The Girl Without a Name by Suzanne Goldring
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this a lot. It gave me another chance to be transported back to England during the blitz and the after effects of the war. The character development was beautiful. I ate this up until the last third when I'd figured out the plot and wanted to know what happened to the people. Still I loved the writing and I'll read another of Suzanne Goldring's books next. (That is my greatest compliment!)

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Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great read. A mystery, sexy novel, crime expose and family story all in one. No kidding, this book is the real deal. Easy to read, complicated at times, characters who have just enough heft to seem real and a story that is interesting and hard to put down.
Lisa Unger knows how to write. She handles the pieces of this story masterfully and seeps just enough clues to keep you interested and mentally begging for more. Its such a comfortable read that I did not want it to end.

Don't miss this book. Put it on your list.

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The Guest List by Lucy Foley
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A book club selection that just never rang my bell. I found the characters uninspiring and flat. They were sort of charicatures of real people who I don't know. I still don't know them. The story was just about flawed people doing odd things to themselves and each other. Its rare for me to dislike a book but this one would have been put down after a chapter or two. Because it was for book club I slogged through it.

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Shakeup by Stuart Woods
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just what you expect from a Woods novel. Fun, sex crimes and incredible storylines that are often just real life enough to make you wonder. I like these books, they are like reading candy. This one was a little light on story but I'll be there to read the next one.

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The Sentinel by Lee Child
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ah yes, another Jack Reacher story. This one is as fresh as the current newspaper. Spys, nazis and corrupt cops. The perfect blend of reacher violence and in your face reality. So little of this book was far fetched that it was a bit scary. Jack seems the only person who ever thinks things through. This is esscapist lit with a realistic flare.

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V2: A Novel of World War II by Robert Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved it. The story was just what I like. A small bit of intrigue and a load of history. Hard to believe that Harris wrote this entirely during the pandemic. The characters seem very real and I could almost ppicture the locations and the setting. It sheds such a bright light on Von Braun but I'm sure he would not have cared. He had no heart or concience and was for sale to the highest bidder. Good story, worth the read. Move it to the top of your pile.

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The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A mystery and little more but surely held my interest. One could as a lot of questions here but let it go as a good story that will hold your interest untio you figure it out and then you will keep reading to answer why? I look forward to my book club's discussion. It certainly will be lively.

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Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trying to get a feel for the Russia of Stalin. This book does an excellent job of painting that portrait of the suffering, drama and dispare that the Russians must have felt living through that experience. The characters are developed beautifully and the seem like remarkably real people. Small people being pushed ans shoved by a giant government that cares little for their feelings or well being. And where does this lead? Do we face the same fate?

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Need to Know by Karen Cleveland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great read. Sort of a mash of a lot of spy stories with a little twist and turn. I suspected everyone and as the story unfolded I was often surprised. It was a pleasure to read and enjoy. Its my book club's selection this month and the questions of truth and believing will be fun to discuss.

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Choppy Water by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stuart Woods never fails me. No matter how depressing the world is, e manages to tell me a crime fantasy with beautiful women, excellent food and adventure that doesn't stop to catch a breath. I wish there was a new one every week. Those of you who think these books are from a formula miss the point. Great food comes from a great recipe and great ingredients combined with skill and taste That's Stuart Woods to a "T."
The fact the democratic president elect is a single woman is just a little frosting on the cake. Oh and the antagonists are right wingnuts. Just a fun read.

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The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I would say a brilliant book. JoJo Moyes is a fantastic writer. The characters are rich and complex yet easy to understand. As in real life, first impressions often change and these characters opened up into interesting, real people.
The men in the story were split into two groups, the scum and the too good to be true. Both sets were totally believable and realistic. Love, a mystery in itself, is explored and dissected throught the story. I loved the book.
Hard to believe that mysoginy is still so widespread. I don't mean the pointing out of gender differences, I mean out and out hatred of women. I'm sick of it. These women were real people with guts and determination, it had nothing to do with gender.

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The Braid by Laetitia Colombani
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved it. Elegantly written and never over the top. Just real stories about real people. The translation is wonderful and the story seems unforced and natural.
The story was ot a revalation but the three women were woven into a lovely story. My book club loved it.

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The Order by Daniel Silva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a brillant, exciting and relevant book. Just like every Silva book, I come away knowing something I didn't know before and I feel like I've gotten to know the characters even better than before.
I found the action and pacing to be just perfect and during a time when I'm bored by most things, this picked me up and kept my interest. Can't wait for the next one.

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Bombshell by Stuart Woods
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not my favorite of the series. Just seemed like a short story with too much detail and not enough action. I still enjoyed it but I guess I like more plot and less........ I'm not sure what. I knew what I was getting and I had a few hours of fun.

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Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved it, not sure why. Maybe it was the writing or the story that I thought was intriguing. Probably the mystery that develops and continues throuogh the whole book. There are so many things you wonder about as you read, without giving spoilers, Plot devices that keep the tension in the young girl’s life and refuse to give her any relief.
I read this for book club but I can see why its so popular. I’m glad I read it.


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Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great book. Starts light ends realistic. I find this period of time interesting and I find the Ritz a perfect historical metaphor for all of France. The French were so easily conquered in WWII probably because they were incredibly damaged by WWI and did not want a repeat. Even so the French people often went to extraordinary lengths to make the German occupation less than attractive.
Today in France the remnants of the occupation are all around and mostly disregarded.

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Under Occupation by Alan Furst
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great book about an interesting time. The occupation of Paris during WWII. Several other books have captured this era but Alan Furst does a great job with the atmosphere of Paris at the time. I felt as if I might have been there. Well done.

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The Book of V. by Anna Solomon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To be honest I really wanted to like this book. I read it with interest but the stories seemed a bit disjointed and the whole thing sort of fell apart for me. Its a great idea and Ms Solomon is talented. I loved the writing, that's what kept me going. In the end I kept waiting for something to happen. It didn't. Lots of emotion, strange behaviors and complex relationships but for me, nothing.

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Masked Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As usual, John Sandford is a pleasant diversion from whatever else I do or read. Well constructed stories that follow a pattern. This one seems remarkably in tune with politics today and all the controversy around gun ownership. But forgetting that it was a romp with great action and in the end... well, I would not want to ruin it.
Well written, real understandable characters and convincing plotline. I love this guy.

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The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Erik Larson is amazing. It is a page turner, hard to put down and in truth, you know how it ends. He builds suspense and mystery over history.
I read a lot of WWII historica fiction and this delightfully filled in some of the blanks. It also brought me back to our visit to London and Paris. Hard to believe that they won.
Read this book, its too good to pass up and it will help you understand what we are living through today, in 2020.

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Hit List by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm a Stuart Woods fan so anything I say should be taken with that in mind. This was action packed and full of fun. There was a light and jovial atmosphere which I needed during this time of national panic. Woods always gives me a break from the real world and seems to pull me into this delightful fantasy of Stone Barrington and his friends. I needed the break. Great book.

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Goodnight from London by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just loved it. History with a perspective... A perceptive I could not have imagined. The story is complete, sappy yet filled with people who seem more than just the constructions of an author. I got to know them and understand them. Well done. Great history and a good story. Americans have almost no reference points to the blitz and the suffering of the Brits in both wars.

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Moonlight over Paris by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series and this author. I get this great image in my mind from her writing. I also feel that I earn about the time period. Her ability to mix classes and nationalities and create universal characters is incredible. Not too spoil anything but this book will help you understand people during this incredible time in the world's history.

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An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok, I liked the book. I just didn't find that it was a story about marriage. It was a story of love, hate, racisim and many other things but not about marriage. I was unhappy with the portrayal of men and not all that happy about the women either. I read this for book club and they convinced me I was right.

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Final Option by Clive Cussler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If its from Clive Cussler I like it. Non-stop action that is just believable enough to be fun. The action starts on page one and continues page after page. I was a bit shocked with some of the plot twists and some of them make me look forward to the next book in this series. I traveled to part of the world where this took place and that made the story even more interesting to me. Keep ‘em coming Clive and friends.

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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don't read this book at the beginning of the corona virus outbreak. I've been washing my hands until they are raw.
Interesting story premis that is handled quite well, even intriguing. I liked the author's style and the way she carried the plot and characters through so many different events, times and places. Quite a good read.

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Treason by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As usual, I love these books, although lately they have been a little thin on plot. More novelas. I will continue to read and follow Woods.

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After the War Is Over by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great continuation of the first book. This books takes a character from one book and extends her story without leaving the rest of the cast behind. Again, the best part of this series is the personal glimpse into this period in England. The dynamics of the British system has intrigued me. This book is again substoried in the class system and the royals vs the rest of society. A good read.

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Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the kind of book that I am a sucker for. A story that is based on the history surrounding WWI. An attempt to understand, for me, how the war shaped our modern world. The characteers are a little bigger than life, they do things real people might not. They are thoughtful and idealistic but yet for me the story holds up pretty well. I'd like to see what happens to these people born out of Robson's imagination.

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