Book: The Astral Library

 Book: The Astral Library

Author: Kate Quinn

Pages: 304

This is my 62nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Alexandria "Alix" Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down.  Working 3 dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands.  Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives...inside their favorite books.  The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect.  Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer.  But who does their enemy really wish to destroy - Ali, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

I want to first state that I have read quite a few Kate Quinn books and have enjoyed them all.  She took a leap out of her comfort zone with this book, and in my opinion - not sure she should have.  For me, this was a miss.  I liked the idea of it, but the writing just didn't work for me.  I had a hard time getting into the story, I found the over use of swear words unnecessary, and the middle was just boring.  I will not give up on Kate though!  If she goes back to writing what she is good at - I am there.

Stars: 3

Book: A Spindle Splintered

 Book: A Spindle Splintered

Author: Alix Harrow

Pages: 126

This is my 61st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

It's Zinnia Gray's 21st birthday, which is extra-special because it's the last birthday she'll ever have.  When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition.  Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past 21.  Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel.  But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.  

Stars: 1

Book: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

 Book: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

Author: Walter Isaacson

Pages: 80

This is my 60th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

To celebrate America's 250th anniversary, Walter Isaacson takes readers on a fascinating deep dive into the creating of one of history's most powerful sentences: "We hold these truths to e self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".  Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, this line lays the foundation for the American Dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation.  Isaacson unpakcs its geniums, word by word, illuminating the then-radical concepts behind it.  Readers will gain a fresh appreciation for how it was drafted to inspire unity, equality, and the enduring promise of America.  With clarity and insight, he reveals not just the power of these words but describes how, in these polarized times, we can use them to restore an appreciation for our common values.

This was a great book.  I have read several books by this author, and he is an itellegent writer who well researches everything he writes.  As I read this short novella, all I could think is that every American should pick this one up right now and really familiarize themselves on the Constitution, what the founding fathers actually meant, and the letters they wrote on WHY they developed the Constitution to break away from the king.  I think a lot of people in this country would find some familiar tones in today's environment.

Stars: 4.5 

Book: Death To Anyone Who Reads This

 Book: Death To Anyone Who Reads This

Author: Hugh Howey

Pages: 101

This is my 59th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

This is the sequel to The Balloon Hunter.  If you haven't read that yet, do so first.  If you have read it, try not to make the same mistake over and over....like I keep doing.

This was a good follow up to The Balloon Hunter.  Fast read - able to finish in under 1 hour because it is short and just journal entries.  This wasn't as good overall as the Balloon Hunter, but the ending was really good.  Hugh Howey has the ability to really make you think and draw your own conclusions.  Bravo

Stars: 4

Book: The Balloon Hunter

 Book: The Balloon Hunter

Author: Hugh Howey

Pages: 136

This is my 58th read of the year

What Amazon Says:

Shoot anything you don't understand.  That's been my motto, and it's kept me alive.  So when I saw something drifting about the fog, I lined it up in my sights and tookit out.  Only realized after that it was a balloon.  With a note attached.  Rita.  Who are you?  Where are you?  Hang tight. I'm coming.

This was a great novella.  It is written all in postcards, so I finished it in less than an hour.  I really like Hugh Howey (he is the author of the Silo series), so was exctied to find this book.  It is a clever and face paced dystopian and the ending still has been realing a bit.  Tried to even do a deep dive after I finished reading to see what other people thought.  There is a sequel, so of course I read that too.

Stars: 4.5

Book: The Test

 Book: The Test

Author: Sylvain Neuvel

Pages: 112

This is my 57th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Britain, the not-too-distant future.  Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.  He wants his family to belong.  25 questions to determine their fate.  25 chances to impress.  When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.  How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?

This was an interesting novella.  I listened to it and it was under 2 hours to complete it.  It was a good book to listen to because it is a fast pace hostage situation book with a twist.  About half way through is when the twist is revealed, and it continues to be interesting until the end to see where it ends up.  Glad I found this one.

Stars: 4

Book: Edge of Collapse

 Book: Edge of Collapse

Author: Kyla Stone

Pages: 318

This is my 56th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

No electriciy.  No cars or phones.  And no way to call for help.  The country is plunged into instant chaos. But for Hannah Sheridan, it's the best day of her life.  For the last 5 years, she's been the captive of a sadistic psychopath - until the electromagnetic pulse releases the lock of her prison.  Battered but not broken, she emergest from her underground cell into a hostile winter wilderness with nothing but the clothes on her back and the determination to survive.  Reclusive Spec Ops soldier Liam Coleman is headed nowhere fast.  He believed he was prepared for any disaster until the EMP took everything he cared about in a matter of seconds.  200 frozen, perilous miles stand beteween them nd their destiation in rual Michigan.  But the killing cold and desperate survivors aren't the only threats, for Hannah's captor isn't about to let her go.  When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it.  With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.  

This was a great book.  I got it free from Amazon a year or two ago, and have no picked it up.  Glad I finally did.  It is well written, and just scary enough that I almost wanted to flip through to not subject myself to what was coming.  It is a fast read, and is engaging from beginning to end.  I liked both Liam and Hannah - they are easy to root for.  She is smart and not a damsel in distress during any part of this book which was refreshing.  Each chapter is divided into Hannah, Liam, and the captor.  I found out that this is quite the book series, and a lot of positive reviews for the whole thing, so I will continue reading to see where it is going.  Ends on a cliff hanger.

Stars: 5