure Benjamin saw on the rocks outside the hotel window, right before the murder took place? Lots of suspects all providing a really good mystery.
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Interior Chinatown – Charles Yu – 3***
Yu’s inventive novel won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2020; he uses a second-person narrative voice and writes as if this were a screenplay. Personally, I found the structure off-putting. It seemed to me that Yu was trying too hard to be clever. Be that as it may, he had a pretty good story to tell, and eventually I came to appreciate his message.
LINK to my full review
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A Fall of Marigolds – Susan Meissner – 3***
A vibrantly printed scarf connects two women across a century; both lost someone in a horrific tragedy, both experience grief, guilt and PTSD. Meissner does a good job of weaving these stories together and moving back and forth in time across a century to explore the common elements. I liked Clara’s story better than that of Taryn, probably because of it’s setting on Ellis Island. Both women struggle with the ethical dilemma of what (and when, if ever) to reveal or withhold to others. My F2F book club had quite the discussion about this.
LINK to my full review
Dirty Kiss - Rhys Ford (Purple)
Cole McGinnis Mysteries Book #1
2★
I have read others by this author and always liked them but this one was not exactly what I was expecting. I didn't especially like the characters, not a single one of them. There was simply nothing about these the two main characters that made me interested in them or their lives. Mere seconds after Cole meets Kim Jae Min he's in instant lust. Come on guys, what happened to a little romance? A first date? Rhys Ford's other books were very good but this one just wasn't worth the time and effort for me.
The Secret of Snow - Viola Shipman -(Michigan) (Blue)
4★
It starts off slow, but don't give up on it. I thought it was not going to be worth the time and effort to read at first. Who wants to devote time to read about an entitled woman who loses her job, has to go home, gets a new job, totally doesn't listen to anyone, not family, not friends, thinks everything has to be her way and runs from any confrontation? Once I found out what she was running from, the whole book became 100% better and began to make much more sense. Loss and grief effect different people in different ways. Sonny didn't want to have to face the loss and her own thoughts about possibly causing the tragedy. It took opening that part of her life up to self-scrutiny and sharing her issues with others to get her past the block in her heart and the block she put up around anyone getting too close. The Secret of Snow will bring you to tears, give you some laughs, and remind you that few things in life are more important than family and love.
A Short Time To Die - Susan Bickford - (New York, California)
4.5★
I found the story to be very well written, the characters to be believable and mostly likeable. Overall, it was compelling and engaging, with just enough lightness to keep me reading. It moves gradually through the past to meet the present in well-executed flips back and forth in time that are easy to follow. I read somewhere that this is the authors debut novel, but it reads as if she has been writing her entire life. Anyone that reads and enjoys mysteries will find that there are parts that are predictable, but it didn't take anything away from the enjoyment of the story. I'm looking forward to more by Susan Bickford.
Darke Accused - Parker Avrile
A Darke and Flare Mystery Book #1
5★
Darke and Flare...I love their names, but what is the chance of that really happening? Given their history, particularly Darke's, you have to be willing to simply enjoy some fairly rapid fall-in-love romance mixed in with a really good murder mystery. Sometimes the mystery overtakes the romance, but that's okay. The book alternates first person points of view between Darke and Flare, which helps the reader to know what the characters are really thinking and feeling. There is also a lot of double-dealing going on. Although we get the first-person point of view, we also get little of their thoughts and feels beyond the case and each other. Angst is relatively low...these are action hero guys not given to wallowing in the mire of past events. It was not your usual love story, but it felt like it was just the right one for them. Looking forward to joining these two again
Last Seen Alive - Jane Bettany
Isabelle Blood Series Book #3
4★
Detective Isobel Blood's team is a group of believable detectives...no superheroes...no "Kojak Wanna-Be's"...just hard-working people doing a sometimes thankless job. Isabel herself is smart and capable, and fair, but also has issues in her personal life to deal with, like her adult son, Bailey. This is an intriguing, well-written, well-plotted story that is rich with secrets, and surprises. Overall an enjoyable read. If you are a fan of Ann Cleave's Vera series or her Shetland Island series, which I am...you will more than likely like Isabelle and her team.
Night Hawks - Elly Griffith (England)
Ruth Galloway series Book #13
5★
Treasure hunters who call themselves Night Hawks are prowling a Norfolk beach at night armed with metal detectors, hoping to find a hoard of Bronze Age coins when the story begins. What they find is more than they bargained for and brings DCI Nelson on the scene, and of course forensic archeologist, Dr. Ruth Galloway. The relation between Ruth and Nelson reaches a whole new level of attraction and irritation. I didn't care for Nelson’s new female boss who keeps trying to “have a word” with him and nagging him to retire. We have a cruel and repellant scientist, an arrogant new lecturer in the anthropology department, and a huge legendary black dog whose terrifying appearances portend death. There are murders aplenty, but love shares the stage with crime. How could you ask for anything more? The story is transgressive, surprising, and sometimes even humorous. Another 5-star addition to this series.
The Big Door Prize
The things I'll read just to get that one Scavenger hunt word... This book is a great concept that just did not meet expectations. I can't give it more than 2 Stars. As another reviewer wrote, "If this book was a color it would be beige." And, may I add, not just a little beige. Beige upon beige. Beige all the way through. At least the cover is colorful.
Under the Whispering Door
Both charming and heart wrenching, this book was a joy to read! I gave it 5 Stars. (If you have recently lost someone near and dear to you, you might want to put this on the back burner for a few months.)
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The Library of Lost and Found – Phaedra Patrick – 3***
A heart-warming and enjoyable read. Martha Storm volunteers at the local library and would love to have a permanent paid position there. She’s clearly unappreciated, but soldiers on. And then one day a book of fairy tales is left for her, and as she tries to puzzle out where the book came from and how it came to be in her possession, she uncovers family secrets. Patrick writes quirky characters with hidden secrets very well. These are nearly broken people who keep their heads down and try to exist without much support or joy in their lives. And yet …
LINK to my full review
Morning My Angel - Sue Brown
Angel Securities Series, Book #1
5★
Josh Cooper is a tad obnoxious in his behavior and obviously his boss thought so also since Josh soon found himself and his team on a plane headed to the London office for an "undisclosed" period of time...to help in the search for a person that disappeared 3 weeks ago. It was pretty clear to everyone but Josh, that he should probably start learning to appreciate tea more than coffee. This is not their usual job so Josh doesn't understand why he and his team are working on this case, not to mention they're suppose to actually work with the London team who they soon found were not as forth coming about too many of any of the details. To make things worse, he is VERY attracted to Cal, one of the operatives they work with. He is conflicted about Cal because he truly cares for Charlie even though Charlie is a guy he hasn't met yet...in person that is. You can see where this is going even if you have never read an M/M romance book. Cal has many secrets, and though they slowly unravel there is still quite a surprise at the end. I really didn't see that one coming. It was great meeting Josh and watching him try to make sense of his complicated life. The twin bodyguards, the London team and all those little characters we've met along the way made this story feel genuine and also made it engaging and enjoyable. Josh's banter with everyone was fun... and oh yeah...he really, really missed his coffee.
Pretty, Pretty Boys – Gregory Ashe - (Missouri)
4.5★
Emery Hazard is a mess with a capital “M” and the man who is mostly responsible for that is right there to greet him on his first day on the new job. Why he ever came back to his hometown was a big mystery to me. He was now a thirty something year old man that never got over his terrible experiences in high school. Going back home meant going back to the close-minded, bigoted little community he left 15 years ago, and facing the 3 bullies who tortured him in high school because he was gay. To make matters worse he found himself partnered with none other than John-Henry Somerset, the very guy that was the leader of those 3 bullies. It was a shock that awoke all his defenses...but John-Henry, the culprit, was trying to apologize without making an actual apology. It wasn’t working for either of them...but they had a dead body showing up so they had a case to solve...and they were going to have to somehow work together to do it. This is not by any means an instant love story despite that there is an undeniable attraction and a nasty history going back 15 years. It’s not going to be enemies to lovers, but more enemies to worse enemies to maybe working friends, but can they ever be anymore? I believe that we, the readers, are in for a long haul to see these two ever get together before they kill on another. Gregory Ashes' books are not known for "happy ever after's", but I do want to see how the future pans out for Hazard and John-Henry, so I will probably read their other books.
Last Gasp - S.C. Wynne - (Florida)
Kip O’Connor series Book #1
5★
I’m not a big fan of cozy mysteries of any genre...even M/M ones. This one was cute for lack of a better word. I’m not a prude and I don’t mind gratuitous sex in any books but I don’t NEED it to make the story interesting. This one was in the books that my “book bringing buddies” brought to me and it had a really, cute cover ...so I thought “why not?”. It was just a really good mystery with normal people who just happened to be gay... and that described Kip. There were mostly likeable characters, dogs (always a plus in any book), an authentic small-town feel, an interesting, but sinister plot that did its job of entertaining, believable tension between the main characters due to growing up together, and … no instantaneous "friends-to-lovers" stuff The only thing that I found in the book that was difficult for me to believe was that the author spend the time and effort creating this wonderful character of Kip and then made him the most clueless amateur sleuth I have ever found in any book. It’s a wonder there are any more books in the series featuring him.
Somebody Killed His Editor - Josh Lanyon - (California)
Holmes & Moriarity Series Book 1
5★
I am a BIG, BIG Josh Lanyon fan as most of you have probably figured out by now. This series is going to be as good as everything else she has written. There's just enough lightheartedness to keep the story from being too dark and heavy for those that are not fans of blood and gore, but yet the details of the killings are all there. The two main characters balance each other well. Kit is the one who generally leaps without looking, though he's well aware he should and as a result he doesn't always land on his feel. JX is the more level-headed one, offering stability to the story that gives him emotions that Kit doesn't possess. The way they feel for each other, even after a decade apart is absolutely perfect. and heartwarming. Their world is very real and engaging. It’s a story with likeable, warm and lovable, characters. They may not necessarily be made from the stuff of heroes, but they will win their way into your heart merely by their fallibility.
The Investigator - John Sandford - (Texas)
Letty Davenport Series Book #1
2.5★
I feel awful about the rating that I gave this book, I feel like I have lost an old and dear friend. I loved John Sandford’s early “Prey” novels where Lucas was just a slightly dirty cop who hunted killers but always had a sense of justice and respect for right, and a no tolerance policy for wrong. I read every single one of them...some more than once. I even liked most of the books when Lucas Davenport became more "in power" for the law enforcement in his state...and before he became a political operative. The Virgil Flowers books and the characters that appeared in them were some of the bests. Virgil’s cockiness and humor made him a very believable and real-life character. Joining forces with Lucas made the books even better. Now...we come to a series featuring Lucas’s daughter...Letty. Humm.... John Sandford has, for some unknown reason, gotten caught up and now swings way too far on the side of politics. I hear enough about this without it infiltrating my choice reading material. There were several situations that he wrote into this story that are probably extremely sensitive topics for certain regions of the county and perhaps shouldn’t have even been as big a part of this story or have been there at all...much less portraying this untrained young woman, even if she is Davenport’s daughter, as an expert on them. Letty's character didn't "age" well. She was so different and quite frankly...overbearing and unlikeable. Nothing like she was when she first appeared in the books as a pre-teen and grew into an adult. For most of the book, she is an impossibly, and unnecessarily, rude, crude and obnoxious know-it-all. I really don't think that I’m going to devote any more reading time to this series. Rest in Peace old friend.
Carol wrote: "The Investigator - John Sandford - (Texas)
Letty Davenport Series Book #1
2.5★
I feel awful about the rating that I gave this book, I feel like I have lost ..."
Wow...that is too bad. John Sandford may be my favorite author, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like this either.
Donna wrote: "Carol wrote: "The Investigator - John Sandford - (Texas)
Letty Davenport Series Book #1
2.5★
I feel awful about the rating that I gave this book, I feel lik..."
His two books before this were very political. The one that was just before this one, was so "off" that I checked it to be sure it was written by THIS John Sandford and not someone with the same name. Unfortunately, it was my John Sandford.
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Klara And the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro – 4.5****
Klara, the narrator of this extraordinary work, is an artificial friend (AF). She is a keen observer and tries to be a good friend to Josie, the young girl she’s ben bought to accompany. For all her intelligence and perceptiveness, Klara cannot quite understand emotion and she certainly doesn’t have feelings of her own. Her interpretations of what she observes are sometimes quite naïve. What does it mean to love? Can science duplicate that essentially human quality in an artificial intelligence being? Do we want scientists to try?
LINK to my full review
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Thirteen Hours – Deon Meyer – 4****
This is a hard-hitting, fast-paced, police procedural with a complicated plot, a second, unrelated (or is it?) killing, and multiple twists: drugs, human trafficking, the music industry, and, of course, Benny’s continuing struggle as a recovering alcoholic. He's also been named as a mentor to a group of younger investigators, and Griessel is having a hard time with his recent assignment: Inspector Mbali Kaleni, a black woman, a Zulu, a feminist. This is an interesting pairing, and I’d like to see it continue in future books.
LINK to my full review
Death In Room 7 - K.J. Emrick - (Australia)
Pine Lake Inn Series Book #1
3★
I don't really care for cozies, but a neighbor, who knew I liked mysteries didn't seem to understand the concept that there are mysteries and thenthere are mysteries. Since she was kind enough to think of me, and she was probably going to ask me about it...I read it. It was an okay book and anyone that eats cozies for breakfast and doesn't care for blood and brains spread all over the floor, will probably love it. I did find several good things about the book. 1.The cover was cute. 2.It was a mystery of the "locked room" variety. 3.It had some very interesting and crazy characters. 4.It also contained some humor. 5.The main thing that kept me reading and not skipping through it, was that the author introduced the idea early on after the Jessica was found dead in her room, that something paranormal might be responsible. I could accept and work with this idea since I didn't find the reason the author wanted to present to be very realistic.
The Siren and The Specter - Jonathan Janz - (Virginia)
5★
A smorgasbord for The Ghost Story Junkie and this one rang with the possibility of maybe some truth. It has all the stuff any ghost story/horror reader could possibly want, ghosts, monsters, murder, mystery, a creepy old house that become creepier by the page...and best of all, it gave me goosebumps and chills, and that is something that few ghost stories can do anymore. I didn't especially like any of the characters but the house and its atmosphere more than made up for any of their shortcomings. The story and Alexander House was born in the imagination of Jonathan Janz's by a stay “in a historical home in Virginia” as he explains in an author Q&A at the end of the book. It's well worth taking the time to read about how the book came alive for him. As a result, Janz has come up with an outstanding and unique plot that is filled with sensual detail as well as suspense and scares enough to keep any ghost story enthusiast happy. The reader will also find that The Siren and the Specter contains several gruesome discoveries and events that will diffidently get and keep your attention. You might also want to consider leaving the lights on and keeping the doors locked...as if it will really do you any good.
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The Cat Who Turned On and Off – Lilian Jackson Braun – 3***
Book three in Braun’s popular “The Cat Who…” cozy mystery series, starring Jim Qwilleran (known simply at Qwill), and his two Siamese: Koko and Yum Yum. I really like this cozy series. As a journalist for the local newspaper, Qwill has every reason to search out the story. There isn’t a lot of graphic violence, and Qwill is a gentleman when it comes to romantic interludes.
LINK to my full review
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Nudge – Richard H Thaler & Cass R Sunstein – 3***
Subtitle: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Thaler and Sunstein are professors specializing in Behavioral Economics. This work explores the ways in which decision options are presented to achieve the result the designer hopes for … i.e. the nudges. I found much of this very interesting and kept thinking of incidents in recent years that pointed out how such nudges were beneficial. And also made me aware of the nudges that I need to be mindful of. (Extended warranties? Uh, no.)
LINK to my full review
How The Dead Speak - Val McDermid
Tony Hill series Book #11 - (England)
4★
When it's a Tony Hill book you know it will be interesting, entertaining and a top-notch well written police procedural. As usual, I have to say that this was great. So why didn't it get another star? Well Tony is in prison. That just didn't seem right to me. I know Val McDermid has it all worked out, but I want Tony and Carol to be working together. Carol is dealing with her drinking and PTSD, so hopefully things will soon be back to normal. I have followed Tony Hill and Carol Jordan from the start and loved every moment in their company. The book, although very readable, just didn't deliver the same impact as the others. The usual characters drift in and out of the story line, but the "must find out what happens next" feeling just didn't happen and the resolution of the main crime seemed rather weak. As for Carol and Tony...we get a very tiny glimmer of hope for their relationship. I do hope that Ms. McDermid will take the next Hill/Jordan book back to its exciting place that it was headed and give us some resolution on the tentative relationship between these two well-loved characters. It's not the same without them doing what they do best.
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A Tale For the Time Being – Ruth Ozeki – 4****
This is Ozeki’s most widely-read work (if the Goodreads ratings are any indication). It was nominated for both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this. Yes, I’ve read other books with multiple narrators and with multiple time lines. But there is an ethereal quality to Ozeki’s novel that I can’t remember ever encountering. I felt transported and immersed in these characters’ lives, even though I didn’t always want to be there. Nao’s story is particularly distressing with the bullying she endures, her family’s disastrous financial situation and her father’s deep depression.
LINK to my full review
Grab a Book & Play Booktivity!
Books mentioned in this topic
A Tale for the Time Being (other topics)How The Dead Speak (other topics)
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (other topics)
The Cat Who Turned On And Off (other topics)
The Siren and the Specter (other topics)
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Our June theme was suggested by Carol.
PRIDE MONTH - Read a book with one or more Pride colors on the cover: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple
Don't forget to post your review AND the cover of your book.
Happy reading!
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