75 Books...More or Less! discussion

My 2019 Challenges:

24 Mystery/Crime/Thriller
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

15 Read What I Own (gotta clear off the nightstand and some of the Kindle backlog)
1. 2. 3.

4 Non-fiction
1.

8 netGalley ARC
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. A Matter of Will - Adam Mitzner 7. 8. 9. 10.

15 new release and/or favorite author.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

That adds up to 66, who says goals have to end in 5 or 0? :-)

I like that! Very organized and specific!

1. The Other Woman Saw this on many best of lists, then the hardcover was 50% at our Barnes and Noble so I picked it up yesterday, stayed up until I finished it. Great read and what a twist at the end.

I really enjoyed it as well! Good first read of the year!

Ohh I just reserved this!

Drew wrote: "1. The Other Woman Saw this on many best of lists, then the hardcover was 50% at our Barnes and Noble so I picked it up yesterday, stayed up unti..."

Sounds intriguing!

2. The Dark Heart: A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator
Disappointing. Note to self, when Amazon offers a book for free...

Drew wrote: "2. The Dark Heart: A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator
Disapp..."

Oh bummer! I got this one too. lol

3. The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle This is a very fun read. One of the reviews says "when Agatha Christie meets Groundhog Day," but I think "Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap" is more accurate. Truly masterful writing and plotting, it's a labyrinth but keeps moving forward and the exposition at the end is very well thought out. I highly recommend.

Drew wrote: "3. The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle This is a very fun read. One of the reviews says "when Agatha Christie meets Groundhog D..."

I got this from NetGalley and still haven't read it, I guess it's no longer an ARC. lol. I hope to read it this year!

Drew wrote: "3. The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle This is a very fun read. One of the reviews says "when Agatha Christie meets Groundhog D..."

You had me at Agatha Christie and Quantum Leap!!!!!

4. The Word Is Murder Just OK. Apparently the author also writes TV mystery scripts in England, and it reads like a TV mystery. Not bad, but not something I'd tell someone to run out and read.

5. No Sunscreen for the Dead It was time for something funny, and this fit the bill. A trailer park full of WWII veterans, unethical salesmen getting their just rewards (in ways that would be gruesome if not so funny), Russian spies, a believable federal government oversight in the witness protection program. And swans. Crazy, but it works, still laughing at some bits.

6. The Perfect Alibi An author I have read a lot, so I was glad to get this off of NetGalley. It's really 4 or 5 plots packaged as a novel, kind of like what Grisham did with one of his books last year. Each plot lines probably couldn't justify a whole novel, so he "gave" each case to the same lawyer and she was the common thread. Each was enjoyable, and some "perfect alibis" were genuine and some were not. It's a good read if you like legal thrillers that don't get bogged down in the courtroom, but not a great novel that will pull you deep into one particular plot or set of characters. Probably a great beach read in that regard.

7. The Wolf and the Watchman Good book, translated from the Swedish. I'm never sure who deserves more credit, the author for the obvious reasons, or the translator for maintaining the feel fo the book. I liked this a lot, and had no idea that actions of the French revolution had impact on the class structure in Sweden. This is a very interesting, and somewhat gruesome, murder mystery. It took a while to get into it, but once I did, it was an engaging read.

8. Holy Ghost A favorite author, and I enjoy the Virgil Flowers series a bit more than the Prey series, maybe because they're more random and fresh. Either way, good quick read.
Overall, a bit behind pace, glad to get a read what I own out of the way...

9. Disclaimer A very addictive book, I picked it up yesterday after lunch and didn't put it down until I finished last evening. Great example of how things may not be what they seem as Catherine's life is shattered by a mysterious book accurately retelling a secret from her personal past. Who wrote the book, and how does he, or she, know what happened? It brought me back to reading "I know what you did last summer" when I was a teenager, but this is much more psychological.

10. The Fallen Put it down half way through, but putting it on my list because of the amount of time I spent trying to get through it. I like most of his work, don't like this series, don't know why I keep picking it up. I rarely don't finish a book, so that's unique...

Drew wrote: "9. Disclaimer A very addictive book, I picked it up yesterday after lunch and didn't put it down until I finished last evening. Great example of how t..."

Ohhh, I love books about books!

11. Behind Her Eyes I liked it until I didn't. For those of you who read it, I didn't care for the final twist at the end, even if I can see how it was a logical next step. Didn't fit for me. That said, it's a good read, and if you haven't read it, many people really like it so don't stop on my account.

12. The Secretary By the author of Disclaimer. Very good book, it will have you looking around to see who is in the room whenever you're talking about something important.

Drew wrote: "11. Behind Her Eyes I liked it until I didn't. For those of you who read it, I didn't care for the final twist at the end, even if I can see how ..."

This is on my shelf as well. Maybe I'll get to it this year.

13. A Question of Trust Light funny British mystery, witty dialog and a quick read.

Drew wrote: "13.A Question of Trust Light funny British mystery, witty dialog and a quick read."

That sounds fun! I will keep this one in mind when I need a break from some heavy books.

14. The Last Thing She Remembers
A mysterious woman knocks on the door of a home she says is her home. The newlyweds bring her in, and when they realize she can't remember anything at all, do what they can to help. The husband takes a very deep interest in her, to the point of alienating his wife, and the reader has no idea why. A small town's secrets are slowly, then quickly, revealed, lost loves, missing memories all coming together in a stirring conclusion.
J.S. Monroe is now two for two with another psychological thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the end.

Drew wrote: "14. The Last Thing She Remembers
A mysterious woman knocks on the door of a home she says is her home. The newlyweds bring her in, a..."

Oh this one sounds great!

Drew wrote: "14. The Last Thing She Remembers
A mysterious woman knocks on the door of a home she says is her home. The newlyweds bring her in, a..."

Ohhhhhh! This sounds so good!

Drew wrote: "14. The Last Thing She Remembers
A mysterious woman knocks on the door of a home she says is her home. The newlyweds bring her in, a..."

How odd that the US version got a different title!

Origin15. Finally get to move this off the bookshelf! I enjoyed this, which was a nice surprise. I liked his early work, DaVinci Code and others, but I found his last book very dull (the one about Dante, Inferno) and so didn't know what to expect. It doesn't live all the way up to DaVinci Code, but it's got good pace, doesn't get too bogged down in the hidden messages behind centuries old texts as others do, and the characters are enjoyable. I think the ending is a bit weak, but not enough to ruin the experience.

Drew wrote: "Origin15. Finally get to move this off the bookshelf! I enjoyed this, which was a nice surprise. I liked his early work, DaVinci Code and others, but I f..."

I enjoyed this one! I didn't care for The Lost Symbol as much but have enjoyed the others.

Drew wrote: "My 2019 Challenges:

24 Mystery/Crime/Thriller
1. 2. 3. 4. [bookc..."

Duuuude, that is crazy organized and I love it!

16. A Matter of WIll, Adam MItzner, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. A Matter of Will starts off with a formula we’ve seen before. A young struggling financial manager desperate to land accounts to save his job, while embarking on a new relationship after a series of failed relationships, has an opportunity fall into his lap. He doesn’t’ stop to think that something too good to be true likely is too good to be really true, and in typical noire fashion, he makes a choice that he can’t undo. Sam, the protagonist, is a man of mystery, and his girlfriend, Eve, certainly helps tempt Adam, er, Will, to take the first bite. Yes, there’s a bit of obvious symbolism with Sam’s address (666) and the temptress Eve, but the author actually has a bit of fun with it and the book doesn’t go too far down that path. In fact, it doesn’t even go all the way down the path I thought it was going. Halfway through the book, the plot takes a big twist, followed by more, and the author really had me guessing and flying through the last half of the book to find out how this was going to wrap up. No spoilers here, read it, you’ll be glad you did.

17. The Marsh King's Daughter I saw this on a list of "suspense novels with families more dysfunctional than yours" on CrimeReads and liked the description so I gave it a shot. Wow, what a great tale. Briefly, it's a novel of a woman in Northern Michigan tracking her father who escaped from jail. He had been in jail for kidnapping her mother many years ago, and the author skillfully tells both stories, intertwining the narrative. A real page turner, I flew through the last half last night!

Drew wrote: "17. The Marsh King's Daughter I saw this on a list of "suspense novels with families more dysfunctional than yours" on CrimeReads and l..."

Great review, I'm on the hold list on Overdrive for this one!

18. Run Away And for the first time, I'm disappointed by a Harlan Coben book. The first half was disjointed and not as gripping as his books usually are, and although the second half picked up the pace, it was a weak ending with some unanswered questions. Or maybe I was so anxious to be done with it, I missed the answers.

19. 20. No TomorrowCodename Villanelle Both fun, read one on the flight out on Thursday, the other on the way home yesterday. Perfect length. Different enough from the excellent TV series that I enjoyed the read.

21. My Lovely Wife Wow. I truly couldn't put this down. It's one screwed up couple that really had no choice but to find each other. I love a book with this many plot twists and surprises, a book that keeps me guessing and yes, a book that makes me feel guilty for pulling for someone who is probably not a very nice person... It's dark, plenty of implied violence but very little gore, and will probably get into your head. When you pick up this book, have some time to kill because I think you won't want to put it down.

Drew wrote: "21. My Lovely Wife Wow. I truly couldn't put this down. It's one screwed up couple that really had no choice but to find each other. I love a book..."

I'm on the holds list on Overdrive for this one! Looks so good!! Glad you liked it!

22. Bethlehem I have no idea why I selected this book on NetGalley but I am so glad I did. I read a lot of psychological thrillers, mysteries, etc. and not a lot of historical fiction, but this one really sucked me in. A woman in the 1960s moves back with her husband to his family estate, and she tries to co-exist with her mother-in-law on her turf. The chapters alternate between 1960s and 1920s, and the parallels are apparent as early as the third chapter. Any time I think of how to describe this book it sounds boring in my mind, but it was anything but boring. I think great characters and strong narrative voice will carry any plot. And this plot does have some nice twists and surprises too. Good book.

Drew wrote: "22. Bethlehem I have no idea why I selected this book on NetGalley but I am so glad I did. I read a lot of psychological thrillers, mysteries, etc. and..."

Sometimes it's nice to get out of your comfort zone and discover something new that you enjoy! :) It sounds like something I would read. Adding to my TBR!

EDIT: Still a 'Read Now' on NG so I snatched it! Hopefully I can get to it before pub day. lol.

23. We Went to the Woods Sometime Netgalley introduces me to a new author I really like, and sometimes I lose a week of my life plodding through a book like "We Went to the Woods" which could have a sub-title "Millenials go camping." Although the author does a good job capturing millenials, she makes them unlikeable and the plotting is extremely week with plenty of holes and unanswered questions.

Drew wrote: "23. We Went to the Woods Sometime Netgalley introduces me to a new author I really like, and sometimes I lose a week of my life plodding th..."

Oh no, I just started this one!

Hey, it wouldn't be the first time we differed in opinion on books. I knew as soon as I hit send there would be somebody else reading it... oops.
No spoiler, but let me know when you get to the reveal of Mack's secret, I'd like to hear your opinion.

24. The Secret HistoryIn a way, the early introduction of the characters and their relationships brought me back to two of my all-time favorite books, The Last Convertible and Boys and Girls Together (Goldman). The plot isn't at all like those, but I love the way the characters and setting were developed.
This book is truly wonderful, bringing the reader into their lives as they grow close, and then as it looks like everything will fall apart. I'm left still wondering just what role their mentor, Julius, played in everything, and I love that feeling. I'd heard much about this book, seen it on a number of lists and very glad I finally got around to reading it.

Drew wrote: "24. The Secret HistoryIn a way, the early introduction of the characters and their relationships brought me back to two of my all-time favorite book..."

I didn't like The Goldfinch so I'm afraid to read this one.

I haven’t read the Goldfinch. I see it on lists, but the description hasn’t appealed to me. I might check it out now, I found her writing to be similar to Patricia Highsmith who I really enjoy. A lot of flawed characters, that’s for sure.

25. Galway Girl Netgally ARC, I love this series (Jack Taylor) and Bruen's writing. Little violent for some but the writing's so unique. And a fast read.

Drew wrote: "Hey, it wouldn't be the first time we differed in opinion on books. I knew as soon as I hit send there would be somebody else reading it... oops.
No spoiler, but let me know when you get to the re..."

I just finished it. Took me almost 3 weeks. Blahhh. 3 stars. I was waiting to reply to your comment because I thought for sure something earth-shattering would be revealed about Mack. Buuuuut no. (view spoiler)[She just trash-talked someone on a reality TV show? Isn't that all reality TV shows are?! She outed a fellow "housemate" as a lesbian. Yeah, that's really crappy but pretty sure it's nothing to be villified over. (hide spoiler)] I didn't really like much about it. I should really give it 2 stars.

I'm not sure I know how to hide spoilers, so I'll just say YES, of all the things that bothered me, that bothered me the most. next on the list would be a long list of unanswered questions. OK, enough time spent on a book we didn't enjoy, onward and upwards.

Drew wrote: "21. My Lovely Wife Wow. I truly couldn't put this down. It's one screwed up couple that really had no choice but to find each other. I love a book..."

I have been waiting for this one for a while!