A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A totally engaging story. We learn more about Veronica and her sidekick in this third episode. The swtory is somewhat compact and the character list pleasantly small. I had a bit of trouble at first understanding what was happening but I later realized that that confusion was probably part of the plot. I love the characters and the writing style.

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The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book club selection. I started it thinking I would hate it but good writing and an interesting story won me over. It is a story of growth and change growing out of a somewat odd, maybe tragic, childhood. Although the main character had a remarkable ability to look at herself, something most of us seldom do.
Can't wait for the discussion at my book club, they often convince me that I loved a book I thought I didn't.

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The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Satire? Comedy? Frightening depiction of the real world? All these and more. I could not put it down because I was never sure where it was going. It is brilliant, I think.... I loved it. It is frightening, I'm sure. Am I glad I read it? You bet. I can't wait to get my friends to read it and see what they think. In addition it was laugh out loud funny...

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

Glad Jack is back in his army days. I find this more realistic than a guy going around with just a toothbrush in his pocket. Still, a good story with an interesting plot. Wonderful good guys and awful bad guys, that's why I read it.

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Julia by Sandra Newman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is quite a book. Before I say a thing, I must tell you that you do not have to reread 1984 to get this book. If you have the vaguest notion of that amazing book then this will be a fine read. I believe that even with no knowledge of 1984 you will still find this book intriguing.
I had trouble with the graphic nature of some the chapters. The images are hard to get out of your mind. She is such a good author that as a reader I felt some of the horror.
That being said, I believe the modern, feminine update on the classic is probably worth the read if you are not to squeamish.


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The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quite an interesting story with interesting characters. I loved the story but mostly the perspective of living in that era both as Jewish and as Black. What a clever and well written story. This is an author to cherish because of his insight into humanity. He seems to see from every perspective.

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The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A somewhat intriguing mystery. A bit complex but kind of fun to read. The characters are all oldsters living in a retirement community. What they lack in health and youth they make up for in cleverness.
I liked it but I occasionally found myself a little lost in the plot and the characters.

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A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the second in the series and it was as much fun as the first. If a tale of muder and mayhem can be fun. The charachters and thier relationships are growing as the story progresses. Honestly I can't wait to see what adventure is next. I just love books that are set in England. This has mystery, feminism and a lot of slick adventure.

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A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A bit of everything. Great characters, a wonderful plot and lots of weird adventures. I loved it. I want more. And I think there are many more adventures for the strange duo. Reading this book is a treat.

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Citizen K-9 by David Rosenfelt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was fun, uncomplicated yet at the same time hard to put down. The action seemed a bit forced and I'm not a fan of first person narratives but for a book club read this was pretty painless. I like my dectective stories a little grittier.

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Hotel Cuba by Aaron Hamburger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wish I could give this brilliant book more stars. It is a wonderful story with strong vibrant characters who grow into real three dimensional people.
The scope of the story and the vivid descriptions just made the story even better. How the characters learned to adapt to their situations was a story in itself. The strength of their character and the way they brought their values and childhood teaching with them.
I loved it.....

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Near Miss by Stuart Woods
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Stone Barrington never fails to give me an enjoyable read. This one, though not complicated, had a more exensive plot line. I enjoyed it a lot. I wonder if Stuart Woods left the outline or it was new. Either way, I'll keep reading these books.

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The Difference Engine by William Gibson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a great idea and a fuzzy plot. I guess I lost my way about half way through the book. I'm sure it might be clear as a bell to some people but I didn't understand where it went. I missed the whole point of the ending.
Still and interestng concept and certainly will be great for alternative history buffs.

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The Art Forger by Barbara A. Shapiro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this book. I'm not sure what it is that I found so appealing, but I could not put it down. The story and characters, not many of them, were pretty easy to understand. I think it might be that learning about painting at such a basic level was interesting. Trying to piece things together and make sense out of secrets, long held made for a mystery in a mystery. I can't wait to talk about this one at book club. Can't wait to read another.

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 Books so far 2023:

Kantika by Elizabeth Graver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful book. I believe I identified with the characters. My family’s journey to America was less convoluted but equally interesting.
I love the intergenerational story. Strong characters with strong character. I sometimes wonder where people get this extraordinary strength. This is a story about America. Imagine if we had no immigrants. What an empty, boring place this would be.
Look how immigrants made the country and continue to revitalize it with new ideas and culture.


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

As usual, Daniel Silva does not dissappoint. The old characters are back and the new ones fit right in. The story is complicated but it is engrossing.
The action is non-stop and realistic. I followed some of the action on a map and Silva's locations are exceptionally accurate.
The story is ripped from the headlines. I don't want to spoil this story. The question I kept asking was how close to war are we every day that the war in Ukraine continues.

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The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice by Benjamin Gilmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this for book club. An intriguing story idea, just so happens to be true. The book is a bit preachy and more about mental illness in prison than about a murder. Unless you consider putting a mentally ill person in prison murder.
The shortcomings of our judicial and prison system are well known. You are better off to commit your crimes in some states than in others. Best you have reasonably intelligent judges and lawyers. In the wrong place, with the wrong legal help and supervision, you may find yourself locked up with a lost key.
That's really what this book is about. It makes me want to vomit. If you are rich and well connected you can do and say anything, matters not, you will never get to trial. If you do your high priced attorneys working with well-placed judges will get you off. There is no law if it not swift and equal.


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Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It might be too soon. The pandemic is still a raw sore for many of us and me included. This is a book that takes place during the pandemic.
It is a story about identity and how it is passed on to children, even grown children. The writing is beautiful and it is a wonderful read but for me it brought up memories of the quiet streets, wiping groceries and feeling isolated.
Not being able to get that image, the pandemic, out of my mind made this a somewhat depressing book for me, maybe not for everyone. After all, the Kunstlers did go from hell to paradise and flourished there.
The history is beautiful and the stories in the story are heartwarming.
Read it. It may be worth the aggravating memories.

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Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a typical Jeffrey Archer. A couple of clever twists and lots of action. I love it give me more.
The Warwick characters are easy to understand and a pleasure to read about.

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This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing: A Memoir by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Helps to help me understand why I love Maisie Dobbs so much. Its the writing. It is from a place of knowledge about the environment that Maise lived in.
Jaqueline Winspear led an interesting life and had an interesting family. As with the books in her series, this book is filled with what it must have been like to live in England in this time period between and during the Wars. If you are a fan of English historical fiction, this book is your cupa.


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Horse by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A powerful, and easy to digest book. This is about so many things, not just a horse. This is a book that is right out of the headlines and traces our current problems right back to their beginning. Racism and slavery. The perspective of a slave and his family is so well portrayed that I got tears in my eyes from it at times and anger at others.
You know an author is great when you read about horses and racing, something I have little interest in and it holds your interest. She is a master.
The characters come alive and the plot moves along in not always predictable ways.
Read this book!


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The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wish this was not a stand alone. I would like to read about these characters and the further exploits. Brilliantly written. It was a pleasure to read and, as Winspear does, it exposed me to a whole lot of wonderful history. Not a boring moment.

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Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber by Andy Borowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read some of his columns and they are often laugh out loud funny. This book is not funny, well I laughed a lot, it is seriously accurate journalism. It traces the our crappy political situation back to and finds the republican party in a straight trajectory from their past leadership to today. You reap what you sow.
More than I wanted to know about Reagan and Quayle, Andy draws the lines between Joe McCarthy and our current republican leadership.
Borowitz is brilliant. The book makes so many things clear and makes it more difficult to accept republicans as viable in a democracy. It is a party of lunatics with plans.
Don't be afraid of this book unless you are afraid of the truth about republican leadership. Also the book is short, half of it is footnotes that you might feel complelled to look at.

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The Heart of the Serpent: Soviet Science Fiction by Ivan Efremov
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a 1958 Soviet era science fiction. Fascinating mix of science and politics. The story is simple. We meet another race of beings in space.
Most interesting observation was that as technology improves on earth, the next generation of spaceships might beat them to the target and back. In other words, their explorarion expected to take 7 centuries on earth will bring them back to a world that is completely different from the one they left.

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The Paris Affair by Melanie Hudson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I liked it. In fact, I might have loved it. Gave me a different perspective on the war, the French and those sad people who hated Hitler and lived in Germany and Germans. Suffice it to say that this may give you a chance to see the war from a different angle, just as sad, just as horrifying, just different.

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Tomorrowville by David Isaak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a very interesting book. Can't wait to read the other books in the series.
Just take today and bring our current insanity to a logical end. The part that is most frightening is that we plant the seeds of our demise and then nurture them until they blossom.
The main characters are pretty easy to understand and the author keeps the story moving along. An easy read but well worth the time.

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Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A pretty good book. Hard to believe until you find out that parts of the story are true. Fantastic escapades in Belgium. Characters are rich and sometimes hard to fathom.
I did not always understand some of the emotional trials that the characters went through. I enjoyed it.

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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting book. One review describes it as emotional porn. It might be a book where the patients/clients (she's not sure what to call them) are stripped bare and set on a path with new and more appropriate clothing.
This is certainly true for the author, who is one of the characters in the book. I was somewhat amazed at her initial reaction to the breakup. He had obviously signaled earlier that all was not well but in here desire to be in a relationship, she simply lied to herself.
I've never been in therapy. I can't imagine laying my life out to a stranger. That's what I do with my most loved, I tell them how I feel.

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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a marvelous book. I loved all of it and I was sorry when I finished it. Not that much story but fascinating characters who seem to come to life on the pages. I even liked the intelligent dog and I'm not much of a dog person.
Ah, humanity has missed so much brilliance by keeping women down.That may be the real message here, and it rings true on a regular basis. Discrimination on the basis of sex is the most pervasive and damaging kind of hate. It is hate. It is also fear that there may be a hidden gender superiority in women. Men have fought this forever and still often do.

Enough, the book is fun to read and simply wonderful.

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Not much of a year for reading. I guess other things got in the way. With hours a week to spare, 2023 should be better.

 

Books I’ve Read 2022

 

1. An Observant Wife -Naomi Ragen

2. The Anomaly - Hervé Le Tellier,Adriana Hunter (Goodreads Author) (Translator)

3. Criminal Mischief (Stone Barrington #60) -  Stuart Woods

4. The Every (The Circle #2) - Dave Eggers

5. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir

6. The Berlin Exchange - Joseph Kanon

7. The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer

8. The Lightning Rod (Escape Artist #2) - Brad Meltzer

9. A Sunlit Weapon (Maisie Dobbs #17) Jacqueline Winspear 

10. The Wick and The Flame - Hilari T. Cohen

11. A Safe House (Stone Barrington #61) - Stuart Woods

12. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill - Robert Dugoni

13. West with Giraffes - Lynda Rutledge

14. Atomic Anna - Rachel Barenbaum

15. Portrait of an Unknown Woman (Gabriel Allon #22) - Daniel Silva

16. The Half Life of Valery K -Natasha Pulley

17. Black Dog (A Stone Barrington Novel Book 62) - Stuart Woods

18. One Two Three - Laurie Frankel

19. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

20. This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub

21. The Black Swan of Paris - Karen Robards

22. The Personal Librarian - Marie Benedict Victoria Christopher Murray 

23. The Boys from Biloxi - John Grisham

24. No Plan B (Jack Reacher #27) - Lee Child

25. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy - Jamie Ford

26. Distant Thunder (Stone Barrington #63)  - Stuart Woods

27. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy - Jamie Ford

28. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows - Balli Kaur Jaswal

29. Act of Oblivion - Robert Harris

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fascinating book from a wonderful author. The story, based on real events and people, comes alive as Harris fills in the details.
Life in the colonies in the mid-1600's is different from the way I learned it in history class A lot went on between Plymouth Rock and the American revolution. This brings that era of our history into much sharper focus. The factionalism, religious bigotry and extremism in the old and new world is beyond imagination. Citizens and leaders were unprepared for their life in the colonies and made enemies of their compatriots and the native peoples.
What a great book. This man is a master storyteller.

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