Book: Margo's Got Money Troubles

 Book: Margo's Got Money Troubles

Author: Rufi Thorpe

Pages: 304

This is my 157th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet's always known she'd have to make it on her own.  So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can't imagine how she'll ever make a living.  She's still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor - and while the affair is brief, it isn't brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant.  Despite everyone's advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naivete and a yearning for something bigger.  Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction.  She needs a case infusion - fast.  When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare.  Then Margo begins to form a plan she'll start an only Fans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx's advice from the world of wrestling.  Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you.  Before she knows it, she's turned it into a run away success.  Could this be the answer to all of Margo's probelms, or does internet fame come with too high a price?  Blisteringly funny and filled with sharp insight, Margo's Got Money Troubles is a tender tale starring an endearing young heroine who's struggling to wrest money and power from a world that has little interest in giving it to her.  It's a playful and honest examination of the art of storytelling and controlling your own narrative, and an empowering portrait of coming into your own, both online and off.

I really enjoyed this book.  I did watch the Apple TV series first, and found it pretty good, but I did like the book better.  I think in the book Margo holds it together a little better - seems a bit more mature.  I liked that OnlyFans wasn't the biggest part of the book - it was her trying to care for Bodi.  I liked that most of the people in the book are calmer than they are in the show.  There was strife, of course, and relationship discourse - but not like the show.  It had a great ending.  Glad I read it.

Stars: 4

Book: The Night We Lost Him

 Book: The Night We Lost Him

Author: Laura Dave

Pages: 320

This is my 156th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Liam Noone was many things to many people.  To the public, he was an exacting, self-made hotel magnate fleeing his past.  To his 3 ex-wives, he was a loving albeit distant family man who kept his finances flush and his families carefully separated.  To Nora, he was a father who often loved her from afar - notably, a cliffside cottage perched on the California coast from which he fell to his death.  The authorities rule the death accidental, but Nora and her estraged brother Sam have other ideas.  As Nora and Sam form an uneasy alliance to unravel they mystery, they start putting together the pieces of their father's past and uncover a family secret that changes everything.

This was a pretty good book.  There was good character development, and I liked the dynamic of the family.  Mystery was decent.  The story moves along at a good clip.  There is plenty of conflict.  Good writing.  Satisfying ending.

Stars: 4 

Book: Logan's Run

 Book: Logan's Run

Author: William Nolan

Pages: 192

This is my 155th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In 2116, it is against the law to live beyond the age of 21 years.  When the crystal flower in the palm of your hand turns from red to black, you have reached yr Lastday and you must report to a Sleepshop for processing.  But the human will to survive is strong - stronger than any mere law.  Logan 3 is a Sandman, an enforcer who hunts down those Runners who refuse to accept Deep Sleep.  The day before Logan's palmflower shirts to black, a Runner accidentally reveals that he was racing toward a goal: Sanctuary.  With this information driving him forward, Logan 3 assumes the role of the hunted and becomes a Runner.

This is an old book.  My husband bought it for me as a present thinking I might like it since this is my favorite genre.  But this book was weird.  It is short, and that is about the best thing it has going for it.  I had a hard time getting into it, and there were a million story lines.  Just odd.

Stars: 2 

Book: Ithaca

 Book: Ithaca

Author: Claire North

Pages: 416

This is my 154th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

17 years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca.  None of them has returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom.  Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus.  While he lived, her position was secure.  But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.  No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus empty throne - not yet.  But as everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca indo a bloody civil war.  

This was a great book.  I found it on a discount rack, and what a gem!  The writing is excellent and the story is intriguing.  Love the characters.  It is focused on the women - and told by one of the gods.  The story centers around Penelope, but heavily involes Clytemnestra - which is a favorite of mine (side note - you need to read the book Clytemnestra by Constanza Casati.  It is excellent).  This is the first book in the trilogy and I cannot wait to read the next one.  Check this one out.

Stars: 5

Book: Cell

 Book: Cell

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 384

This is my 153rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

There's a reason cell rhymes with hell.  On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston.  He's just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art intsead of teaching it.  He's already picked up a small (but expensive) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he'll get for his boy Johnny.  Why not a little treat for himself?  Clay's feeling good about the future.   That changes in a hurry.  The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone.  Everyone's cell phone.  Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilzation's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature - and then begins to evolve. There's really no escaping this nightmare.  But for Clay, an arrow points home to Maine, and as he and his fellow regugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirmingtheir direction.  A promise, perhpas.  Or a threat.

I did not realize after going through my Stephen King list that I had miss an old one.  I saw the Cell movie years ago, but don't remember much about it.  I listened to this book and it made a good audiobook.  It is an interesting story, and a good take on a zombie type trope.  Had a decent ending.

Stars: 4

Book: The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea

 Book: The Antique Hunter's Death on the Red Sea

Author: CL Miller

Pages: 304

This is my 152nd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

When a painting vanishes from a maritime museum and a dead boyd is found nearby, Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carole of the Lockwood Antique Hunter's Agency are called to investigate.  Following a lead that takes them aboard a glamorous antiques cruise sailing toward the Red Sea in Jordan, they quickly discover that the ship's art gallery is filled with stolen antiquities.  Each antique is also listed in Freya's late mentor's journals that detail unsolved cases.  In chasing a murderer with a stolen painting, they may have found soemthing more sinister than they could've imagined.  Their hunts soon turns deadly when they learn the enigmatic and dnagerous art trafficker named The Collector could be on board.  But on a ship full of antiques enthusiasts - plus some unexpected familiar faces - will Freya and Carole be able to discover the Collector's identity and stop his murdrous plans before the ship docks?  Or will the killer strike again?

This was a pretty good book.  It is a second in the series, and I think I liked it better than the first.  It is a bit better written, and I was more interested in the story this time around.  Looking forward to reading the 3rd.

Stars: 4

Book: Run Away

 Book: Run Away

Author: Harlan Coben

Pages: 384

This is my 151st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

She' addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend.  And she's made it clear that she doesn't want to be found.  Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park.  But she's not the girl you remember.  This woman is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble.  You don't stop to think.  You approach her, beg her to come home.  She runs.  And you do the only thing a parent can do: follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed.  Before you know it, both your family and your life are on the line.  And in order to protect your daughter from the evils of that world, you must face them head on Age Range: Adult.  

I have read quite a few Coben books this year, and find most of them fine -if not just fluff.  But this was one of the better ones I have read.  I liked the mystery.  The characters are well developed.  There are a lot of twists in this one.  It is entertaining.  You try to put yourself in the dad's shoes to see what you would do if you were him.  After I read this book, I watched the show on Netflix and I can highly recommend that as well.

Stars: 4