Book: People of the Book

 Book: People of the Book

Author: Geraldine Brooks

Pages: 372

This is my 123rd read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Inspired by a true story, this is a novel of sweeping historical grandeur and intimate emotional intensity by an acclaimed and beloved author.  Called "a tour de force", this ambitious, electrifying work traces the harrowing journey of the fames Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in 15th century Spain.  When it falls to Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, to conserve this priceless work, the series of tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding - an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair - only begin to unlock its deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultranationalist fanatics.

This was an interesting book.  It jumps around in time -from the 1990s where our main character is working on the story of the book, to back in time to the 1400s-1600s.  I did enjoy the 1990s sections a lot more than the flashbacks - they felt a little unfinished.  Even though those were the longest chapters in the book, we never learned more about the people - (except one) - so it felt like we were missing an ending to a story.  It does jump into the future of the early 2000s with the main character to resolve the mystery of the book, and I liked that.  Overall it is very well written - I just wish I felt like the past and present fit together a bit more.

Stars: 4

Book: Warcross

 Book: Warcross

Author: Marie Lu

Pages: 416

This is my 122nd book of the year

What Amazon Says:

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life.  The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit.  Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally.  But the bounty-hunting world is competitive and survival has not been easy.  To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships - only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.  Convinced she's going to be arrested, Emika is shoked when instead she gets a call from the game's creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer.  He needs a spy on the inside of this year's tournament in order to uncover a security problem - and he wants Emika for the job.  With no time to lose, Emika's whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she's only dreamed of.  But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

This book was okay.  I liked the idea of the book, and most of the writing.  I had mixed feelings about the main character, and didn't care one way or another for the side characters.  Pretty good action scenes with a lot of details.  The romance was subpar. The twist ending wasn't that shocking.  And of course it ends on a cliff hanger because there is a second book.  I won't be continuing.

Stars: 3

Book: The Witcher

 Book: The Witcher

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski

Pages: 352

This is my 121st read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless hunter.  Yet he is no ordinary killer.  His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.  But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good - and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

This was a pretty good book.  I didn't watch the show on TV, but found this book for a reading challenge I was participating in.  Interesting story, and I liked the main character.  It is a book of short stories, which isn't my favorite style, but I stuck with it.  The stories are tied together, sothat helped.  There are a lot of books in The Witcher series, but I do not think for now I will continue.

Stars: 4

Book: The Last Emperox

 Book: The Last Emperox

Author: John Scalzi

Pages: 308

This is my 120th read for the year

What Amazon says:

The collapse of The Flow, the interstellar pathway between the planets of the Interdependency, has accelerated.  Entire star systems - and billions of people - are becoming cut off from the rest of human civilization.  This collapse was foretold through scientific prediction - and yet, even as the evidence is obvious and insurmountable, many still try to rationalize, delay and profti from, these final days of one of the greatest empires humanity has even known.  Emperox Grayland II has finally wrested control of her empire from those who oppose her and who deny the reality of this collapse.  But "control" is a slippery thing, and even as Grayland strives to save as many of her people from impoverished isolation, the forces opposing her rule will make a final, desperate push to topple her from herthrone and power, by any means necessary.  Grayland and her thinning list of allies must use every tool at their disposal to save themselves, and all of humanity.  And yet it may not be enough.  Will Grayland become the savior of her civilization - or the last emperox to wear the crown?

This was a good ending to the trilogy.  There were some suprises, and of course a little bit of humor mixed into the tension.  I like most of the characters, and was sad when one of the main characters is killed.  It ended pretty well, but I would have liked a bit more.  However, overall a very good trlogy that I am glad I read.

Stars: 4

Book: The Third Gilmore Girl

 Book: The Third Gilmore Girl

Author: Kelly Bishop

Pages: 256

This is my 119th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Kelly Birshop's long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey's mother in Dirty Dancing.  But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.  Now, Birshop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl.  She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she's learned on her journey.  From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced - among them marching for women's rights and losing her second husband to cancer - Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.

This was a great book.  I have watched and enjoyed all the shows that Bishop has been a part of, and think she is a fantastic actress.  I enjoyed learning more about her career and what she is up to now.  She was humble and caring about those who she worked with.  She shared her own tragic loss of her husband and how she has moved on without him.  Overall a strong, quick read.

Stars: 4.5

Book: The Staircase in The Woods

 Book: The Staircase in the Woods

Author: Chuck Wendig

Pages: 400

This is my 118th read for the year

What Amazon says:

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.  Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: a mysterious staircase to nowhere.  One friend walks up- and never comes back down.  Then the staircase disappears.  20 years later, the stiarcase has reappeared.  Now the group returns to find the lost boy - and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods.

I really wanted to like this book.  I have read a few Wendig books in the past and liked them, so when a new one came out, I jumped on it.  It started ou okay, but the book just dragged.  There were some very creepy parts, which kept me reading, but overall, it was a bit mundane.  The characters were doing the same thing over and over again.  Had a hard time connecting to any of the characters.  Ending was just fine.

Stars: 3

Book: Quiet in her Bones

 Book: Quiet In Her Bones

Author: Nalini Singh

Pages: 496

This is my 117th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

My mother vanished 10 years ago.  So did a quarter of a million dollars in cash.  Thief.  Criminal.  Now she's back.  Her bones clothes in scarlet silk.  When socialite Nina Rai disappeared without a trace, everyone wrote it off as another trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband.  But now her bones have turned up in the shadowed green of the forest that surrounds her elite neighborhood, a haven of privilege and secrets that's housed in the same influential families for decades.  The rich live here, along with those whose job it is to make their lives easier.  And somebody knows what happened to Nina one rainy night 10 years ago.  Her son Aarav heard a chiling scream that night, and he's determined to uncover the ugly truth that lives beneath the moneyed elegance - but no one is ready for the murderous secrets about to crawl out of the dark.  Even the dead aren't allowed to break the rules in this cul-de-sac.

This book was fine.  I didn't really care for the main character.  And I did find the book a big slow paced.  Too many suspected.  Felt like main theme got bogged down with unnecessary dialogue.  I finished it, but not sure I will read another of her books.

Stars: 3