The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Certainly worth reading. I loved "A Gentleman..." and looked forward to this book. The writing was brilliant but often I felt the story meandered around and led me down paths that were dead ends to the main plot. Then I began to wonder what the main plot was. The characters kept me reading but it felt like it had no where to go as a story and consequently didn't get there.
Still better than a lot of books and certainly kept me wondering whether I liked it or not. In the end I'm still not sure.

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Better off Dead by Lee Child
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As usual, Child comes up with interesting villians and engrossing plot. Maybe a little convoluted but certainly kept me turning the page. Even with the co-authoring, these stories seem to have lost none of their punch and character. Might be hard for a first reader to figure Reacher out in this one but for the rest of us it was a delight. Good story, maybe too close to reality.

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Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this for book club and must say I wasn't enthusiastic until I read a chapter. This is a delightful book. The main characters jump from the page and the story is intriguing. I love the writing style and the ties to historical fact. I guess now I have to watch the movie again.
The author gives a pretty honest look at the way many men behave and it looks awful. Where did we get this view of women and how could it not have been squelched in all these years? Why did women have to fight for suffrage. I just don’t see how more people of good faith and reasonable intelligence didn’t see this problem in our society earlier. I sick of fighting against stupidity and prejudice. I wish I could offer my grandchildren something better.


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Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series. This book seemed to have more adventure and introduced and fleshed out some of th e characters a little further. A couple of the scenes were a bit tense and I imagined a couple of scenarios that Archer didn't use.
This book really kept me on the edge and kept me reading. Can't wait for the next book in the series. I hope there is one on the way. William Warwick and his band of coppers have a lot more to accomplish. And btw, they do it without cell phones!

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Foul Play by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like an old friend, Stone Barrington comes into my life every so often with one of the fanciful tales of intrigue and humor. I love this series. Its like popcorn, can't get enough and feel better after eating it.
Stone's exploits are just complicated enough to keep me interested and just funny enough to keep me laughing.
Imagine a perfect life filled with perfect friends, lovers and yes, even perfect bad guys. That's this series and the ending justifies another book. I can't wait. Thanks Stuart Woods for giving me hours of entertainment.

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The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Rare that I don't like a book. This was just too many words and too little plot. The mystery turns out to not be a big deal and the people are shallow and essentially uninteresting. The reliance on sex and anger to move the "story" along is not a substitute for real activity. I hope there are not people like this in real life. It was a book club. I may have liked it more than some of my friends. It gets my thumbs down. Skip this one.

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Turn a Blind Eye by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm already in love with this series. Archer makes the characters come alive and the story is filled with cliff hangers and suspense. William is learning the cop business and seems to be quite successful. He is also learning to be a father and husband, maybe not all that easy in real life.
There is a lot of courtroom drama that is interesting and well written. Great stuff.

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A brilliant concept, well written. This book grabs you on page one and doesn't let go 'til the end. The author is a master of the craft and leaves you wanting to know more after each page.
The idea of life being a series of choices is so beautifully told and the whole idea makes for good reading and a thoughtful discussion, if only in your own mind.

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Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just love Jeffrey Archer books. They transport me to another place and time. The story is intriguing. The characters are perfectly drawn and the setting comes alive in my mind.
This is the second in what I hope will be a long series. The Third is ready to go and the fourth comes out in mid October.
In terms of content, the British legal system and their police forces are the basic topics here with a splash of art and culture. Archer has crafted a story line and set of plots that are pretty relevant to today but have a hint of the past.

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11/22/63 by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a reread for my book club. I will just say one thing. If you have never read a Stephen King novel, read this one. Its not his standard thriller but a wonderful account of how time is our harsh mistress. The detail and plot twists are fascinating and if you think you know the ending, or even what its about, you are probably wrong. Its the complete page turner, love story, historical fiction and science fiction all rolled into one exceptional book.

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Nothing Ventured by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. Reminded me of what I loved about the Clifton Chronicles. It just fun to read with characters I want to get to kno. I look forward to the second in the series. I feel that I get to know England by reading about these characters.
The story is easy to follow and the characters are easy to keep track of. I just enjoy the writing and the beautiful pictures that Archer creates in my mind. A detective in England, this is right in my wheel house and kept me interested through the whole story.

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Class Act by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back to his old tricks, Stuart Woods that is, he gives us several hours of fun with a nicely detailed story about some unlikely events and some unbelievable people. He is a master story teller and even this convoluted plot just seemed to be the natural order of things. At least in Stone's interesting and seemingly dangerous world. As always, I loved it.

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City of Spies by Mara Timon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Never read about Portugal during the war and that's what peaked my interest here. I was not dissappointed. I learned about this aspect of WWII and was treated to a terriffic spy novel with an interesting set of characters. I loved it. Easy, pleasant style that was a pleasure to read. I learned just enough about the minor characters to understand them and the main characters came to life. It has a slow start but a great middle and end. Hope Mara Timon writes another adventure for her lady spy.

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

I loved it. I'm a big fan but also its up to date. Some of the sections felt like they came right from the headlines and others probably should have been headlines.
I know that some claim that this is the same story over and over again but I disagree. The characters remain the same but the bad guy is usually a new twist on evil.
This story explores the problem of corruption in financial institutions. I guess he just made that up. One of the characters is a president of the US who is not trustworthy, and high government officials conspiring with Russians. Total nonsense.
I'd like to see Gabiel Allon retire and be replaced by a new main character. He hints that it might be a woman. Sounds good to me.


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The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I guess I'm a history nut. I love these excellent historical fiction novels. The Exiles is a story of the settling of Australia with convicts from England. More than that this is a story of female strength and the ability ot resist and survive.
The story is filled with sadness and dissapointment but I'm left quite uplifted. Knowing that the world has changed for so many people and with some ework may become a better place for more people.
It is remarkable that the struggles of the late 1800's on the other side of the world are akin to the struggles here, today.
Doesn't anything change.

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Red Lies by Cristelle Comby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I liked it because of the way it ended. I must add that it was an adventure and a kick to read. Just enough history to keep me interested and enough action to keep it from being boring. I love the fact that the protaginist is a woman and that the men are pretty much hollow and predictable. Read this, its fun.

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Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great book. I like history and this book is historical. I like spy novels, this has that too. The story itself may or may not be too far fetched but the plot was so beautifully thick and unfolded so well that I was entranced from page one to the end.
I read this book because a friend likes Beatiz Williams books. My friend has good taste. This person can write and spin a tale.
Her prose made the story come to life and kept me reading feverishly until the end. I don't think its a spoiler to say that strong, interesting and intelligent women are often left out of spy stories, this one is an exception. Loved it.

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The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I went from liking this book to hating it. I'm not sure why. The characters were so transparent that I sensed what would happen and was usually right.
I guess they characters were all hard to like and had such major personality flaws that I had trouble feeling for any of them. Usually books give me images of the people, places and events but this one seemed just words on a page telling a story. I just could not get into it. No spoilers but I hated the ending.

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Ocean Prey by John Sandford


As usual, John Sandford never dissappoints. Easy to read and understand, lots of action, bad guys and good guys. I love a good crime story and this certainly was one of them. Like a good detective he teases clues from almost nothing and builds a case against the bad guys. His exploits are daring and exciting. He teams up with Virgel Flowers in this one and its a match made in cop drama heaven.

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The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series of books. It has been a joy to watch the characters grow and change with the times. This was a period of history that we might learn from. The people of England plowed through the blitz and the hardships of war. So many stories in this episode. The plot might have been a little convoluted at times but the story never failed to keep me turning the page.
Ms Winspear is brilliant and I look forward to more adventures for our hero.

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The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a masterpiece. It has everything I love in a novel. The characters are strong, well developed and interesting. The plot is straight forward but not revealed immediatly. There is action, romance, intrigue and pain.
More important to me is that the characters are women, this is another story that exposes the problems of being a competent, intelligent and hard driving woman in a world controled by men. Often the me seem to fueled by arrogance and testosteone so I guess it is pretty accurate.
It spans a period of interesting history and the birth of some of our modern technologies.
Don't miss this book. I wait for Kate Quinn's next book with anticipation.

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Double Jeopardy by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just like Stuart woods to give me a delightful break from the world around me. Pure fantasy but a pleasure to read. Characters are rich in so many ways and yet they are fun to follow. He can never write enough books to please me, each is a trip down some odd escapist lane and seem to have no emotional downside for me. I hate the bad guys and love the good guys.

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Books Read Feb-March, 2021

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brilliant. Not my kind of book. I read it for book club and I'm so glad I did. The author weaves a wonderful story and the characters and their emotions and trials are beautifully portrayed. Its just a joy to read and clearly shows the many ways that men have found to keep women down. I think this should be mandatory reading for mysinogists.

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The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love books about England that span several years. This book was perfection. Not a boring minute and yet, I was reading about gardens. What a talented writer. Characters that come alive giving the story so many wonderful facits with which to view it.

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Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book jumps from character to character and time to time. At first this disconcerted me but as I read the style was more like lyrical poetry. Almost plotless, the book tells the story of families brought together unwillingly over the birth of a child. It seemed pretty real and after I sorted out the characters, I found it very interesting and thought provoking. Jacqueline Woodson has a new fan.

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The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just plain good reading. A wonderful story with strong characters and a plot that is historical and as new as tomorrow's headlines. This is a complicated country and I believe this book begins to peel back some layers and helps us understand our past. The incredible injustice of some people is the point of the story both on a personal and a national level. It is a story of love and strength and determination. So worth the read. These characters will stay with you.

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Keep You Close by Karen Cleveland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Want a mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat until your end. Want the definition of a page turner in front of you. This is it. Just a masterful story that is complex and yet seems so obvious at the end. I don't want to spoil this but its a spy-mystery that seems almost as current as today and yet is probably a timeless story of love and commitment.
The characters are so well developed you will long for another story about them. Come on Karen, lets see another book.

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My Best Day on Ultimate Guitar

Artist	Song
Parquet Courts	Yonder Is Closer To The Heart
Poor Mans Poison	Fathers Day
King Crimson	Pictures Of A City
Ethan Cutkosky	Alone
Jacob Collier	Sleeping On My Dreams
The Neighbourhood	Here We Go Again
Thin Lizzy	Ray-Gun
Fresh Life Worship	Worth
Gentle Bones	Better With You
LA MAYBE BAND	Mr Danger
Loud Luxury	Like Gold

 

 

 

Books Read in January, 2021