75 Books...More or Less! discussion

Book # 1 Pachinko 3.5/5 stars

I would give this book a 3.5/5 rating. The first half of this generational saga following one Korean family was very good and engrossing. It begins in early 1900s where the reader meets Sunja. While a young, innocent girl, she has an affair with a wealthy lover. She believes he will marry her when she becomes pregnant, and is stunned to learn he is already married with a family in Japan. Her story continues as she marries a young minister who thinks he is doing a godly thing by saving Sunja with marriage.

It is the second part of the book, when the next generations take over the story, that I felt it slowing down. Then I found it to be almost boring at the end. Some of one character's motivations and actions (one of Sunja's sons, Noa) made no sense to me. There was a lot of Korean history that I did not know and found interesting. But I was not quite fully engaged as the book went on.

Book # 2 The Woman in the Window 4/5 stars

I am giving 4 stars for the sheer enjoyment and readability of this book. I zipped right through it, and it was kind of an addictive read. The author, who is a man, writes very well in the female voice of the agoraphobic narrator. It drew me in, and I was avidly looking forward to where the twists would come...and come they did. I suspected one right off the bat, but a few took me by surprise. I have an issue with the melodramatic ending, and a few other issues. All that thunder and lightning felt like a backdrop for a grade B horror movie. (view spoiler)[And I had a bit of a difficult time believing that this experienced child psychologist would not recognize someone fooling her with such glaring issues. But taking all the merlot and pills she was imbibing into consideration, I guess it was possible. I also found it a little hard to believe that she'd "squeal" on her tenant having been in prison to the police. But, I guess this character was desperate to find out the truth and tired of being accused of imagining everything. (hide spoiler)]

Book # 3 The Wife Between Us 2.5/5 stars

I am rounding this one up to 3 stars for the Goodreads rating from 2.5 because the first half or so of the book is very nicely done. But I would give it 2.5.

I did not see the first twist coming, and it took me a while to process it. Very clever. But then, I started seeing this as a Lifetime Movie, and it started dragging and becoming a bit tiresome to me. Since it is getting so many rave reviews, if you like this sort of twisty psychological thriller, give it a try. For me, I have read better in this genre. And I found the idea of co-authors for one fiction book a bit off-putting for some reason, I don't know why.

Book # 4 The Marriage Pact 3.5/5 stars

The experience of reading this book wavered between a 3 and a 4, so I'm giving it a 3.5 and rounding it up to a 4/5 stars for Goodreads rating purposes. It was an overall imaginative, if far-fetched read.

Narrated by the husband, Jake, a very engaging character, this is a story of a married couple (his wife is Alice) ensnared by a cult called The Pact. They are unwittingly duped into signing various contracts with very rigid rules (and Alice is an attorney!!) with the best of intentions...to make their new marriage as strong as possible. At first, the rules seem very lovely and helpful: mandatory once a month gifts, periodic vacations, all skewed towards paying attention to one's spouse. Sounds good.

But the creepy calling of each other, "Friend" and the consequences for rather small infractions instill fear into Jake and Alice and lead to much more frightening occurrences. There is more than a tinge of sadism and some horror in this book. I think it crosses the line into to the horror genre at times. The all-knowing Pact and it's enforcers and punishments are quite scary.

I have read it was optioned for a movie, and the visual interpretation of this book might be interesting. With all it's flaws, this book had an interesting concept, and delves quite a lot into that mystery that is marriage.

Book # 5 Grist Mill Road 2.5/5 stars

I am giving this book a 2.5 and rounding it up to a 3 star rating as the writing is good. But the big "reveal" at the end was a let-down for me, foreshadowed endlessly. And it was not enough, in my opinion, to warrant reversing my opinion about the act in the dramatic beginning of the book.

The book toggles between 1982 and 2008 and is told from the point of view of the three main characters, Patrick, Matthew and Hannah. I felt the characters were drawn quite well, but some of the peripheral characters, (such as Hannah's colleague and friend McClusky) in the 2008 parts, were too broadly drawn and somewhat of a cliche.

I was disappointed in the motivation, however well explained by the author. It got a little too muddied for me, and repetitive. It is more of a character study than a mystery or a thriller. I found Matthew's point of view poignant and well-done when describing how in love he was with one of the characters. But the parts of this book did not make a cohesive whole for me.

Book # 6 Need to Know 4/5 stars

This is quite a nicely done, tense thriller. It is ostensibly a spy thriller, but it is filled with domestic tension, much more than a traditional spy novel, and with much less technical jargon. That's a good thing, as far as this reader is concerned. The author is a former CIA analyst, and as this is her debut novel, she has done an excellent job.

This is a book all about trust, betrayal and family. Vivian is a CIA counterintelligence analyst with four children and a loving husband. Although money is tight in their household, her life is moving along nicely until she discovers a secret dossier of deep-cover agents within US borders. Then, her life falls apart and tension mounts.

My only quibble is about the ending, as I was almost expecting it. But all in all, it was nicely written, and quite un-putdownable.

Book # 7 The Heart's Invisible Furies 2.5/5 stars

I'm wavering between an 2.5 and a 3 on this book, and I know I'm an outlier here. I am rounding it up to a 3 for Goodreads rating purposes, but it's more a 2.5. What wonderful reviews this book has gotten! But, for me, it was too long, and filled with way too many coincidences.

It has a very strong start, and the first sentence was terrific, leading me to eagerly anticipate this saga. The book is narrated throughout by Cyril Avery, even in the first part of the book, before he is born. Cyril is often a droll narrator, causing me to chuckle more than a few times. And the description of his 16 year old mother, thrown out of her rural Irish community because of her out of wedlock pregnancy, is vivid and depicts a very courageous young woman.

But the rest of the book, detailing Cyril's life (one of the running jokes in this book is his name is often mistaken for Cecil), did not engage me as much as I'd hoped. There are other running jokes, such as the couple who adopted him insisting on saying "adoptive mother" and "adoptive father" to emphasize that Cyril was not really one of them. Sad, yet repeated endlessly. It is such a long book that I needed to be very engrossed to actively want to pick it up again and again. I found I knew what was going to happen before it did during pivotal points in the plot. And the coincidences abounded...one or two, maybe. But so many! It seemed completely unrealistic to me that all of these unlikely happenstances would occur.

But, apparently, many people loved this story, and it might be worth a try if long family sagas are a favorite genre.

Book # 8 Two Girls Down 3.5/5 stars

I would give this book a 3.5/5 star rating because the writing is, at times, very good. The main problem I had with it is the depiction of the main character. Many readers found Alice Vega very endearing and thrilling, and I did like the concept of her character. I just found her quirkiness a bit off-putting, and, at times, her behavior was inexplicable to me. But she is a strong lead female detective, and she made a good partner with Max Caplan, the other PI she teams up with in this novel.

The beginning is heart-wrenching, when Jamie Brandt's two daughters, 8 and 10 years old, disappear from a parking lot as she shops for a last minute present. Of course, one wonders why she left them in the car, but an explanation is presented as to why she did leave them, and the story begins there.

As I mentioned, the writing is very good at times, and the story moves along well, with some twists and turns. This is a very well-reviewed book, so fans of this genre might want to give it a try.

Book # 9 She Rides Shotgun 3.5/5 stars

This was a tough one for me to rate. The subject matter of Polly, an 11 year old girl forced into a criminal life by her father Nate, was unsettling for me to read. I think it was her tender age, and what circumstances forced her to do that made it disturbing. I would give it a 3.5 but round it up to a 4 because it moved along very well and I read it quickly. If Tatum O'Neill as a child could be channeled, I think she would have been perfect to play this part in a movie.

Nate is fresh out of jail, but with a bounty on his head from a gang called the Aryan Steel. They have already killed his ex-wife and both he and Polly are on their hit list. He picks Polly up from school and an awkward girl who still carries a teddy bear at 11 years old is thrust into a world of robbery, fear and violence, with death a constant threat. She finds out her mother is already dead, and knows her future is tied to her father's. The growing bond between Nate and Polly evolves as they continue to live on the lam and Nate tries to save their lives.

This is a gritty, noir book, and a very good debut novel. But I would caution that it might be unsavory to some readers to read about a child in this situation.

Book # 10 The Story of Arthur Truluv 3.5/5 stars

I am giving this 4 stars for an enjoyable read, and I am rounding it up from 3.5 stars. So much sentimentality is normally too much for me, but despite my usual feelings, this brought a tear to my eye at the end. So for that feat, it gets rounded up.

Octogenarian Arthur Moses travels by bus to the cemetery every day and visits his beloved late wife. There, he meets 18 year old Maddy Harris, who is a misfit at school and has an unhappy home life. She visits the cemetery to escape the kids at school and find peace and solitude.

They form an unusual relationship, fueled by Arthur's kindness. Maddy nicknames him "Truluv" and the friendship takes off. As Arthur's neighbor Lucille becomes part of their little trio, they help and comfort each other. This is the crux of this story, and it is lovely, sentimental and heart-warming.

Book # 11 The Girl In The Ice 2/5 stars

After a strong beginning, this overlong, rather humdrum mystery chugged along. When "he sneered" is used as part of a conversation, you know you're in pedestrian territory.

The protagonist is a female detective with issues. This has been done before, and I have no objection to reading about it again. But it needs to be somewhat believable and compelling to keep me reading avidly. Many of her choices seemed very impulsive and ill-thought out to me, and made me impatient. After reading more than half the book, I decided to finish it. But it was not for me. I see a lot of good reviews on this book, so apparently there are a lot of people who enjoyed it.

Book # 12 Anatomy of a Scandal 4/5 stars

I thought this was a timely, very well done and quite nuanced courtroom drama. But it is more than that...it is a portrait of a marriage, and it also is a story of betrayal, trust, love, deception and revenge.

The chapters are told following the different characters. The only ones told in the first person are Kate's. Kate is the barrister who will represent Olivia when her case goes to trial against James. James and Sophie (James's wife) also have their own chapters.

James is a handsome, charismatic government official, and Sophie is his adoring wife, reveling in her wonderful (she thought) marriage and two children. Sophie's thoughts, as the story progresses, change and evolve, as she and the reader find out more and more about James.

With the #metoo movement so prevalent in today's news, this is a story that fits into today's culture. Times are a-changing. This book reflects those cultural changes and is a very good read.

Book # 13 The Bomb Maker 3.5/5 stars

I try and read all of Thomas Perry's books. He is a meticulous writer, and his Jane Whitefield series is very good. His prose is accurate, well-researched, yet can be a little dry. This book is not uninteresting, but it's all about bombs. I would rate it 3.5 stars.

The two main characters in this book are an apparently psychopathic, but brilliant, bomb-maker (with no name, just "the bomb maker") and Dick Stahl, a former Bomb Squad commander who now operates his own security company. Stahl is called upon by the LAPD to help when it becomes apparent that the bomb maker is planning to kill off the bomb squad itself.

The book lost a little steam with this reader with the love interest angle. I don't think that is Perry's strong suit, and all those sections felt a little too dry and stilted to me. But clearly he knows his stuff about making bombs, and he paints a frightening picture of the murderous bad guy. The ending was a good resolution and quite satisfying.

Book # 14 Best Friends Forever 3/5 stars

I thought this nicely written, engaging chick lit/psychological thriller would garner 4 stars from me. It almost did...until the end. I don't mind a twisty ending (love them, in fact), but only when they make sense to me. This one just felt trite, manipulative and quite unbelievable to me. And therefore it was a letdown.

Most of the book ( the 4 star part) kept me turning the pages, enjoying the narration by Alice, who has become fast friends with Kat. Alice is a logician, who has begun applying her mathematical skills to writing books for children. Kat is an extremely wealthy woman, unhappily married, who runs an art gallery. The two characters live in Florida, in a section I am very familiar with, so descriptions of the area were very interesting to me. There is a touch of Patricia Highsmith in the story-telling here, and it had potential. It was an engaging page-turner, but, as a whole, I found it somewhat of a disappointment.

Book # 15 The Wife 3.5/5 stars

I would give this a 3.5 as the first half of the book was well-written and really kept me going. Angela is the wife, and she is married to Jason Powell, a brilliant economist with a wonderful career. Angela has quite a backstory, which comes out as the book progresses. She narrates a good part of the book, and as the story unfolds, the reader feels the pain Angela must feel when finding out about an intern's accusation agains Jason. But something is off in her reaction, and when the second, more serious accusation appears, the story gets more complicated, both with events and their marriage.

The problem with this book arose for me with the ending and resolution. I was left unsatisfied and felt that the finish did not match the very good start to this book. The writing is quite good, and it is a complicated story with complicated characters. But I did not feel comfortable with the last part of the story and the ending, and that took away from the book for me.

Book # 16 Sometimes I Lie 2/5 stars

1.Sometimes I find an author manipulates a "twist" just for the sake of playing with the reader and causing confusion.

2. Sometimes I find that there can be too many psychopaths in one book.

3. Sometimes I know I will not read another book by a certain author.

Book # 17 Force of Nature 3/5 stars

This is a mystery and psychological drama about an ill-thought-out corporate retreat involving backpacking in the Giralong ranges in Australia. This backdrop provides a hostile, creepy atmosphere in which to showcase the different backgrounds and interactions of the five women involved in this trip. Of the five women, only four return, and the mystery involves what happened to the missing woman, as well as some corporate intrigue.

Although the writing was good for the most part, I found the mystery itself slightly underwhelming. This is the second novel involving Aaron Falk as an investigator, and I did not read the first, The Dry. I did like how the author built up the layers of the women's backgrounds chapter by chapter. The chapters toggle back and forth from the investigation to the actual trip, which was a device that worked well enough.

Book # 18 Here We Lie 4/5 stars

Megan is from a modest midwestern background, while Lauren is the daughter of a US Senator and a very wealthy mother. In the chapters leading up to the two girls becoming college roommates, we learn a lot about the girls, their families and their characters. The author is a very good writer, and she draws us in very easily into both of their lives. Both characters are depicted in layered, nuanced ways that make them come alive.

Once they are thrown together as unlikely roommates in a fictional northeastern liberal arts college, a great friendship blooms as each of the girls finds their own strengths while at school. We know from the beginning that something very traumatic is going to happen. The college chapters are set in the early 2000's and there are chapters set in more of the present day where the characters are resolving that trauma that happened so long ago. This is a very well-crafted novel that explores friendship, betrayal, the consequences of a violent act, and is quite a timely tale in this #metoo era.

Book # 19[ book:Where I Lost Her|25810037] 4/5 stars

I thought this was a very well-written page-turner with a very real poignancy. I knew that the narrator/protagonist had issues from the beginning of the book, but I did not think her potential unreliability would turn into one of those tricky situations I have found so frequently in other books. Many times, an author uses this "unreliable narrator" device to completely upend what the reader thought was going on the whole time. Sometimes that works, sometimes it is just a tricky device. in this case, Tess has gone through a terrible trauma in the past, and we know it has something to do with a failed adoption, and she's drinking too much. She and her husband Jake are in a rocky marriage, and Tess has just found incriminating texts on his phone when the story begins.

They are visiting old friends in rural Vermont when Tess sees a young, half-dressed child in the road at night as she stops suddenly. The child runs off into the woods, and there is no signal on her phone for Tess to call the police. After returning home and calling for help, the whole town mobilizes to search for this girl. But as time goes on, and there are no sightings, Tess is accused of imaging the whole scenario. She is compelled to keep looking, and as it becomes a mystery, her backstory unfolds, and the narrative resolves very nicely. The writing is very good, as are the characterizations. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 19 Where I Lost Her 4/5 stars

I thought this was a very well-written page-turner with a very real poignancy. I knew that the narrator/protagonist had issues from the beginn..."

Sounds good!

Elyse, I really enjoyed this one.

Book # 20 The Flight Attendant 3/5 stars

This book had a good plot, and had a very strong start. Cassandra Bowden (alternately called "the flight attendant" or Cassie throughout the book) is the flight attendant. She has a drinking problem, has occasional blackouts, and has indiscriminate sex, preferably while she is drunk. During a flight to Dubai, she meets a handsome passenger, flirts with him, and wakes up the next morning in his hotel room next to him with his throat slashed.

The story takes off from there, with Cassie making bad decisions along the way. There is a lot of time spent describing her drinking problem, and some rather poignant parts contrasting her life with her settled sister's. Cassie realizes her sister does not trust her to be alone with her niece and nephew, and she knows how dissolute her life has become. But this horrendous incident throws her into a whole new level of fear and despair.

I thought it went on a bit too long with descriptions of other characters, and especially too long about her drinking. The ending was good, and I liked the twist. But, I felt it was a bit overlong and dragged somewhat.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 20 The Flight Attendant 3/5 stars

This book had a good plot, and had a very strong start. Cassandra Bowden (alternately called "the flight attendant" or Cassie throughout th..."

What's the best Bohjalian, in your opinion? I haven't read any yet.

You know, I was trying to remember myself, I have not read him in so long, and I have only read one or two of his books. I'm sorry to tell you that, but in the days before Goodreads, I didn't keep a record. I know I read at least one...maybe Midwives? That's the one that got a lot of acclaim.

Book # 21 The Which Way Tree 3.5/5 stars

This was a hard one for me to rate. The dilemma for me was that this novel is written very well, but at the same time, I found it to drag a bit in areas and not draw me in as much as I would have expected. I would rate it 3.5 stars.

The story is narrated in the voice of a 14 year old boy around the post civil war time in Texas. The chapters are presented as (very long) letters to a judge, wherein Benjamin, our narrator, tells the tale of how his young half sister, Samantha, was attacked by a panther, who then killed her mother. Sam swears vengeance upon this panther for her ruined face and death of her mother. Told in colloquial English and in a somewhat comedic vein, the story includes several other well-crafted characters as this motley crew attempts to track the vicious panther.

I'm not sure what was missing for me, as the concept and telling of the novel were quite good. But it might please many readers, as it is a good, solid read.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 20 The Flight Attendant 3/5 stars

This book had a good plot, and had a very strong start. Cassandra Bowden (alternately called "the flight attendant" or Cassie throughout th..."

I love his books, I hope I like this better than you did!! Did you read the last one? It was very good.

No, I did not. If you like him, you will probably like this. The person who recommended it to me really loved it. What was the last book he wrote that you liked?

I have loved his books since the Midwife. The Sleepwalker was the last one I listened to on audio, it was really good!

Book # 22 The Italian Teacher 3.5/5 stars

I am rounding this up from a 3.5. I enjoyed Tom Rachman's novel from a few years back, The Imperfectionists, so I was looking forward to this new one. His writing does not disappoint, and, although it is a rather dense read, it is ultimately a rewarding one.

The main character who takes us through the book, is Charles "Pinch" Bavinsky, son of Bear Bavinsky, a world-renown artist. Bear is a driven, narcissistic painter, and his main focus in life is painting. If he doesn't think his works are up to his standards, he burns them. We visit (through Pinch) a rather scathing take on the world of art critics and collectors. And Bear's behavior towards his family is casual, dismissive and sometimes cruel. He is a compulsive womanizer and is focused solely on his art and his legacy. Only at his funeral do we learn how many children he has actually fathered.

The novel spans decades from Pinch's youth, including his love for painting, and his worship of his casual, dismissive father throughout the years. His relationship with his mother is also quite poignant. Pinch is a fully fleshed-out character with strengths and weaknesses. I thought the ending was very fitting.

Book # 23 The Glass Forest 3.5/5 stars

Because it kept me going and the writing was engaging, I am giving this 3.5 stars. I did find some of the slow build-up to the important reveals rather anti-climatic, and much of the detail went on a bit too long. Also some of the character's behavior and motivations were a bit fuzzy to me, and sometimes did not make sense. But the creepy atmosphere was good and on-going, and the characters of Silja and Angie were quite fully fleshed-out, and therefore came alive for me.

At the start of the book, Paul and Angie Glass travel to a small upstate New York town. His niece, Ruby, has called to tell them that Paul's brother, Henry has died, and her mother, Silja, is missing. The story proceeds with flashbacks to Silja's life with Henry and then to the present (set in the late 1950's-early 60's) where the unraveling of Glass family secrets propels the story forward.

Book # 24 The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After 5/5 stars

Clemantine Wamariya's memoir attempts to put her experiences into words. For some of these experiences there are no words, they are so horrific and profound. At six years old, she and her fifteen year old sister, Claire, fled the Rwandan massacre and spent the next seven years on their own searching for safety through seven African countries.

This book puts a human story on those facts and figures we read about, when we see stories and photos about detention camps, refugees and immigrants who are fleeing horrific crimes against humanity. And although her story has a "happy ending", in that Clemantine ends up in America with a wonderful education, she can never fill the emptiness inside of her. This is really driven home by her description of an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey show, after her arrival in America, when Oprah surprises her and her sister by having her parents and siblings on the show. The hollowness and questions that are evoked within her, after not seeing her parents for all those years, set the stage for the telling of the rest of her story. The novel toggles back and forth in time, but somehow this structuring of the story works very well.

This is, above all, a very honest memoir. Her emotions ring true as she struggles to explain why she feels a certain way, why she behaves the way she does. She is searching for answers for herself, and along the way provides insights for the reader. "That's all a person can do, really: Let others live their lives on their terms, and interrogate how you live your own. Insist on knowing the backstory to your gifts and your pain. Ask yourself how you came to have all the things you carry: your privilege, your philosophy, your nightmares, your faith, your sense of order and peace in the world".

I highly recommend this book, it brought tears to my eyes at the end. I applaud the courage and incredible introspection it took to write this memoir.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 24 The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After 5/5 stars

Clemantine Wamariya's memoir attempts to put her experiences into words. For some of these experi..."

I can't wait to read this, it looks so amazing.

Book # 25 An American Marriage 4/5 stars

Celestial, Roy and Andre narrate this book in alternating chapters. Celestial and Roy are married and Andre is Celestial's best friend from childhood. This book has an interesting and very observant take on a specific marriage, and on marriage in general. It is also a very engaging, and, I think, worthwhile read.

The events that shape the marriage in this book are quite unusual. Roy is arrested for a rape he did not commit after just one year of marriage to Celeste. He is sentenced to 12 years in prison, and Celeste has her attorney/uncle working to find a way to set him free. But during the years of Roy's imprisonment, Celestial finds herself drawn towards Andre, whom she discovers was actually her real love. In the beginning of the book, there are letters back and forth from prison between Celestial and Roy. In these letters, we see the gradual drawing away of Celestial, and Roy's frustration. The back stories of each character are well-drawn, and they are fully fleshed-out. People change and grow through life, and this was a unique way to show these changes, in life and within a marriage.

I liked the ending (even though I'm not sure I believed it...I wanted to) and felt it was a good resolution to this story.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 25 An American Marriage 4/5 stars

Celestial, Roy and Andre narrate this book in alternating chapters. Celestial and Roy are married and Andre is Celestial's best friend from..."

Yes, this one I want to get to this year! Looks so good!

I look forward to reading how you liked it.

Book # 26 Property: Stories Between Two Novellas 4/5 stars

I am not usually a fan of short stories, but I do like Lionel Shriver's writing. So I thought I'd give her latest venture of "stories between two novellas" a try. I thoroughly enjoyed the first novella and most of the short stories. The only one I was not enamored of was the last novella. So my rating would be between a 4 and 4.5 for this book. The writing is excellent, for the most part.

The settings of this short fiction are either in Britain or America, and Shriver is comfortable with both. The running theme throughout the different stories is property, both real estate and stuff. I especially loved the first novella, The Standing Chandelier, in which a long-standing friendship between a man and a woman is threatened by the man's new fiancee.

Shriver always exhibits sharp insight about her characters and her themes, and this book is no different.

Book # 27 The Mars Room 4.5/5 stars

This was a 4.5 star read for me. The writing is masterly, eloquent and moving. At the same time, the book can be graphic, darkly humorous, frank and brutal, and it is told sometimes in a rather detached way. But for me, this detachment worked, especially in the chapters narrated by the main protagonist, Romy Hall. Romy is a 29-year old serving two life sentences plus six years. Although she is guilty of the crime that landed her in prison, there were extenuating circumstances that were mishandled by her incompetent public defender. Her childhood is gone into in much detail, and it is a dark childhood, indeed. Romy has a young son, who is being brought up by her mother when the story opens.

The chapters are interspersed between Romy's narrative and chapters on a dirty cop named "Doc" and a character named Gordon Hauser. Gordon is a graduate school drop-out who is teaching G.E.D. classes in prison. He's an isolated man who studies the journals of Ted Kaczynski, and he develops an attachment to Romy, and gives her books to read. We also meet other prisoners like Sammy, Teardrop, and the aptly named Laura Lipp, a baby-killer who cannot seem to stop talking.

I am not sure I liked the ending, but I did truly enjoy the book. It may not be for everyone, but I so appreciated the writing.

Book # 28 Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties 2.5/5 stars

I will round this up to 3 stars as I finished it, but it was just 2.5. While not a bad book, I found it to be middling at best. And such a great title! The subject matter has been done before, and in a much better way...funnier, snarkier, more poignant...in other novels. The title refers to Maggie's perceived invisibility to others because of her age and status in life as a wife and mother.

When she is 53 years old, Maggie's husband, Adam, walks out on her. Her life is so intertwined with his after 30 years that she cannot accept his behavior. She decides to take a trip to Rome that she was supposed to have gone on with Adam, and from that trip on, she tries to find herself in fits and starts.

I did not find the humorous parts that funny, and some of her experiences seemed a bit cliched to me. But I finished it and it was an OK read, no more than that.

Book # 29 The Perfect Mother 2/5 stars

I'm not sure why I finished this book, but half way through it (or maybe before that), I knew it was not for me. It is cliched, murky, and not particularly well-written. The twist at the end was just plain anticlimactic and strained. And I had a great deal of trouble keeping the many characters apart in my head.

Briefly, a group of new mothers whose babies were born in the same month meet twice a week. They decide to break free and go out for drinks one night, and one of the member's babies is taken from his crib. It's not a bad premise for a thriller, but this one did not cut it for me.

Book # 30 The Way I Die 3.5/5 stars

I rounded this book up from a 3.5, the second one I have read by this author. I loved the first half, but the second bogs down a bit. The writing is crisp, clever and fast-paced, and it is a fun read.

The anti-hero in this series is a hitman named Columbus. The book starts out with Columbus living in isolation on Mackinac Island, grieving the loss of his wife and the relinquishment of his son (these events happened in the previous book that I happened to read). His fence (as he calls him in the book) finds him and offers him a new proposition...to protect a man that someone else wants to kill.

The author is a TV producer and movie screenplay writer. He clearly can also write action/thriller novels very well.

I have heard good things about The Dry. I will put it on my TBR list.

Book # 31 Then She Was Gone 3.5/5 stars

I am rounding this 3.5 review to a 4 for the easy,well-written, page-turning quality of this book. I read it very quickly, and enjoyed most of it. So, for reading enjoyment, a 4. For credulity and predictability, a 3.

One day, 15 year old Ellie Mack disappears and ten years later her mother, Laurel, is trying to move on with her life. Her marriage has ended since the disappearance, and her relationship with her other two children is strained. When she meets a charming man named Floyd in a cafe, she is delighted when a relationship develops. But when she meets Floyd's younger daughter, Poppy, Laurel is stunned by how much she looks like Ellie.

The rest of the book provides answers as to Ellie's disappearance and delves into Laurel and Floyd's relationship. There is a creepy element to this book that works well, providing an eerie atmosphere.
I had a problem with the predictability factor as it is pretty easy to figure out what happened relatively early on in the book. Also, there is a scientific component to what happened that I questioned as it doesn't seem as if it could have happened that way. The first half of the book moves along very well, the second half less so, but the author writes very well. I would read another book by her.

Book # 32 A Death of No Importance 3/5 stars

This was a light read, a mystery narrated by a lady's maid in New York City, 1910. Jane is quite an observant narrator, and the author attempts to comment on the lifestyles of the wealthy and downtrodden during that era.

The mystery involves a gruesome murder, and Jane solves it by the end as we knew she would. The writing is good enough, but the inserting of actual historical events (such as the Triangle Factory fire) seemed heavy-handed. It felt as if the author had done research on that era and wanted to include everything she read about in one way or another.

It was not a bad book, just somewhat predictable and a bit insubstantial.

Book # 33 Close to Home 3.5/5 stars

I will round this up to a 3.5 for being a mostly readable debut mystery. I say mostly as some of the formatting felt a little forced (examples: tweets from the public about the case, and switches from the narrator's voice to other character's point of view) and the flow of the story was interrupted.

DI Adam Fawley is the narrator of most of this story, and this is the start of a series with him as the main character. Eight-year-old Daisy goes missing from her family's home during a costume party. The family is very odd, and their strange reactions are duly noted by their police interviewers. The investigation takes up most of the book, with short chapters going back before Daisy's disappearance. I won't say anything about the ending, but as a whole, this is a pretty good start to a new British Detective series.

Book # 34 The Outsider 4/5 stars

I just loved the first half of this book, and was prepared to give it 5 stars. What a story! And told so well by Stephen King, well crafted and written. An eleven year old boy is found murdered and hideously mutilated, and there are eyewitnesses galore who can put the murderer on or near the scene. Each one of them, without hesitation, names popular English teacher and coach, Terry Maitland, as the perpetrator. Fingerprints and later DNA lead to him, also. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son was also coached by Terry, decides to make a very public arrest. The description of this arrest is very well done.

Then, the plot really thickens when Terry's alibi proves unshakable. How could he be in two places at once? (view spoiler)[Of course, this is Stephen King, and the second half of the book is about the search for the monster (figuratively and literally) who committed this and other horrific acts . I am less fond of reading King's supernatural stuff and think he writes just as frighteningly without going into that realm. But he obviously loves to include that in his writing. (hide spoiler)]. He also brings back Holly Gibney from his Mr. Mercedes trilogy to aide in the search and detective work.

It was a long book, but my interest never flagged, and it was a very enjoyable read.

Alecia wrote: "Book # 34 The Outsider 4/5 stars

I just loved the first half of this book, and was prepared to give it 5 stars. What a story! And told so well by Stephen King, well crafted and wri..."

I loved the first half and wasn't crazy about the second!

Exactly!

Book # 35 Don't Believe It 2.5/5 stars

I seem to be an outlier among all these wonderful reviews. The premise of this book sounded promising: a documentary being made in real time, expecting to exonerate an American woman kept prisoner on the island of St. Lucia for a murder conviction. This documentary is garnering very high ratings for the network, and everyone is flying high. Until, well, the title says it all.

I found reading the book a somewhat plodding experience, and the ending not that enthralling. I did finish it, but would actually round up from a 2.5 as I did not really enjoy this book all that much. But since so many people seemed to find reading it a good experience, it would be up to the reader to decide whether or not to give it a try.

Book # 36 As Bright as Heaven 2.5/5 stars

I am giving this book a grudging 3 stars as I am rounding up from 2.5. I am clearly an outlier here, but I found this to be cliched, predictable and a rather plodding read. I thought about abandoning it half way through, but soldiered on.

It is a sweet story about the horrible Spanish Flu pandemic in the early 1900's and some peripheral effects on a soldier of World War I. And this story is set in a funeral home, where a family with their three daughters take up residence with their uncle during this time period. It was too sentimental for me, and I thought the very interesting subject matter could have been handled in a much tighter, vivid and less trite manner. I also was not fond of the alternating chapters with each daughter narrating. But since so many people enjoyed this book, it is up to the reader to decide if it is for them.

Book # 37 The Word Is Murder 4.5/5 stars

I am awarding this very clever book 5 stars rounded up from 4.5 for the sheer enjoyment I derived from reading it. It's been awhile since I wanted to keep reading a book non-stop until I finished, and I looked forward to eagerly picking it up when I had to put it down. Magpie Murders was my first experience reading Anthony Horowitz, and the ingenuity of that book was memorable. This one is also clever, as well as being wry, well-written and well-crafted, and a good mystery.

The conceit here is that Anthony Horowitz actually inserts himself into the book as a major character, so it's his first person narrative. Daniel Hawthorne, an eccentric, brilliant investigator working with the police, asks Anthony to be his ghostwriter as he is working on a very strange murder case. Hawthorne becomes a Holmes to Anthony's Watson. And Anthony finds that Hawthorne is not at all easy to work with.

The case involves a wealthy mother of a famous actor, who walks into a funeral parlor to plan her own service. When she is murdered six hours later, the mystery begins, and Hawthorne and Horowitz are on it.