Sharing the Stories

My summer was jump-packed with traveling and reading. Summer gives me the opportunity to read outside my regular genres with extra time to delve deeply into my reading and savor stories. This summer's travel included Idaho, Spain, Utah, and South Dakota. Most of my books continue to be audiobooks provided by Libro.fm, Libby, and/or Hoopla. My books came from local Indie bookstores at each location and local Free Little libraries. Reach out for extra details on any of these titles.    How to Stop Time by Matt Haig is a love story across time📚 Day Zero by Kelly deVos fast-paced moving survival story that takes step-siblings on a "save the world" type of adventure🎧 Abuela, Don't Forget Me by Rex Ogle. Heart-warming🎧 The Paris Model by Alexandra Joel on the power of taking chances📚 Happy Place by Emily Henry to survive love takes acceptance🎧 El Viento Sabe Mi Nombre (The Wind Knows My Name ) by Isabel Allende immigrant stories across time 📚 Demon Cooperhead by...

May was a month for mystery reading, unintentionally, I ended with 7 mysteries and one Greek Mythology story.   The Paris Apartment by  Lucy Foley- audiobook courtesy of Hoopla.  Jess needs her brother, Ben, the one person she can turn to when things get hard. Arriving in Paris she finds Ben gone. He seems to have just vanished leaving behind everything. Slowly Jess starts to put together that the residents of his gated apartment have the answers to his disappearance.  Great plot twists and turns, interconnected characters, and fast-paced.  The It Girl by Ruth Ware   is   a back-and-forth between present and past. College friends are turned apart when one of them is murdered. The testimony that convicts John Neville has left Hannah with more questions than answers. Could he truly have killed April? And if he didn't do it, then who?  Surprising ending. Purchased at the Literary Indie bookstore.  The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane   cou...

  April showers brought an abundance of books. The perfect balance of physical books to audiobooks, non-fiction & graphic novels to love stories, and good mysteries.  Most of my physical books were from my public and school libraries and a few Indie bookstore purchases. My audiobooks were courtesy of Sora and Libro.fm . You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith was actually an author event at Women & Children First . This rare memoir in prose from a poet proved to be insightful, and moving, with raw grief and hope for transformation.  The Lost Art of Running by Shane Benzie was another Indie bookstore purchase after completing a race. Shane's approach brings a technical/informative perspective to the art of running while incorporating a narrative of his own experiences. The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson- Lincoln Award Nominee 2024- from one of my favorite authors. This mystery/horror with deadly consequences, in a town divided by a racial conflic...

February was a month full of international mysteries. All my audiobooks, courtesy of Libro.fm and Libby were excellent mysteries. And almost by accident, all my  paper books were mysteries as well, with the exception of Kindred by Octavia E. Butler a time travel sci-fi tale that was capturing and thought-provoking.  I continued Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series with #2 The Likeness  and #3 Faithful Place . Each book gives the reader an in-depth perspective on a detective introduced in the previous books. While you could read them out of order it helps to better understand the characters to go in sequence. Each book revolves around one main mystery/murder but there are so many underlying stories to shape the main character's experiences, personalities, motives, and behaviors.   Nick Brooks's first novel Promise Boys is a mystery set in a private school run more like a military academy. Our main characters find themselves in detention with no alibi when the...

The first audiobook of February- courtesy of Libro.fm     

 And like that January is done with 9 books. A great start to this reading year with some new mysteries & thrillers, a sweet coming of age to discover who you truly are meant to be, and a solid non-fiction story.   Mystery & Thrillers: *previously reviewed. Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. A troubled marriage, isolated bed & breakfast, interconnected characters, page-turner! The House in the Pines   by Ana Reyes *  The Searcher  by Tana French. Retired police officer looking for a quiet place, a child needing help, a close community willing to keep outsiders out. In The Woods by Tana French * Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. A family reunion will expose everyone's secrets, set in a snowed-in resort, motives, and suspects abundant,  and great unexpected reveals.  Historical Fiction The House Girl   by Tara Conklin * Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid 1970's a rock band, icon...

Started the year diving into a new series  In the Woods by  Tana French  (#1 series). Audiobook.  The Dublin Murder Squad series is not going to disappoint. Detective Rob Ryan has tried to put his past away, the events of twenty years ago when he has a kid buried deep but a new case brings back all those memories. Could the two cases be connected?  Mystery Thriller Supporting my local indie bookstore Bookies   The House Girl a Novel by  Tara Conklin  connects the reader with the stories of Josephine Bell, an escaped slave house girl in 1852, and Lina Sparrow an ambitious New York city lawyer. Beautifully written each woman's story, tenacity, and passion will bring them together. A tale of redemption.  Historical Fiction The House in The Pines by  Ana Reyes . Audiobook courtesy of   libro.fm . A story of suppressed memories, murder, complicated characters, and the need for answers brings Maya back home. A unique story that keeps you ...

  November flew by with a handful of books read and many more added to the TBR list.  A good mix of audiobooks and hardcovers. A mix of sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and strong realistic fiction. Just one non-fiction/ autobiography by Amy Roe.  All The Bad Apples by Moira Foley. Magic realism is set in Ireland. Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby. Two dads coming to terms with their sons' murder seek revenge. In the process, they learn how to let go of prejudice, injustice, and racial differences. Becoming Boston Strong by Amy Roe. Inspirational as I'm getting ready to run Boston 2023. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. Mother and son reunited under a system that punishes those that are different. The Wilderwomen by Ruth Lang. Sisters possess unique abilities, sensing and predicting past and future. Reunited to find their lost mother, they will travel far following their instincts, and meet strangers that will point them in the right direction. Sometimes not all that are wonde...

  Unforgettable. Transformative. Heartbreaking. Hopeful.  How do you move forward if you only look at the past?  A small forgotten town, a big corporation with immunity to walk away from all the damage they had caused.   Three girls with a unique bond coming of age in a town that has given them every advantage while holding them back.   Meet... Mad always doing the right thing because "it's the least she can do". Monday the analytical, questioning, by-the-rules sister. Mirabel is trapped within herself with a remarkable mind bursting to share ideas with the world. Their combined actions will forever change the future of their small town and with it their own destinies.