Book: Cronus

 Book: Cronus

Author: P. Djeli Clark

Pages: 48

This is my 202nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

A young Black woman challenges the indignity f a segregated dystopian futre and exposes a time-bending secret in this dark, defiant short story.  The year is 2030.  Annabeth works a stable job at CRONUS, a time travel company that caters to wealthy clients.  Life is harsh, but she's willing to keep her head down - until a vision of a past that never happened leads her to question everything she knows.  They call it madness, but she'll learn to call it memory.

Stars: 4

Book: Making Space - The Time Traveler's Passport

 Book: Making Space - The Time Traveler's Passport

Author: RF Kuang

Pages: 32

This is my 201st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

A childless couple take in a mysterious boy in this ominous short story about parenthood, sacrifice, and our responsibility to the future.  Jess desperately wants to be a mother, so when she discovers a young boy lost in the woods near her home, her heart goes out to him.  The boy, who Jess and her husband call "Buddy", can't tell them his name or anything about his family, but he's clearly been through a lot.  When her husband cautions her not to get too involved, Jess brushes him off.  She would do anything for this child - and soon, she'll have to prove it.

Stars: 3.5

Book: Hearts In Atlantis

 Books: Hearts in Atlantis

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 688

This is my 200th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Innocence, experience, truth, deceit, loss, and recovery are at the core of these 5 interconnected, sequential tales - each deeply rooted in the 1960s, and each scarred by the Vietnam War, which continues to cast its shadow over American lives, politics, and culture.  In Part one, "Low Men in Yellow Coats", 11 year old Bobby Garfield discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighborhood.  He also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescurers but at the heart of the terror.  In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest, and confront their own collective heart of darkness, where laughter may be no more than the thinly disguised cry of the beast.  In "Blind Willie and "Why We're in Vietnam", 2 men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era in an America which sometimes seems as hollow - and as haunted - as their own lives.  And in "Heavently Shades of Night Are Falling", this remarkable book's denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him.

Stars: 4

Book: Different Seasons

 Book: Different Seasons

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 608

This is my 199th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

This gripping collection begins with "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption", in which an unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge.  Next is "Apt Pupil" the inspiration for the film of the same name about top high school student Todd Bowden and his obsession with the dark and deadly past of an older man in town.  In "The Body" four rambunctiou young boys plunge through the facade of a small town and coe face-to-face with life, death, and intimations of their own mortality.  This novella became the movie Stand By Me.  Finally, a disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death in "The Breathing Method".

Stars: 4.5

Book: The Whispered Word

 Book: The Whispered Word

Author: Ellery Adams

Pages: 304

This is my 198th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nora Pennington, owner of Miracle Books, believes that a well-chosen novel can bring healing and hope.  But she and the other members of the Secret, book, and Scone Society know that sometimes, practical help is needed too.  Such is the case with the reed-thin girl hiding in the fiction section of Nora's store, wearing a hospital ID and a patchwork of faded bruises.  She calls herself Abilene, and though Nora and her friends offer work, shelter, and a supportive ear, their guest isn't ready to divulge her secrets.  But when a customer is found dead in an assumed suicide, Nora uncovers a ocnnection that points to Abilene as either a suspect - or another target.  Summer's end has brought other new arrivals to Miracle Springs too.  Entrepreneur Griffin Kingsley opens Virtual Genie, a cyber business that unloads people's unwanted goods for cash.  With the town in an economic slump and folks hurting for money, Virtual Genie and its owner are both instantly popular.  A patient listener, Griffin dispenses candy to children and strong coffee to adults, and seems like a bona fide gentleman.  But Nora's not inclined to judge a book by its cover.  And when a second death hits town, Nora and her intrepid friends must help the new, greenhorn sheriff discern fact from fiction - and stop a killer intent on bringing another victims story to a close.

Stars: 4

Book: The Three Lives of Cate Kay

 Book: The Three Lives of Cate Kay

Author: Kate Fagan

Pages: 304

This is my 197th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Cate Kay knows how to craft a story.  As the creator of a bestselling book triogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she's one of the most successful authors of her generation.  The thing is, Cake Kay doesn't really exist.  She's never attended author events or granted any interviews.  Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.  As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda fantasized escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars.  But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future.  But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she'll be a whole person again.

Stars: 2.5

Book: Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man

 Book: Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man

Author: Jesse Sutanto

Pages: 336

This is my 196th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good.  For Vera that is.  She's surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son, Tily, has a girlfriend!  All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray.  The very same Officer Gray that she has harassed while investigating the teahouse murder.  Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly bored.  Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance.  The young woman is looking for a missing friend.  Fortunately, while cat-sitting at Tily and Selena's Vera finds a treasure trove:  Selena's brieftcase.  Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer - who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for.  Online, Xander had it all:  a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer.  The only problem is, after his body is fished out of Mission Bay, the police can't seem to actually identify him.  Who is Xander Lin?  Nobody knows.  Every contact is a dead end.  Everybody claims not to know him, not even his parents.  Vera is determined to solve Xander's murder.  After all, doing so would surely be a big favor to Selena, and there is nothing she wouldn't do for her future daughter-in-law.

Stars: 3