Book: Shogun

 Book: Shogun

Author: James Clavell

Pages: 1000

This is my 65th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

After Englishman John Blackthoren is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen-Nippon.  Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-tin, Blackthrone must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs, and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom.  As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne's loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed.

This was a good book.  It is a Tome that has been on my shelf for awhile.  We watched the show on Disney and it was excellent.  The whole first season is the entire book.  I will admit this one I listened to on two very long car trips to get it done, and it was a good listen.  It is an intense story and about something I knew nothing about, so I was intrigued.  Glad I finally tackled this one.

Stars: 4.5

Book: End of Watch

 Book: End of Watch

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 448

This is my 64th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

For nearly 6 years, in Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, Brady Hartsfield has been in a persistent vegetative state.  A complete recovery seems unlikely for the insane perpetrator of the "Mercedes Massacre" in which eight people were killed and many more maimed for life.  But behind the vacant stare, Brady is very much awake and aware, having been pumped full of experimental drugs - scheming, biding his time as he trains himself to take full advantage of the deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.  Brady Hartsfield is about to embark on a new reign of terror against thousands of innocents, hell-bent on taking revenge against anyone who crossed his path - with retired police detective Bill Hodges at the very top of that long list.

This is the final book in the Bill Hodges trilogy.  It took me longer than necessary to get to this one - considering I do really like this world.  There have been a few spinoffs of this world that are equally as good.  This book is well written and a good wrap up to the trilogy.  The paranormal activites continue in this book.  It will keep you guessing on where it is going and how Bill and Holly are going to get the bad guy in the end.  Was it a bit more of a word salad than I would like?  Yes.  True to Stephen King, he doesn't to short.  But overall - good wrap up.

Stars: 4 

Book: Bright Young Women

 Book: Bright Young Women

Author: Jessica Knoll

Pages: 383

This is my 63rd read for they year

What Amazon Says:

The book opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house with deatly results.  The lives of those who survive, including a sorority president and key witness, Pamela Schumacher, are forever changed.  Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Kiler - and that he's struck again.  Determined to find justice, the 2 join forces as their search for answers leads to a final shocking confrontation.  This book doesn't put its focus on the murderer.  It's more interested in his victims - and the survivors who are on a mission to catch him before he kills again.

This was a pretty good book.  It is based on the true story of the Ted Bundy killings.  The author took a lot of liberties with the details, but the general facts of the Florida sororoty house deaths were true.  It is captivating from the start when the head of the sorority is trying to figure out what happened and not being able to wrap her head around what was going on.  Overall it is well written and it reads like a "based on a true story" tale.  The only defult I found with it personally, is I felt there was too much time spent on the second story that was happening in this book.  I think it would have been better to just focus on the one, but that is just me.

Stars: 4

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