Book: Paper Cuts

 Book: Paper Cuts

Author: Ellery Adams

Pages: 308

This is my 16th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nora escaped her past a decade ago.  So it feels like a visit from another world when Kelly Walsh - the woman her ex-husband left her for - walks through the door of Miracle Books along with her son.  Kelly hasn't come to gloat, though.  As it turns out, she's been dumped too.  She's also terribly ill, and all she wants from Nora is forgiveness.  Shockingly, however, this woman who's been the victim of so much misfortune is about to become a murder victim.  Who would do such a thing?  Certainly not Nora, but that doesn't stop the gossip and suspicion - especially after Kelly's brother claims that he saw the 2 women arguing.  In seeking justice for Kelly, The Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the sheriff's department, but they've barely begun their probe when life throws another wrench.  After serving a 20 year sentence Estella's father returns to Miracle Springs.  And when his past comes back to haunt him, it might be more than the 4 friends can handle.

This was an okay book.  I am working through all 8 of these books by Adams, and they have all been fine.  The first one was my favorite, and they have gotten more "meh" the more I read.  They are easy reads, but I have liked the main character, Nora, less and less.  Adams keeps writing her with a bit of a "Bite" that I don't think you would find in a bookshop owner.  That is my own opinion, but it just doesn't fit what I see for this character, so her snarkiness, and a few things she does in this book seems out of what I felt the norm should be.  Nit picky for sure, but it rubs me the wrong way.  

Stars: 3

Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl

  Book: Dungeon Crawler Carl

Author: Matt Dinniman

Pages: 464

This is my 15th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend?  Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat.  And you know what's worse than that?  An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalatic game show.  That's what.  Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world - or just get to the next level - in a video game - like, trap filled fantasy dungeon.  A dungeon that's actually the set of a realit television show with countelss viewers across the galaxy.  Exploding goblins.  Magical potions.  Deadly, drug-dealing llamas.  This ain't your ordinary game show.

This was an excellent book.  I decided to listen to it because I heard that the audio version was top notch, and it was.  There are a lot of voices and it is highly entertaining this way.  It is clever, and well written, and Carl is a very likable character.  Princess Donut as well.  There are a lot of books in this Dungeon Crawler series, and I am anxious to keep reading to hear where the whole story is going.  Check this one out.

Stars: 5

Book: The Family Across The Street

 Book: The Family Across The Street

Author: Nicole Trope

Pages: 256

This is my 14th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses.  The new family, the Wests, are a perfect fit.  Katherine and John seem so in love and their gorgeous 5 year old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn.  But today, they won't invite you in when you knock, they brush away offers to babysite and the children haven't been seen.  Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out.  As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wall of sirents.  And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realize: Hogarth Street will never be the same again.

This was an okay book.  I had it as a Kindle free read, and I am really trying to get through those more this year.  It had a few surprsies, but not many and I found it overall too wordy.  Large amounts of past lives information that just could have been shortened to move the story along.  It is a fast read - read it in a few hours - so I will give it that.

Stars: 3

Book: William Shakespeare's Star Wars

 Book: William Shakespeare's Star Wars

Author: Ian Doescher

Pages: 176

This is my 13th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Experience the first installment of Star Wars all over again, now with all the drama and prestige of Shakespearean theater.  

This book was read to fulfill a book challenge category of a book without quotation marks.  Those are hard to find!  This was an easy and quick read, and pretty entertaining for what it was.

Stars: 3.5 

Book: A Forbidden Alchemy

 Book: A Forbidden Alchemy

Author: Stacey McEwan

Pages: 480

This is my 12th book for the year

What Amazon Says:

Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are 12 years old when they are whisked away from the shadows of their disenfranchised mining towns to dazzling Belavere City to discover their magical potential.  Those who pass Belavere's test will become Artisans, wielders of powerful elemental magic destined to fulfill the city's grand ambitions.  For Nina, the Artisan School symbolizes a dream and an escape from her harsh reality, while Patrick yearns to return to his Craftsman family, whose extraordinary physical strength serves the idium mines keeping the city alive.  And then they uncover a devastating truth: Artisans aren't born, they're chosen.  They part ways on very different paths, leaving them to carry the burden of this secret alone.  In the years that follow, a Craftsman revolution ignites, thrusting Nina and Patrick into opposing factions of a brewing war.  Now an elite Artisan with the very rare talent for charming earth, Nina has turned her back on the fight, haunted by the loss of her found family.  But fate intervenes when she is captured by Patrick's rebel group.  Despite the years and conflict that separates them, Patrick hasn't forgotten Nina.  He desperately seeks her help for a mission that could shift the tides against Belavere City.  Reluctantly, she agrees, battling the sparks flying between them.  But when Nina's first love reappears, asking her to betray Patrick for the sake of the Artisans, Nina faces an impossible choice that could alter the fate of their world.

This was a pretty good book.  Stacey's Glacian Trilogy is one of my favorites, so I was hopefuly when I saw she started a new series.  This has some strong points.  I like the magic elements, and the few twists that appeared that I didn't see coming.  But it is just a bit too much YA romance for me - felt there were a lot of skippable parts in that vain.  Just getting too old to really enjoy that anymore - find it more of a distraction from the main story than anything else.  The ending is a cliff hanger for the next book that comes out in July, and I think I will read it just to see where it goes.  The overall story is good enough to find out.

Stars: 4

Book: Live Like a Guide Dog

Book: Live Like A Guide Dog

Author: Michael Hingson

Pages: 288

This is my 11th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Michael Hingson's inspiring true story captivated the world when he and his guide dog Roselle escaped the Twin Towers together on 9/11.  During decades of walking with guide dogs, he had learned a surprising truth that helped save his life that day:  Being afraid can be a positive thing, one that prepares us to deal with any situation that befalls us.  Here he reveals how to get equipped for watever obstacles or challenges you may encounter as you make your way through the world; train yourself to be brave, just like a guide dog's training equips handler and dog to prepare for the unexpected; learn to use your natural fear reactions as a way to focus and concentrate to make better decisions and turn your fear into courage and confidence; apply 11 principles Michael has learned with his guide dogs to overcome the fears that you face every day.

This was a pretty good book.  I read Michael's first book - "Thunder Dog" about his escape from the World Trade Center with his guide dog and have followed him ever since.  He is a terrific public speaker and his story of his decent down the stairs with his dog was one not to miss.  This book goes from his childhood to 2023 and all the guide dogs he had over the years and all the ways they helped him navigate and get through his work day.  I encourage you to read his books and learn how someone who has been blind since birth gets past his fear to not let anything get in his way of living a full life.

Stars: 4

 

Book: Best Offer Wins

 Book: Best Offer Wins

Author: Marisa Kashino

Pages: 288

This is my 10th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

18 months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, CD suburbs, 37 year old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month.  Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband Ian - and in turn, get their marrige, plant to have a baby, and whole life back on track - Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it's publicly listed and the masses descend (with unbeatable, all-cash offers in hand).  A little stalking?  Harmless.  A bit of trespassing?  Necessary.  As Margo infiltrates the homeowners lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged - but just when she thinks she's won them over, she hits a snag in her plan Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there's no boundary she won't cross to seize the dream life she's been chasing.  The most unsettling part?  You'll root for her, even as you gasp in disbelief.  

This book was wild.  It was recommended by a friend so we could talk about it, and I am glad she lent it to me.  I didn't like any of the characters - except the little girl Penny.  They were all awful people.  Amazon said in their review "you'll root for Margo - our main character - even as you gasp in disbelief".  No.  Was I in disbelief?  Heck yes.  But did I root for her?  No way.  She was psycho.  And not likable.  I read this book in a day.  It is well written- I will give it that.  Nice to see with a debut author.  But the characters - WOW.  The author was a journalist for real estate in Washington, and I think I read that she wrote this based on some of the wild stories she heard.  If this was even a tiny bit true - I would never become a realtor.

Stars: 4