Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

 Book: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

Author: CL Miller

Pages: 304

This is my 39th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

What antique would you kill for?  Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances.  She has spent the last 20 years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate - sent just days before his death - Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.  Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast's weekend.  But not all is as it seems.  It's clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions, and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing.  What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved?  More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

This books wasn't great.  I had picked it up (and its sequel) at a used book store after reading the inside cover.  Sounded interesting, but it really was a bit dull and convoluded.  Not well written.  Story was choppy and with no flow.  I am not sure I will pick up the sequel, but I do have a problem not finishing things I bought, so we shall see.

Stars: 2.5

Book: The Little Lost Library

 Book: The Little Lost Library

Author: Ellery Adams

Pages: 323

This is my 38th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When an elderly Miracle Springs resident, Lucille Wynter, arranges for Nora to deliver an order of books to her creepy, crumbling Southern Gothic mansion on the outskirts of town, Nora doesn't expect to be invited in.  An agoraphobe, Lucille doesn't leave Wynter House.  But when Lucille doesn't come to the door to collect her books, Nora begins to worry.  Forcing her way into Lucille's dilapidated home, Nora is shocked to find rooms bursting with books and a lifeless Lucille at the foot of her stairs.  After reading a note left behind by Lucille, Nora wonders if her death was an accident.  Did she fall or was she pushed by someone seeking a valuable item hidden within Whynter House?  Lucille's children are clearly confident the house contains something of value, because they hire Nora to sift through the piles of books.  Nora's obsession with Lucille's colleciton becomes cause for concern among her friends in the Secret, Book and Scone Society - she's even neglecting her bookshop!  But Nora does find something valuable deep inside Wynter House - a revelation about Lucille's terrible past - and a secret worth a small fortune.  But there's someone who'd do anything to keep the truth buried amid the moldering tomes, and it's up to Nora and her friends to track down a murderer before Wynter House's lost library claims another victim.

This book was fine.  I think I am just tired of them.  I have now read this whole series (a bit out of order), and the last few I have just not enjoyed.  The main character is easily offended and I have grown a bit tired of it.  Her snark -in my opinion - does not fit with what I invision for a bookshop owner in a small town.  

Stars: 3

Book: His and Hers

 Book: His and Hers

Author: Alice Feeney

Pages: 320

This is my 37th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessential small town, reporter Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case.  Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.  Someone isn't telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

This was a pretty good book.  I did watch the TV show first, and then found out it was a book, but it followed it okay.  The gist of the TV show was in here - same characters, same ending, but there were some details they changed.  The book is decently written, and I liked how the chapters went back and forth between Jack and Anna.  It is a fast read, and I think most people might be surprised by the ending (if they have not seen the show).

Stars: 4

Book: Challenger

 Book: Challenger

Author: Adam Higginbotham

Pages: 576

This is my 36th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

On January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 7 people on board.  Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.  Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20th century history - one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future.  Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told.  Based on extensive archival research and meticulous, orginial reporting, Challenger follows a handful of central protagonsits - including each of the seven members of the doomed crew - through the years leading up to the accident, and offers a detailed account of the tragedy itself and the investigation afterward.  It's a compelling tale of ambition and ingenuity undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; or hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light.  Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and later hidden from the public.  Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program and the lives of men and women whosestories have been overshadowed by the disaster, as well as the disigners, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space.

This was a good book.  It is dense, but learning more about the personal lives of the Challenger fleet was worth the read.  Reading up to the point of the disaster, and what it was like for their famlies, and then the search for survivors was hard to read.  There are large stretches of this book that is technical and about trying to figure out who to blame, but overall - a good read.

Stars: 4

Book: Heartstopper Book 2

 Book: Heartstopper Book 2

Author: Alice Oseman

Pages: 320

This is my 35th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nick and Charlie are best friends, but one spontaneous kiss has changed everything.  In the aftermath, Charlie thinks that he's made a horrible mistake and ruined his friendship with Nick, but Nick is more confused than ever.  Love works in surprising ways, and Nick comes to see the world from a new perspective.  He discovers all sorts of things about his friends, his family, and himself.

Stars: 3

Book: March

 Book: March

Author: John Lewis

Pages: 128

This is my 34th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Congressman John Lewis is an American icon, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement.  His commitment to justics and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper's farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from the 1st African-American president.  Now, to share his remarkable story with new generations, Lewis presents March, a graphic novel.  March is a vivid first hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation.  Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.  This book spans John Lewis' youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with MLK Jr the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to teat down segregation through nonvilent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning clamax on the steps of City Hall.  Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activits drew inspiration from the 1958 comic book "MLK and the Montgomery Story"  Now his own comics bring those day to life for a new audience.

This was a good book.  I read it for a reading challenge, and it has been on one of my daughter's bookshelf for awhile.  (she read it).  It is a quick read, but covers a lot of ground and is well done.  I think it would be a good book for middle grade to learn about John Lewis and how he became the activist he is.  There are 2 more books in the series that continue with his work as an adult.  Check this one out.

Stars: 4.

Book: Madly, Deeply the diary of Alan Rickman

 Book: Madly, Deeply the Diary of Alan Rickman

Author: Alan Rickman

Pages: 480

This is my 33rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

From his breakout role in Die Hard to his outstanding, multifaceted permormances in the Harry Potter films, Galaxy Quest, Robin Hood and more, Alan Rickman cemented his legacy as a world-class actor.  His air of dignity, his sonorous voice, and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate audiences today.  But Rickman's ability to breathe life into projects wasn't confined to just his performances.  As you'll find, Rickman's diaries detail the extraordinary and the ordinary, flitting between wordly and witty and gossipy, while remaining utterly candid throughout.  He takes us inside his home, on trips with friends across the globe, and on the sets of films nd plays ranging from Sense and Sensibility, to Private lives, to the final film he directed, A Little Chaos.  Running from 1993 to his death in 2016, the diaries provide singular insight into Rickman's public and private life.  Reading them is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close companion.  Meet Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveler, the fan, the director, the enthusiast; in short, the man beyond the icon.

This was a good book.  It was a little tedious - and it is LONG.  He was an avid journalist with small bits of quips and info from his day to day, but not sure it needed to be made into a book.  I would have loved it more if it was.....more.  It would have been better in biography format.  Most of it was not that interesting.  I did find that he didn't have a lot of love for Harry Potter or the final director of those films - Daivd Yates.  Did I learn a lot about Alan Rickman from this book?  No.  Would I suggest you read it?  Probably not.

STars: 3.