100+ Books in 2025 discussion

Wishing a year of good reads for all. As for me, I hope to read 125 books and complete a needlepoint canvas I have had for 40 years.

1. The Pearl by Tiffany Reisz
Reisz follows up "The Red" and "The Rose" with this latest story in the Godwicks saga, and it is as erotic and sensual as the previous two.

Like the others, art or an artifact is a central theme running throughout the story. In this one Lord Arthur Godwick is rescuing his younger brother Charles from some debts he has managed to run up in the Pearl Hotel, and Regan Ferry, its owner, is calling them in. That is, she has obtained the painting of Lord Malcolm Godwick (from The Red), and the only way the Godwicks will get the painting back is that Arthur is to become a slave to the desires of Regan, who has her own feelings about the Godwick clan. She wants revenge for wrongs committed by the Godwick family.

With each demand she makes, Regan finds herself drawn to Arthur despite her hate for the family. Arthur, too, is all too willing to submit to Regan, but will either of them realize that they are perfect for each other? Will Regan ever admit to loving Arthur? Will Arthur convince Regan that what they have is love? And could it be that something more unusual is going on at the Pearl Hotel?

Spicy language, sexual scenarios, and sexual innuendos are part and parcel of a Reisz novel. Her characters are bold and brash (and yes, smirks), and there are always a few surprises along the way. While it could be read without having read the first two novels first, this reader wouldn't suggest it. Although it is touched upon, there is some history that shows up in this novel that really makes sense only if The Red has already been read.

I do like her writing, and look forward to anything she writes. That she has cats so much the better.

2. Dating a Cougar by Donna McDonald
According to a friend, there is a Ten-Year Rule...that is dating allowed within ten years on either side of one's age.

This is a contemporary romance in which the female protagonist, fifty-year-old Alexa Ranger, meets and breaks the rule with Casey Carter, an ex-Marine who is thirty-eight years old. Good for her (and him) once he convinces her that the feelings they are experiencing is real.

Alexa is drop-dead gorgeous, a former model, and an entrepreneur of woman's lingerie. And fifty! Too old to date or even consider Casey considering his age despite the electricity between each time they meet. Still, Casey isn't willing to let this opportunity go by that quickly.

He fights for (and fights with) Alexa in order to explore the possibilities of a relationship, but then he is a military man through and through even if he has left the service because of an injury.

Can she let go of her prejudices about age? Can he let go of his issues with her flirting? Will the fact that her daughter Jenna and his cousin Seth have recently broken up affect the possibility of their getting together?

It's a feel-good romance with laughs and tears, fights and make-up sex, and some What-the-tuck trends (smirks, for one). That it's about an older woman and younger man, well, that's why some rules are made to be broken!

3. Sunnyside Plaza by Scott Simon
4.5 stars actually--A feel-good book for adults, but mainly a book for children about empowerment, this novel is about the developmentally challenged adults of Sunnyside Plaza, particularly Sally Miyake, who is the narrator. Sally (Sal Gal, Sally Pally) can't read, but she has other attributes like her sunny personality, her drawings of cats and dogs who smile, her friendliness and caring, her ability to pay attention to things, and her concentration when she works in the kitchen. She likes people, and she knows when people like her. And she knows she is 'different' too, but that's okay with her.

Her friends in the home are doing well, taking their medications (1, 2, or 3 meds depending...), but when Laurence, a friend, dies suddenly, and then another friend dies just as suddenly, the police are called in. There's no obvious reasons for their deaths, but Sal Gal and her friends in the home set out to figure out what is going on. It's upsetting, you know!

Can they figure out what is going on? Will their new friends, the police detectives Esther Rivas and London Bridges, believe them?

This is a good book to read to children and grandchildren, but it is also good for children to read themselves. It builds empathy for those who are 'different' as Sal Gal says, and it may even change adult minds as well. Written by Scott Simon, the journalist, is an homage to one of his first jobs as a caregiver in a home similar to Sunnyside Plaza.

Thanks Rob for the Christmas gift. We heard about the book on NPR's Morning Edition, and it was a real surprise.

4. Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer
Always twists and the machinations of men...

Taking up where the last book in the series left off, the story of Harry Clifton and his family continue. There are enough twists and turns to keep a reader guessing and reading. The machinations of the more nefarious characters draw the decent characters into conflict again and again.

Set now in the timeframe of the 1970s, Harry, Emma, Sebastian, Giles, and others battle and overcome the conflicts thrown in their way. Still, there is more to their stories, and this reader will be beginning the next (and last) in the series: This Was a Man. Can't wait for what Jeffrey Archer has in store for them all. Will he give the baddies their well-deserved comeuppance? Will Harry and company have some peace in their lives? One can hope.

5. Code Name Madeleine: A Sufi Spy in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Arthur J. Magida
This is the biography of a woman, Noor Inayat Khan, who is willing to work for the British during World War II as a secret agent. Following the tenets of Sufism, which she learned from her mystic father, Noor is one of the few women who volunteers to return to her home in France to spy for the Allies and send messages back to London with information to help the Allies with their invasion plans.

After training, she was flown back to France, knowing that the time she has might be short. To protect her, she was given a code name, and a new identity. Keeping one step ahead of the Nazis, she lugged around thirty pounds in a suitcase containing the radio so that it couldn't be taken.

A compelling read about the woman who gave it her all to defeat the Nazis. This reader loves learning all these stories about those who helped to defeat the Nazis.

The biography is well-researched, and it includes photographs of Noor and others connected with her history.

An extended review on www.pedometergeek.wordpress.com to be posted by January 22, 2021.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This is a tale of slave life and the Underground Railroad as told by Hiram Walker, the son of a slave and his white master. Hiram narrates his story, which has some mystical elements to it.

Coates descriptions of the Tasked, the Quality, and the low-whites give a different, but compelling spin on the slavery issue, but that is part of what makes his debut novel so worth reading.

Hiram is one of the Tasked, but he also knows that he is the son of the owner of the plantation, Lockless. In a sense he is in an in-between place because he doesn't always feel he fits anywhere. His memory (of lack thereof) of his mother, who was sold off, complicates his life because he really has sketchy memories. His family becomes his aunt Thena, who is another of the Tasked, and his half-brother Maynard, who is Quality (but rather marginal). He is taught to read and write by the same tutor Maynard has because his father has declared it so that he will be able to help him to run the place.

Still, Hiram has some special abilities that affects him as well. As he sees more and more Tasked being sent Natchez-Way (that is, sold off), he decides he wants his freedom, for himself as well as others. Can he trust those freemen to help him escape through the Underground or will he caught and punished? And if he does, will he ever be free? Or is he doomed to be Tasked forever? What does it mean to be a Water Dancer?

Powerful story with undercurrents of sadness, redemption, and love.

7. Ghosts Cats by Jaycee Clark, Shelley Munro, Elaine Corvidae, Michelle M. Pillow, and Mandy M. Roth
Shapeshifters, paranormal romances make up five different novellas which were written by five different authors.

Each story had at least one shapeshifter, who became a big cat. The kind of cat depended on the story itself, and they included a caracal, a jaguar, a panther, and cougars, but there were other shapeshifters, too.

There were different settings in each of the stories; one was set in Egypt, for example.

There were spicy romances in almost all of them, and this reader preferred some more than other, but that is probably personal choice.

There were plenty of WtT trends (smirks, green-eyed characters, etc.); the editing and proofing could have been improved because of missing punctuation marks and missing words throughout the book. Would be interested in reading more by these authors.

8. Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg
Spellbinding...As good as her Paper Magician series, Holmberg has written another winner as she weaves magic with mystery. She has created another magical world with two types of magicians.

Some are spellbreakers like the unregistered Elsie Camden and the spellmakers like her boss Ogden and Bacchus Kelsey. This is Elsie 's story of her interactions with the Cowls, who direct her to the spells she is to break. She may not ever understand why the spells need to be broken, but she does what she is told. She considers them to be the price she has been willing to pay for her life away from the workhouse after her family disappeared.

Will she ever find out why her family disappeared or left her? Will she figure out who the Cowls are? Will she ever figure out who is killing the master magicians for their opuses? Will she ever find out that she is loved?

Victorian England and magic and a cliffhanger ending...can't wait for the sequel to be released.

9. The Falcon Always Wings Twice by Donna Andrews
This is the 27th novel in the Meg Langslow mystery series, and once again, Andrews lays out a murder that will keep Meg busy, helping out her family, and checking her notebook that tells-her-when-to-breathe.

In this one, her grandmother Cordelia has started a Renaissance Fair with the help of Meg and all of her family. With Michael leading the way with actors strolling around the Fair and acting, drama abounds especially when one of them is murdered. Everybody certainly had a reason to do him in.
But who killed Terence? Will Meg be able to solve the murder and keep everyone happy so that Ren. Fair can continue?

Always fun, always full of humor, and a satisfying mystery.

(read large print...on page 367, flying TREE. Should have been free)

10. The Daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz
Connie Schultz hit it out of the park with her debut novel about small town Ohio and the working class lives of Ellie and Brick McGinty and their families from the 1950s through the 1990s.

The novel can pretty much be summed up by this paragraph on page 109.
"Everybody changes, Ellie figured. Everybody starts out as one kind of person and ends up being someone else. Life does that to you, just as a river has its way with a stone. Even when you don't notice it, life is rearranging you."

As the novel opens, Ellie and Brick are living in Clayton Valley, Ohio and have had a friendship since Ellie came to live with her grandparents. Now they are a couple. She has the best grades in the senior class; he's the star point guard and has chance to get a full-ride scholarship until the unthinkable happens, and their lives change dramatically. Is it for the good? Or the bad?

The story follows the pair as well as their family through the years. And the reader roots for the pair to have a happily ever after as the years go by.

Perhaps, the story resonated because I grew up in Ohio during this period and can easily imagine the lives of these people--even knowing people just like them, or the experiences of them. Highly recommended read.

11. The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher
Kicking good story...

The historical novel about Kathleen Kennedy, AKA Kick, and her life and love of England and the people she met there is another story that is set against the backdrop of World War II.

The Kennedy family is shown, too, but it is Kick 's life which is featured. Her love of an English gentleman, Billy Hartington, wars with her religion and her family loyalty. Will she be able to be independent, or will her desire to please her family, especially her mother Rose, win out?

Really enjoyed this look at the Kennedy family and getting to know Kick and her siblings. What a tragic, short life lived to the fullest. So difficult to read about Rosemary's life as well.

12. Following You by Eva Lesko Natiello
Three very different people, at least superficially, are on a collision course that will test them all in this dark psychological thriller with an absolutely gorgeous cover.

First of all, there is Shae Wilmot, who is a gregarious, gorgeous young woman. She is the on-air personality for IShop, a shopping channel. She can sell anything and everything with her "intoxicating" pitch. Unfortunately, she has garnered too much attention and gained a "stalker."

Second of all, there is Lawrence (Larry, Lars, and a few other social media monikers), who has a thing for Shae, and may be her biggest fan (so much so that he watches her live, taped, and buys what she is selling). He certainly believes he is and some day, some day, he will meet her.

The third person is Honey, a waitress with limited resources and a big heart for her family. Her Momma is dying, and she will whatever she can to alleviate her pain and keep her alive. When Shae and her paths cross in an unusual way, it is a mistake that may destroy them both. Still, Honey does what she can for the woman, whom Honey believes is a cop.

Minute by minute, day by day, we see these characters judge the others, presuming they know more than they do. And if they figure out the reality of the others, what will happen? Will they spill their secrets, or will they play them close to the vest? Will Lawrence meet his love Shae?

Quite a few twists, quite a few surprises along the way, and an ending that will stay with the reader long after completing the story. In fact, once finished, this reader returned to the beginning to re-read knowing the ending, but wanting to explore the story again. 4.5 stars actually

13. What You Don't Know About Objectivism by Russell Hasan
Expounding on Ayn Rand's Objectivism, Russell Hasan discusses some of the problems with those who either dismiss Rand's philosophy or go overboard with their enthusiasm for it without understanding some of her basic tenets The author used pertinent quotes from Atlas Shrugged to prove his points about Objectivism and why it is not understood even by those who purport to be Objectivist.

Some of the information was enlightening, and there was much this reader didn't know despite having read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged multiple times (getting something new from them every time). Enjoyed the chapters discussing politics and where true Objectivists should be more centrist because of the pro -choice and conservative aspects.

Two things that bothered this reader: one was the constant selling of his book (Apple book) and the table example. By his definition, the periodic table doesn't fit, but a chair does.

13.5 The Beauty of Being a Beast by Jennifer Estep
A fantasy short story about Griselle, a young woman who is a beast because of a curse. She has only a few more days to find true love before she permanently becomes the beast. Will she find true love, and more importantly, will she save her village from another evil?

A fun read with a message for all of us beastly women!

14. This Was a Man by Jeffrey Archer
The seventh (and final) novel in the Clifton Chronicles finds the Cliftons (Harry and his wife Emma) succeeding in their chosen fields, but aging. It also follows the Barringtons (Giles, Grace, and more) still succeeding in their chosen fields. The families are growing and all are doing well. Still, there is tension, anxieties, and drama galore, but the author (for once) didn't leave a cliffhanger ending and closes it out the series with a tear-jerking ending.

One little thing...there was always the possibility that Harry Clifton could have been a half-brother to Giles, Grace, and Emma Barrington (who were married to each other), but even that was cleared up at the end (DNA verified) even IF his father is mislabeled as Albert rather than Arthur. I couldn't believe that after all the family trees in the books that this continuity error occurred. Albert died three years before Harry was born. Yes, the body in the hold of the ship turned out to Arthur Clifton.

Highly recommended series as it goes through over a century of time.

15. Again, Alabama by Susan Sands
This is a contemporary second chance romance, which features a discredited TV-media chef, Cammie, and Grey, her first boyfriend, who betrayed her way-back-when with her best friend, Deb.

Cammie has come home in Ministry, Alabama, after being fired from her position for supposedly setting her boss's hair on fire. Her mother needs surgery and she takes over the control of the family business while her mother is recuperating. Unfortunately, she has to deal with Grey, who is fixing up the family home.

The lust or love may still be there, but there are complications galore. Can Cammie ever forgive him? Will she? Can Grey convince Cammie that he is not the man she thinks he is? What did happen between Deb and him? What about Cammie's own intended back in Virginia? Will she ever have the life and love that she wants?

Not only is this a romance, but it is a story of redemption. It's a story of family as Cammie is surrounded by her sisters and brother. all pitching in to help their mother. And a mystery, too.

It is a relatively clean romance...some hot kisses and references to sex, but nothing overt. Yeah, it had a few What-the-tuck trends, but not much (a few smirks). There were also a few missed words, but didn't affect the reading too much.

16. Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb
The latest case that Eve Dallas and her partner Delia take on is the death of a priest, who is poisoned during a funeral mass. Who would want to kill this man? He is a man of God, or so everyone thinks. It is up to Eve to stand for the dead, and she does so for not only this man but another preacher who is also poisoned. Are these cases related?

Per usual, her husband Roarke and her other police officers are in on the case(s).

17. Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
Lt. Eve Dallas and Detective Delia Peabody along with Roarke and the other homicide cops are investigating the murder of another officer, one that has recently relocated to New York and is involved with the chief medical officer, Morris.

Who killed her and why? Dallas has to get to the heart of it, and when she does, it brings back another case of hers. How do they intersect? Especially when this other case sent the perpetrator off-planet for several life sentences and no communication?

And oh yeah, she is hosting (with the help of Peabody and Nadine Furst) a wedding shower for Louise, another friend. Give her a murder to solve any day of the week, but not this girly stuff (and no silly games or strippers). And Roarke is heading to Las Vegas with Charles and the male connected to the wedding so that she is stranded with all the women. Horrors! Can she escape to her office for work and blow off all the shower plans?

Why, oh why, did she make these promises?!
4.5 stars actually

18. Born Creative: A Memoir of Paint, Passion, & Purpose by Nita Leland
This is a memoir of a life well-lived, a memoir of a woman who was born creative, a memoir of a woman whose life was changed with a gift, a memoir of a woman who became an artist, an author, and an entrepreneur, a memoir of an enterprising woman, and a memoir of a woman who was on the forefront of technology (and stood up for herself...more about that in a minute).*

(For the rest of the review, see my full review.)

19. Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine
2.5 stars actually on this book that centered on the lives of Judith and her partner Paul buying only what was truly necessary throughout the year 2006.

I have to say that I have had this book for 8-10 years. One of the clerks at the local post office (thanks, April May) had read it and gave it to me to read. Every year I planned to read it beginning in January, and I would then forget until it was February or June. But after the year (2020) we all had it seemed like like their adventures in non-consumerism was similar to the year 2020 in which everything was pared down (and little shopping was done except for necessities) to dealing with the pandemic. In other words, this seemed like the perfect time to read it. I figured that I already understood what Judith and Paul were going through.

True enough, there are some similarities.

Drowning in debt with maxed out credit cards after the 2005 Christmas season, Judith Levine and Paul made a pact to forgo shopping and spending money on anything other than food, housing, and utilities. They paid down their credit cards, and struggled to put aside the desire to shop for stuff like Q-tips (for Paul) and SmartWool socks (for Judith).

Month by month (and day by day), Judith talks about different methods and what she was experiencing. Sometimes her essays were uplifting; some were rather depressing; some were humorous; and many of them were philosophical or psychological.

On the other hand, they discovered that being a good citizen was more important than being a good consumer. In the end, they actually managed to save money, get out of debt (nearly $ 8000.00 worth of credit card debt), survive not eating at restaurants or going to the movies, and make do with less. (Kinda sounds like 2020 to me!)

20. Hiroshima by John Hersey
This is a true account of some of the events which occurred when the A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on that August day. The events on the day itself, the events on the following days, and even following several people who survived are documented from some of the people affected and their observations. This particular edition was expanded, and it even shows a few of these people four decades later, and what their lives were like over the years.

It is hard to read about the effects of the bomb, and yet it is important reading. On the other hand, this reader heard (in high school) oral book reports that expressed more gruesome descriptions of the events of that day and the days following it. They were so gruesome that this reader never wanted to read this book. Whether those students exaggerated the events or the events of September 11, 2001 were as gruesome and thus inured me to these descriptions, I have no idea.

A buddy read with Edwina...thanks for inviting me.

21. The Man Who Played With Fire: Stieg Larsson's Lost Files and the Hunt for an Assassin by Jan Stocklossa
Who assassinated the Swedish Prime Minister?

Jan Stocklassa follows the cold trail with the help of Stieg Larsson's files. More than three decades since Olof Palme's assassination, the crime has not been definitely solved, BUT a twisted trail of murders that draws upon an even more twisted trail of persons who seem to be involved in carrying out the crime and the cover up.

Is it all conspiratorial thinking or has Stocklassa with the help of Larsson's files and several persons of interest solved the mystery behind the assassination of Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden? The facts get laid out, the people questioned, and yet...where is the smoking gun?

A real life mystery, almost as convoluted as any of Larsson's thrillers.

22. An Eagle Swooped by Anne Hampson
A romance without any WTT trends? Is it possible? It's possible, but only IF it is written in 1970, as this one was.

Tessa falls in love at first sight with Paul, a friend of a friend, Joe, but when Paul meets her sister Lucinda, he falls in love with her. Tessa, a teacher, is a bit plainer than Lucinda, but it isn't until Tessa overhears Paul saying how ugly, how plain, how annoying she is that she packs up and leaves for a teaching post in Greece, hoping to forget she ever knew him by avoiding news about the family.

Two years later, she returns home to London, and she finds that Lucinda and Paul didn't get married; that they had they had a horrible accident in which he had been horribly burned and lost his sight. Furthermore, Lucinda broke off their engagement over this, and after even Paul's announcement that he would forgive Lucinda and is rejected, Paul returned to his home in Cyprus. Yet, despite the time away, Tessa still has feelings for Paul, and when she hears the whole story decides to head to Cyprus with a plan of her own.

Taking on Lucinda's name, Tessa meets with Paul, and he forgives her and tells her that he never stopped loving her. In fact, all too soon, the pair marries, and it is wedded bliss for them, at least initially. But did he really forgive her? Does he have his own agenda?

Tessa cannot reveal who she really is, and soon, the bliss becomes torture. Soon, she realizes that while she may love him, he hates her and married her only for revenge. While she becomes his eyes, describing the sky, the sunsets, the blooming flowers, etc., she walks a fine line when he becomes abusive in word and deed, and then switching it up to act loving in front of other people. Can she maintain her love for him despite his scorn? Can she become so important to him that he will finally love her (even if he believes to be Lucinda)? What if discovers the truth about who she is? Will he reject her once again? What will happen if he happens to regain his sight?

Could there ever be a happily-ever-after for Tessa and Paul?

23. The Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes
Fluffy, cute, light chick-lit. That about says it all, but the story, while humorous, is also a bit sad that someone in the first weeks of marriage worries about infidelity.

Sylvia Mortimer, newly married, falls in with a group of newly divorced women. Lauren Blount is at the top of the heap with enough wealth, enough designer clothes, and enough freedom to play the Magical Orgasm game. Never plans on remarrying, Lauren is willing to have her cake and eat it, too. She and her friends love dispensing advice liberally especially when Sylvie feels like her husband may be involved (already) with Sophia, the Husband Huntress.

Will Sylvia's husband fall prey to Sophia? Could Hunter really be having an affair with Sophia after only a few weeks of marriage? Will she be the next debutante divorcee? Can there be a happily ever after for any of these women?

Lots of name-dropping of couture and places (which if this reader was more into that, it would mean more).

24. Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
The 29th novel in the Eve Dallas In Death series finds her dealing with the rape and murder of a fifteen-year-old girl, the daughter of a police captain. Why she is murdered is what Eve and the homicide department have to figure out. Who would want to kill this beautiful young teen in such a brutal manner?

Eve, Peabody, Roarke, and the rest of Eve's crew all feature in this suspenseful tale that has this killer targeting certain people, but to figure it out will take all the resources of the NYPSD.

Besides that, Eve is matron of honor for the nuptials of Louise and Charles, but can she handle that and the murders?

Each story just keeps getting better and better.

25. Russian Hill by Ty Hutchinson
Abby Kane (FBI Agent) and Kang of the San Francisco police department team up in this thriller to find serial killers who are playing a deadly game.

Two like-minded souls become a thrill-kill duo following clues as to who to kill next. Who is the couple who is killing random people in San Francisco, and who is pulling their strings?

Will Abby and Kang figure out who is doing the killings, and why?

Suspenseful and sometimes grisly with San Francisco as the backdrop.

26. Last of the Red Hot Firefighters by Jessie Evans
This was the Nook e-book edition, and it didn't have nearly as many pages as the paperback claims to have (only 158 pages); however, having said that, this contemporary romance finds the two main characters giving romance a second chance.

Naomi has returned to her hometown of Summerville nursing her pain of losing a baby and looking for a second chance with her high school boyfriend. After all, it has been fifteen years, and she has had the glamorous life she wanted when she left oh-so-long-ago. And she knows just how she can apologize to him IF he gives her the chance. Plus she and her sister are planning on opening a bakery called Icing.

Jake, on the other hand, has lost his wife a few years ago and is the captain of the firefighters. To get the money together to replace their dilapidated firehouse, he and the other firefighters are willing to be auctioned off for a month of dates (one each Friday night as Christmas approaches).
He doesn't want anything to do with Naomi though.

Making sure Naomi has enough money to be sure and win him, she has only to outbid all the other women interested in snagging a red-hot date. Her reason to win: so that she can apologize to him for running out on him years ago. To be honest, she has never forgotten him despite her decision long ago.

Will he accept her apology? Is it possible for the pair to begin again? Or will he remain cold and aloof? What is the secret that she is hiding from him, and will his brother Jamison spill it?

Hot, sexy, second chance romance with very few What-the-tuck trends (although there was tucking incident).

27. A Beach Wish by Shelley Noble
All families have their own dysfunction, and this family is no different; however, the protagonist doesn't know it's dysfunctional when the novel opens.

After her very proper mother dies, Zoe Bascombe is specifically tasked with dealing with her ashes. Not her brothers, but her. She is to scatter them on Wind Chime Beach, a place she has neither visited nor knows anything about, but despite her brothers being against her going, she plans to honor her mother's last wish.

Her trip to this secluded New England town brings huge surprises, and shows Zoe a new side to her mother's life. Actually, after talking to (and getting to know) some of the locals who have lived there for years, Zoe realizes that she has just stepped into a new reality...a reality that finds her straddling two worlds, that is, a whole other side of her family. With this realization, she finds out that she is not who she thinks she is, and that she has more family than she knew. What's more they are feuding with each other, and with a new sister, nieces, and more, she is pulled into the middle of it.

This is women's fiction, which explores what it means to be family. It further explores redemption, love, and acceptance. Will the past repeat itself, or will there be a new recognition of family connections? Will there be closure for this new family, or just more dysfunction?

The story is complete as is, but the ending almost felt like a sequel could be coming sometime in the future. Loved the wind chimes, and there were few if any WTT trends. Extended review to be posted at www.pedometergeek.wordpress.com

28. Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine by Ann Hood
Three friends from college live lives so different from their college days. Suddenly, so different and yet the idealistic days of college make way for the realities of life years later.

29. 500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan
Two medic-nurses are experiencing PTSD, and because of this, they exchange positions (called a secondment). Lissa is justifiably affected when a teen dies in a horrific car accident despite her use of CPR; Cormac has come back from Iraq and has his own issues.

Lissa goes to a little village (Kirrinfief), living in Cormac's home, and Cormac heads to London, staying in Lissa's place of residence. Culture shock for both of them as Cormac can barely handle the busyness of London and Lissa is seen as standoffish because of London's mores, but each takes on the patients of the other.

Communicating through e-mails and texts brings the two closer even as each discovers that a new environment can be affirming. What will happen if or when they meet? Is there a possibility that this each will prefer the new work sight and not wish to return?

A delightful story with a bit of romance. Few, if any, What-the-tuck trends, too. A longer review to be posted at www.pedometergeek.wordpress.com

30. You Are Mine by Janeal Falor
Falor invites the reader to discover a new world, a world where warlocks only can practice magic and all women are owned or part of the underclass known as tarnished.

Is this story dystopian or just that the warlocks of Chardona are particularly cruel and prone to violence against women (read: misogynists)?

Women and young girls are prone to be punished, hit, hexed, or under the right conditions, tarnished for their (and others) alleged sins against their owners.

Serena is now seventeen and on her birthday, she is taken to be tested for magic so that she can become engaged, wedded, and then a breeder of warlocks. Serena doesn't want to be married as she has seen the effects of her father's wrath upon her mother for having only produced daughters (14 or so) and his wrath upon her and her sisters for the same reason, and that is her version of what marriage in this society is like. She's taken her share of punishments for herself as well as behalf of her siblings. Owned now by her father, she'll be owned by another warlock...one that is willing to pay for her and be her master.

Events at a tournament change her fortunes, but will the barbarian Endavi, Zade be as bad as her father? Will his punishments be as extreme? She's walking a tightrope, always worried about being caught doing something or saying the wrong thing. Will she end up being tarnished? Especially as it gets closer to her wedding day?

Told from the perspective of Serena, her feelings often collide with what she says or does.

Interesting story, leaving the reader wanting to know more since while it is complete as is, there is a chapter of the next one, which features her sister Cynthia.

A few WTT trends as well as some typos (missing words, misused words, etc.) that probably could have been caught with another read-through.

31. Once Upon a Curse by various authors
A mixed collection of dark faerie tales. Some were excellent, some were so-so, and some were not to my taste. Other people might feel differently about any particular story. Some of them were recognizable as variations of well known fairy tales, but others were mythic tales. A few seemed as if they were lifted from a larger body of work leaving cliffhanger endings, which might drive an interested reader to the author's works. Overall, an interesting compilation of dark, fractured stories...it is not Disney for sure.

32. Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg
Holmberg finishes off her duology with Elsie Camden, the unregistered Spellbreaker being caught for her illegal activities despite having been instrumental in untangling all the machinations of Master Lily Merton and freeing her boss and friend, Ogden, from his enchantment.

Thrown into prison, she is rescued by Master Bacchus Kelsey, who pleads her case before another master Spellmaker. It is his lie about her sudden spell-breaking knowledge and their impending nuptials that gets her released (with a caveat, of course), but that's just the beginning of their troubles as there is still evil magic afoot.

Is Bacchus only marrying Elsie out of a sense of duty, or is there more to it than that? Will Elsie ever be able to tell him how she feels about him, or will she have to keep those feelings to herself?

Part fantasy, part romance, and part suspense...this completes the tale of the rare magical abilities of Elsie and Bacchus. Characters from the previous story return, and new characters are introduced. Determining who can be trusted and who are causing the upheaval in this story keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Kinda like the "novel readers" Elsie and Emmeline are so enthralled with.

A few What-the-tuck trends are seen (smirks, green-eyed characters, and a hair tucking incident or two), but overall a delightful read, much like Holmberg's signature series, which begins with "The Paper Magician."

33. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
Lisa Wingate's new novel takes two tales of misplaced people ('lost friends'....and how many friends or family members have been lost to us?) and weaves it into one whole.

It's the story of an enslaved family being torn apart by an unscrupulous person, and Hannie, the young girl, who keeps her dream of re-connection alive.

It's also the story of Benny, a teacher, who has her own loss, but energizes her first class of reluctant-to-engage students to explore the history of their town and ultimately their own lives.

It's a love story; it's history, and it's compelling reading as the two stories dovetail with a satisfactory, if a tear-jerking ending.

"We die once when the last breath leaves our bodies. We die a second time when the last person speaks our name." The first death is beyond our control, but the second one we can strive to prevent." (page 374)

"The most important endeavors require a risk. It's the hardest part of reality to accept. Striking off into the unknown is terrifying, but if we don't begin the journey, we'll never know where it could lead." (page 373)

Having read several of this author's novels, this may be the best yet, and the others were all pretty powerful reads..

34. Throttled by Elizabeth Lee
A second chance contemporary romance features a young woman, Nora Bennett, who is unceremoniously dumped when her boyfriend Reid Travers takes off to make his life choice of being a motocross professional at seventeen. Now seven years later, he returns to the small town of Halstead.

She has never forgotten the heartbreak or the pain of his leaving her behind, and he has never forgotten her. In fact, he wants to rekindle their relationship, but will Nora allow him in? Or will she remain true to her current boyfriend? As Reid tries everything to win her back and prove that his feelings are true, will old resentments be continued or love be given a second chance?

Lots of smirks, winks, and waggling of brows among others (WTT trends) as well as quite a few missing words or extra words or other typos (another re-reading or another set of eyes would probably fix many of these, but using only a spellcheck program would not), but otherwise a pretty decent romance.

35. Last Strand by Jennifer Estep
"My name is Gin Blanco, and I kill people." Thus ends the nineteenth (for now, at least) and final novel in the urban fantasy Elemental Assassin series.

It's been some time since I read the first novel in the series, Spider's Bite, but that may have been the first line of that one. If it wasn't, it certainly was mentioned a time or two throughout this series. It is said that every decent novel has a story arc. This whole series has an overarching story arc. The story of Gin Blanco's path of becoming the Spider, an assassin of extraordinary talents including being in control of two different elements, Stone and Ice, was amazing as she left more than her share of many dead bodies along the way, but also garnered a group of friends and family for whom she would have died to save them (and almost did many times...thankfully Jo-Jo was there to help with healing!).

In this one, Gin and her crew are battling the biggest and baddest bad guy in Ashland, the city that
has not only Elementals like Gin, but also giants, vampires, dwarves, and normal people walking the streets.

Her mentor Fletcher has left her one last mystery to solve, one that will trigger some bad, bad things. Will she figure it out before it is too late?

Someone is going to end up dead for sure, but will it be Gin or will it be her nemesis, the strongest Elemental she has ever come across?

Working with her friends and family shows the power of loyalty, love, and heart.

Love this series, and am sorry to see it end (except for promised short stories and novellas). Every novel has humor, an Easter egg or two (crossover mentions from her other series), Pork Pit food and a snarky kick-ass heroine (and yeah, a few What-the-tuck trends,too). What more can you ask for? A barbecue chicken sandwich with blackberry lemonade from the Pork Pit.

For a more comprehensive review of another of her novels, Snared, and a bit more about the series, see: https://pedometergeek.wordpress.com/c...

#TheSpiderForever
#PorkPitPalooza

36. Call Back Yesterday by Charlotte Lamb
2.5 stars actually...Star-crossed lovers (okay, not quite Romeo and Juliet) Oriel Mellstock and Devil Haggard meet again after years apart. Despite their love for one another back then, different paths were taken (including marriages). Misunderstandings and bitterness affect them both.

Is it possible to turn back the clock and regain what they once had? The passion is still there, but can either of them let go of anger, old hurts, and pride?

Beautiful descriptions of the Yorkshire, England area, lots of descriptive language throughout this Harlequin romance. There is some strong language and some kissing, but it is relatively clean overall.

37. Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb
Can gaming kill a person? In this thirtieth novel in this series, apparently it can. Eve Dallas has her work cut out for her as she investigates a locked-room mystery involving a young man who loses his head over a game.

Bart Minnock, the founder of a gaming company, is tweaking his latest creation, Fantastical, when he is killed. His partners (Cilla, Benny, and Var) are devastated with his death, and it is up to Dallas, Peabody, Roarke, and all the e-geeks in the electronic division (EDD) to figure out what happened in that holo-room. With the gaming disc destroyed, it is going to be difficult.

How was it possible? Who could have snuck in and killed Bart? Why was such an affable young man killed?

Each one just seems to get better, and this one was particularly awesome. Almost had it figured out, but there are enough twists to make the reader on edge (and never look at gaming quite the same way again). Zelda it is not!

38. Little Pieces of Me by Alison Hammer
Do we ever really know who we are? What happens when the person you think you are learns of a new reality?

This is the story about a woman who finds out she is not who she thinks she is, and how it all came about. The results of a DNA test play its part in this novel that has Paige Meyer questioning what it means to be herself, what is her role in her family especially in regards to her mother and father, and how this new information may just be the answer to so many questions she has had in the past.

Secrets known, secrets kept make for a tender, poignant story of reconciliation between a mother, father, and a daughter.

Definitely worthy reading, maybe the best story this reader has read this year, and I have read some awesome books so far. The author had me racing through the pages to find out what happened in the past as well as what the present and future might bring for Paige and her family and friends.

Full disclosure: I received this e-book edition through a First Reads Goodreads giveaway, but in no way did it affect this review. The only affect is that I intend to read Alison Hammer's debut novel, You and Me and Us, because I really loved this novel and want to experience this author 's writing again.

Update: I haven't worked on my needlepoint canvas at all, Hopefully, soon, but with a third of the year complete, I am a few books behind the goal.

39. Summer With a Star by Merry Farmer
This contemporary romance begins with a teacher who has a dream, a movie star who needs time away, and an agent who will do anything to make sure her client succeeds. Oh, and yes, a jigsaw puzzle.

Tasha Pike, a teacher, has recently broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Brad, because she caught him cheating on her (which has caused her a major loss of self-esteem); however, having scrimped and saved over years to rent her dream house, she is about to spend the summer in Sand Dollar Point, a Victorian beach house she has wanted to live in since a young girl. Or is she?

Spencer Ellis, mega-movie star, needs to escape, get his head on straight, and figure out what is next for him, and his manipulating agent Yvonne will do whatever it takes to give him his time away. And she does; she rents the same house out from under Tasha. How dare she!

Tasha is justifiably livid (so, too, is her best friend Jenny who brokered the rental) when she arrives to find him there. Her dream appears shattered, and she hates him and what his celebrity entitlement has managed to do, but Spencer invites her to spend her vacation there regardless (and the house is large enough). To be honest, he finds her feisty and beautiful and wants to know her better. But, can he turn her hate into something more? Is he really the entitled person she believes him to be? Is it possible for two apparently very different people to have more in common than what it seems? Or will their time together be a summer fling?

Where does Yvonne fit in? She seems to be anti-Tasha, trying to convince her that she is not in Spence's league. She certainly is manipulative, and she does care about Spencer, but...

As for the jigsaw puzzle, no spoilers here.

This is an upbeat romance with some sensual and steamy scenes. There are also some touching scenes as well. There are a few What-the-tuck trends (a smirk or two for example). There were quite a few misused words though (her for here is one of the many found throughout) that a spellcheck program would never catch, but a careful editor should have.

Part of a series, and would be willing to read the next in the series. Nook edition read

40. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
Erik Larson does it again. He tells a fact-filled story about Winston Churchill's first year as Prime Minister as World War II heats up. He fleshes it out with his family and his friends/advisers, and their interactions with him as well as their lives in general. He also delves into what is going on with the German hierarchy (and their plans to wipe out the RAF and much of London and other areas of the country). So, too, does he indicate what the United States (and Roosevelt and his staff) are doing throughout this same time frame.

Sometimes it moves slowly, mostly at the beginning when the "players" are being introduced. As the book continues, the battle of Britain and the nightly raids are replayed with accuracy and statistics. This book is well-researched, and there are extra stories in the notes for those who haven't gotten enough of Churchill's life during his first year in office.

Larson sums up many of the major players in the epilogue, and what they did afterwards. The book is a Who's who of many of the more well-known British and Nazi people.

As an aside, at the time of this reading, PBS Masterpiece's program, Atlantic Crossing, has been playing. Much of the material coincides with the book even though the war is seen through the people of Norway (specifically the Crown Princess Martha and her children) and Roosevelt during the time prior to the United States entering the war. This actually enhanced the reading of this book.

41. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich
Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum teams up, if reluctantly, with Joe Morelli to catch his cousin Kenny Mancuso who is on the run from his bail bond. Stephanie could use the money, and Morelli knows more is going on than just that.

Then there are stolen caskets involved and Plum and her grandmother, Grandma Mazur, spend way too much time at the funeral home checking out the various viewings and investigating those caskets.

Will Stephanie ever catch Kenny? Will Morelli ever come clean about what he knows? Will Grandma Mazur help or hinder Plum's investigation? Where are those caskets, and how is everyone involved?

Some humor, some silliness, some violence, and few, if any WTT trends, make up this second novel in this series. Am still considering whether to continue reading this series or not. I'll see.

42. Twenties Girl by Sophia Kinsella
A cute novel about two girls in their twenties....one now and one then (1920s). The one teaches the other how to live by showing her how she lived.

Lara Lington stops the funeral of her 105-year-old great aunt when the spirit of great-aunt Sadie begins to annoyingly scream for her dragonfly necklace (a signature piece for the woman). This begins a life-changing (and life-affirming) moment for Lara, leading her on a Sadie-driven quest for the missing necklace.

Full of humor, this novel has its poignant moments, as the two women learn that they have more in common than what it first seemed.

There's romance and intrigue, too. The first of this author's books read, it probably won't be the last.

43. Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson
Generally, this reader enjoys YA novels with a bit of magic and/or paranormal overtones, but this one was only okay. Overall, it was just a bit too much.

Too much angst from the main character Sadie. If there was a diagnosis for this character, she was afflicted with borderline personality disorder (flipping from how fantastic she was or life was to how awful she was or her life was (lower than whale dung on the bottom of the ocean) all within a few minutes).

Too many misused words (passed for past is just one example), and too many WTTs particularly smirks/smirking.

There were some decent moments though, and the bad character Voss was truly bad although it was never quite explained what exactly happened that made him so bad and incarcerated the way he was. Of course, maybe it will be revealed in future books in the series.

The big secret about the paternity of a character was eventually revealed, but was so downplayed that it seemed inconsequential. Maybe because it was the male hero/love interest rather to the character herself, but still.

The price, however, was excellent. Whether this reader will read the other ones, well, that remains to be seen. The sneak peek into the next book only made me wonder about a character that I considered truly decent as possibly scummy and perhaps even worse makes less inclined to find out.

I suspect I am not the demographic and thus this is why I found this story lacking. Those teens who like teens with issues of all sorts might find it excellent.

44. See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson
For those hockey fans who also love to read romance, this is for you. Not only is there a hot romance between green-eyed journalist Jane Alcott and the goalie Luc Martineau, but each chapter title gives hockey nomenclature to the reader.

The Chinooks hockey team of Seattle has to deal with a new reporter, Jane Alcott, and they don't like it especially the goalie. Hazing of Jane includes purposely dropping their jock straps purposely to embarrass her as well as ignoring her questions during the post-game period (of course, it is never called hazing directly).

Jane is not only her newspaper's sports reporter for the local team, but she writes another column about being a single girl. Oh, and yes, she writes The Honey Pie serial anonymously. It's erotica about a woman who puts men into comas after sexual encounters although she is hardly a player herself.

It's only after being fired that the team rallies around her (her speech to the team as she leaves is something they want repeated before each game...did I mention that the team members are superstitious?), that things start to heat up for the team and Jane. She gets her concession, but will the team continue to win? Will they win the Stanley Cup? Will she and Luc score off and on the ice?

Overall, a fun read with some spicy parts, and a happily ever after for the pair.

45. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
A tale of a river, a tale of three missing young girls, a tale of one young girl returning, and a tale of the community of people who live on or near the Thames...this is that story, and at the Swan at Radcot, they tell stories.

Complex and teasing, who is the girl who died and then lived? Who is Quietly? This is a mesmerizing novel, and this reader will be thinking about all the events and characters for weeks. Loved the story of Daunt and Rita particularly, but all the bits and pieces really come together at the end.

46. Tougher Than the Others by Shirleen Davies
A historical romance set in the late 1800s finds Niall MacLaren trying to do the best for his family on an Arizona ranch. He wants to join forces with (that is, marry) Jocelyn, a wealthy woman with her eyes on one day living in the governor's mansion. It's not a love match, but more of a consolidation of political and territorial power. More land for him and for her, a way to get what she wants.

Enter Kate Garner, a school teacher with plans of her own (that is, teaching in Los Angeles). On the way west, she and her chaperone end up in a stage coach accident. Her chaperone is killed, and Kate gets a bump on the head, which causes amnesia. She doesn't know who she is, or anyone else for that matter. As chance would have it, Kate ends up at the MacLaren ranch despite Niall's reluctance to have her there. For all he knows, she might be married and his strong attraction to her is definitely a problem for him and his plans.

Flashes of images plague Kate, but it is Niall's reaction to her that causes the most consternation. She is attracted to him as well, but the wedding ring on her hand tells another story. Except for Niall, the MacLaren family accepts her totally especially Beth, Niall's daughter. When, if ever, will she regain her memory? Will their feelings for each other cause a problem? Will he ask Jocelyn to marry him or will one rash action change everything forever?

For the most part, the historical setting seemed realistic except for at least one possible anachronism of the family photo portrait. Rarely did people smile in the earliest photographs because of the length of time the people had to sit still for the exposure to be made. And the checkup by the doctor to determine pregnancy so exactly seemed farfetched, too. A few WTT seen including Niall's green eyes and his smirk, but overall an okay read if willing to ignore the realities of the times.

47. You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer
This is Alison Hammer's debut novel, and it is a story of a mother, father, and teenage daughter. It is all about their relationships to each other as Tommy (partner to Alexis and father to CeCe) wants his last summer to be a summer to remember.

Having received a terminal diagnosis for his newly discovered lung cancer, he wants no treatment; he only wants to return to the place of his youth (where he and Alexis first met) and spend it with the two loves of his life, Alexis and CeCe.

Told through the perspectives of Alexis and CeCe, the reader is treated to a mother-daughter relationship that is fragile and fraught with normal teenage angst exacerbated by the situation, and a man who wants them to build a better relationship because frankly, he won't be around much longer.

Adding to the widening gap between mother and daughter is Tommy's ex-wife, Monica, who is an actress working in the area and befriending CeCe.

The story is tender, poignant, and yes, a tearjerker. How will Alexis and CeCe survive without the mainstay of their family unit? Can they learn to live together in relative harmony?

This reader recently read "Little Pieces of Me," the newest novel by this author (thanks to a First Reads Goodreads giveaway), and I found it to be such a touching, emotional read that I wanted to read this one. So glad I did, and I'm sure I'll be reading what she writes next.