Book: The Last Chance Library

 Book: The Last Chance Library

Author: Freya Sampson

Pages: 336

This is my 220th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up.  Shy and reclusive, the 30 year old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world.  But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the plaec that holds the dearest meories of her mother.  Joining a bnad of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died.  It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand.  The kindhearted lawyer's feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.  To save the place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make some changes to her life.  For once, she's determined not to go down without a fight.  And maybe, in fighting for her cherised library, June can save herself, too.

Book was just okay.  Dragged a bit.  I did not ever really like the June character.  Predictable

Stars: 2.5 

Book: Birds of Maine

 Book: Birds of Maine

Author: Michael DeForge

Pages: 464

This is my 219th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Long after the demise of humankind, birds roam freely around a new earth complete with fruitful trees, sophisticated fungal networks, and an enviable socialist order.  The universal worm feeds all, there are no weekends, and economics is as fantastical a study as unicorn psychology.  No concept of money or welath plagues the thoughts of these free-minded birds.  Instead, there are angsty teens who form bands to show off their best bird song and other youngesters who yearn to become clothing designers even though clothes are only necessary during war.  (The truly honorable professions for most birds are historian or librarian).  These birds are free to crush on hot pelicans and live their best lives until a crash-landed human from the moon threatens to change evertyhing.  Michael DeForge's post-apocalyptic reality brings together the author's quintessential deadpan humor, surrealist imagination, and undeniable sociopolitical insight. 

Weird

Stars: 3 

Book: The Secrets We Hide

 Book: The Secrets We Hide

Author: Karin Slaughter

Pages: 416

This is my 218th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

The next thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series.  Welcome to North Falls.  A small town with big secrets.  1601 Iris Drive looks like any other house on the quiet, residential street.  But rumors are rampant about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors.  When gunshots ring out, Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, discover a devastating crime scene.   Allison Vickery has been murdered in her own kitchen, and her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs, left for dead.  Everyone thinks they know what happened.  But secrets are buried everywhere in this small town.  And it's up to Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth.

This was a pretty good book.  I read the first one (We are All Guilty Here), and was glad to see the story continued.  There is great character development and the story flows nicely.  I actually didn't see the twist in this one coming.  I looked on Amazon and saw that next summer the 3rd book in this series will be out, and am looking forward to see how the author wraps it up.

Stars: 4

Book: The Night Country

 Book: The Night Country

Author: Melissa Albert

Pages: 400

This is my 217th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In this book, Alice Prosperpine dives back into a menacing, mesmerizing world of dark fairy tales and hidden doors of The Hazel Wood.  Follow her and Ellery Finch as they learn The Hazel Wood was just the beginning , and that worlds die not with a whimper, but a bang.  With Finch's help, Alice escaped the Hinterland and her reclusive grandmother's dark legacy.  Now she and the rest of the dregs of the fairy tale world have washed up in NYC where Alice is trying to make a new, unmagical life.  But something is stalking the Hinterland's survivors - and she suspects their deaths may have a darker purpose.  Meanwhile, in the winking out world of the Hinterland, Fince seeks his own adventure, and - if he can find it - a way back home. 

This book was fine.  It was the second book in The Hazel Wood series.  I liked the first one well enough, but this one didn't draw me in.

Stars: 3

Book: The One

 Book: The One

Author: John Marrs

Pages: 496

This is my 216th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

How far would you go to find The One?  A simple DNA test is all it takes.  Just a quick mouth swab and soon you'll be matched with your perfect partner - the one you're genetically made for.  That's the promise made by Match Your DNA.  A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate.  Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched.  But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.  Now 5 very different people have received the notification that they've been "Matched".  They're each about to meet their one true love.  But "happily ever after" isn't guaranteed for everyone.  Because even soul mates have secrets.  And some are more shocking than others.  

This was a good book.  I am a fan of John Marrs and have read many of his books, and have enjoyed all of them.  I am a fan of chapters each old by different characters, and this is something that Marrs does often and I think does well.  The story moves along at a good pace, but it is easy to keep track of all the characters and their lives and how they are affected by the DNA matches they choose to follow.  It is well written for the most part, although I did drop it a star where near the end I felt that he had one or two characters make some choices I felt were unrealistic.  However - that is just my opinion.  Glad I read this one.  

PS - there is a TV series that is based on this book, but it is completely different in just about every way except for the Match your DNA part.

Stars: 4 

Book: Deadpool 3: The Complete Collection

 Book: Deadpool 3: The Complete Collection

Author: Daniel Way

Pages: 448

This is my 215th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Deadpool heads into space to increase his intergalactic cred. Will taking on galactic assassin Macho Gomex and the immense Id the Selfish Moon cement Deadpool as the solar system's best, most ruthless mercenary?  Not as fas as his "old friends" back on Earth are concerned -Hydra Bob, Big Bertha, Taskmaster and Blind Al all want to claim a piece of his hide.  Deadpool flirts with both mortality and sanity as he takes on the incredible Hulk and is locked up in an asylum.

Stars: 4 

Book: The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

 Book: The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

Author: Emma Knight

Pages: 379

This is my 214th read for they year

What Amazon Says:

Arriving at the University of Edinburgh for her first term,Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her.  She believes she'll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father's - now a famous wrter known as Lord Lennox - lives.  When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lord Lennox's centuries - old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents' secret, just as she's falling in love for the first time.  As Pen experiences the sharp shock of adulthood, she comes to rely on herself for the first time in her life.  A rich and rewarding novel of campus life, of sexual awakening, and ultimately, of the many ways women can become mothers in this world, this book asks to what extent we need to look back in order to move forward. 

Stars: 2