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Book Review: In This Bright Future

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In This Bright Future
DC Smith #5
by Peter Grainger
read by Gildart Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Detective procedural, mystery

After knee surgery, DC Smith is prescribed a few weeks of rest. But when his past comes calling, he ends up going to Belfast in Northern Ireland, rather that taking the time to recuperate. There he dredges up his past the decisions he made while undercover for England during the time of “The Troubles.”

This book is quite a departure from the rest of the series, as Smith is in a different environment, not acting as a police officer (for the most part), and working a cold case amongst people with widely varying opinions of him, due to his previous time in Belfast under a different identity. I think it was my favorite in the series so far, even though I felt really lost at the beginning. That’s starting to become normal for me in this series though—I’m confused for a while until I start to understand what is even going on, get used to any newly introduced character names, etc. I think part of it might be the narrator’s accent and part of it might be culture differences, but I’m always glad I stuck with it by the end of the book. There was even one specific moment in the book that I thought I had just missed something and would never quite understand what had happened there, but it came back up near the end and was part of a bittersweet moment.

I don’t really know a lot about the conflict in Northern Ireland, though I know more now than I did. The focus here on the search for people who are still missing is a fascinating angle to the story. Gildart Jackson unsurprisingly does a great job as narrator, bringing DC and all of the other characters to life. I recommend the book for fans of procedural crime dramas, especially with a seasoned detective and set in a small-town area of England, though this one in particular doesn’t have much of that small town. It could probably be read without reading the rest of the series first, since it’s more removed from them, though there are still references to characters and past events that might be lost on someone starting here.

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Book Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

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The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Kim Michele Richardson

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Historical fiction

In 1936, Cussy Mary Carter works for the Pack Horse Librarian Project in and around Troublesome Creek, Kentucky. Her father insists that she needs to quit her job and get married instead, but Cussy knows that the people of the hills need the books and other printed material that she brings to them.

There was a lot to like about this book, from the history that the author brings to life and the heartfelt moment between Cussy and some of her patrons. I’d never heard of the blue-skinned people, and for good reason, considering how people treat anyone who is different. The hardships faced by this community as the country strives to move out of the Great Depression are well-presented and heartbreaking. The way some of her patrons are as hungry for books, magazines, or newspapers as they are for food made me want to be more careful not to take for granted the overwhelmingly easy access we have to books and information in general these days (and in this part of the world in particular). I was really immersed in the setting throughout the book. There are even some real pictures of pack horse librarians and some of their patrons in the back of the book, which I was fascinated by.

On the other side, there were some things about the book that I didn’t like. I almost put it down in chapter 3 and walked away, when the main character had an abortion in such an offhand way that I wasn’t even sure at first that that was what had just happened. The author treats the murder of an unborn child so flippantly that I was appalled, and to make things worse, it’s barely mentioned again in the rest of the text. From that point, I knew that the author and I have vastly different views of the world, and that does come through at other points in the book as well. Beyond that, I struggled a bit with the narration style. It’s one thing for the dialog here to be full of the local dialect of the time period—that does make sense. But since the book is written in 1st person, but the author understandably didn’t want to have the entire book be written in that dialect, Cussy’s narration is mostly more modern and grammatically correct, but with the word “knowed” thrown in a lot. It was weird and sometimes jarring. Cussy’s arguments with her dad about whether she should be allowed to keep working as a librarian or be forced to get married becomes repetitive and drags on too long. I think that it might have been intended to lead to a nice payoff near the end of the book, but for me, it just added tedium.

I really did appreciate this book for the history it brought to life. Overall, though, I had too many issues. The book has a lot of high ratings, so if you’re interested in the story and aren’t bothered by what I mentioned above, you should certainly consider reading it and maybe even check out other reviews at the link below.

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Book Review: Shepherds & Kings

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Shepherds & Kings
by Christina Minoli

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christmas story

Though apparently Ishan has beat up other kids plenty in the past, it’s not pre-meditated when he punches the most gentle kid in school. And since he’s been told that one more infraction will cost him some awards that are dear to him, at first, he’s just devastated over the loss of the rewards. But then the boy doesn’t return to school for a while and there don’t seem to be any consequences for Ishan. What follows is an internal battle that opens the door for a lesson that Ishan would never have been open to before.

The bulk of this story is Ishan grappling with himself over the violence he’s committed on a fellow student and the lack of any kind of backlash. He spends his days constantly dreading the hammer that is sure to fall. Then his grandfather gives him something of a Bible lesson using an old, apparently creepy, nativity set as the vehicle. The lesson hits home with Ishan, though I have to say that this scene went a little strangely for me. The lesson is fairly messy or shallow to start with, though maybe that’s just because Grandpa isn’t intending to deliver a gospel message, but Ishan understands these concepts a little too easily to me. I’m not sure if Ishan’s age is ever given, and the book seems to take place in India (though I got that from context, because I don’t remember any indication being given), so I can only guess that the grade he is in means he’s around 10 or 11 years old. Between that and the fact that he doesn’t seem to have been brought up in a Christian household, some of his thought processes just felt far too advanced. Not that a kid at that age can’t understand Christ’s sacrifice and his/her need for a Savior, but it’s how quickly he picks up on it and the wording that is used that seems a little farfetched to me.

I think the story could have used some fleshing out, especially for some of the side characters. The new teacher that starts the upset that leads to Ishan lashing out, for example, seems more involved at the beginning than she ends up being. I’d have liked to know a little more about Ishan’s grandfather—he seems actually kind of grumpy or strict when he’s first introduced, and then he pulls out this Bible lesson like he’s a completely different person. And probably the biggest is Anton, the kid that Ishan punches; I really felt that he was short-changed as a character, only being used as the foil for Ishan. I would have liked more. And though Ishan himself is the most developed character, I have to say that I would love to know how a kid who is clearly widely known as the school bully, who is only one step away from losing his end-of-year awards, is a house captain? Aren’t those generally kids of better standing in the school than Ishan could possibly have? On the other hand, apparently he’s really smart, gets good grades, and even participates eagerly in various school activities…yet he’s the school bully. So maybe more development would have been good there after all. It should be noted that a desire to know more about some of these characters is a good thing, though, because it means I was invested in the story enough to wish for more.

So all of that being said, the story is touching and would make for a great read around Christmas time. I had to look up a couple of things to understand what was even being referenced (like “string hopper” and “baba”), which is what led me to deduce that we were in India for this story, but that didn’t bother me. It’s difficult to really say whether kids around the age this is meant for (10-12?) would follow it well and enjoy the story, since it’s more introspection than anything else. However, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t recommend it to those kids. I think that parents reading it with them or before them, so they can discuss any questions along the way, would be a great way for families to read this story during Christmas time.

I received a copy of this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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April in Review

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I read 14 books last month, about an average amount for me lately, since I’ve had a little more time to listen to audiobooks lately. Heading into May and June, I expect to take a dip with Vacation Bible School, which I run at our church, coming up in June, but hopefully not too much of a dip.

Here are the books I read in April:

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Smith 4
Humanly Speaking
White
Boone 7
Curse Breaker
Carpenter 25
Sky Above
Stakeouts Strollers
Lunar 3
Shawshank
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Odd 4
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The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (5 / 5)
Humanly Speaking by Michael Spencer (5 / 5)
Persons of Interest by Peter Grainger (4 / 5)
White by Ted Dekker (3.5 / 5)
The Accomplice by John Grisham (4.5 / 5)
The Curse Breaker by Jen Calonita (2 / 5)
Holy Chow by David Rosenfelt (5 / 5)
The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin (5 / 5)
Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips (2 / 5)
Cress by Marissa Meyer (5 / 5)
The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (4.5 / 5)
Bitter Winter by Jaye L. Knight (3 / 5)
Claudia and Mean Janine by Ann M. Martin (5 / 5)
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz (2.5 / 5)

This list includes 2 ARCs and 4 re-reads. My favorite (fiction) book from April was Cress. I started 0 series, continued 7 series, and finished 3 series*. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

*This includes 1 series I didn’t reach the end of, but decided not to continue reading, after being at least 2 books into the series.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: Odd Hours

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Odd Hours
Odd Thomas #4
by Dean Koontz

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Paranormal thriller

In a foggy coastal California town, Odd Thomas crosses paths with a mysterious young woman who seems to be in danger. When that danger engulfs him, he will have to use all of his wits and psychic abilities to save his own life and many others.

Like the previous book, this one is a bit of a departure from the main premise set up in the first book of this series, that being Odd getting into situations due to either ghosts visiting him or Bodachs alerting him to some pending danger. In this book, a combination of prophetic dreams and the cryptic woman he meets because of his dream start him off on his latest quest, and though some of his psychic abilities do come into play, they’re more vague and, well, just confusing to me. Not to say that no ghostly activity occurs here, but somehow it’s just not as good as the celebrity ghost from the first three books. And there is at least one paranormal element that I either didn’t follow or isn’t explained at all (even as much as paranormal elements are ever explained in this book). 

One thing I’ve noticed about these books in the past and was amplified here is the tendency for scenes to run on. When it really comes down to it, not a lot actually happened in this book, but when Odd would get into a situation—trying to escape from bad guys or track someone down, things like that—the scene would take several chapters, more than it really seems like it should. The combination of that and the aforementioned issues, and then an unsatisfying ending, made this my least favorite book in the series. I still like Odd as a character and some of the other odd characters he tends to run into, but I’m really hoping the series gets back to its earlier roots going forward.

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Book Review: Claudia and Mean Janine

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Claudia and Mean Janine
The Baby-Sitters Club #7
by Ann M. Martin

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

For complete transparency, I’ll say up front that I read a lot of this series when I was a kid/pre-teen. And at the time, my name was the same as the founder of the BSC (with the first name spelled slightly different). Nostalgia will hugely affect my reviews for this series, and I have no plans to try to be objective.

The main story in this book revolves around Claudia and her family, both her strained relationship with her sister as the title suggests, but also her grandmother, who has health trouble in this book. There are some really sweet moments on both of these fronts, and though maybe the conclusion to the conflict between Claudia and Janine is predictable, it’s still satisfying. The babysitting actually takes a bit of a backseat in this book, but I think the balance still works well, especially given the depth of the main story.

Whether or not this book will translate well to kids and pre-teens now, I couldn’t say. I wish I had thought to start reading this series to/with my daughter when she was around 8-10, because I think she would have enjoyed it, and we could have discussed the good and the bad of the books.

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Book Review: The Shawshank Redemption

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The Shawshank Redemption
Stephen King
Read by Frank Muller

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Fiction

It is always difficult for me to write a review of a book when I know an adaptation of that book already. The strange this is that I’ve only seen the movie based on this book once, though I’ve seen clips, references, and parodies enough to keep it fairly fresh in my mind. That said, I wanted to give Stephen King, but I was a bit intimidated, so this seemed like a good place to start. And it was a good starting point, with a story that really drew me in. I may have known the ending (who doesn’t, at this point?) but I still appreciated the little hints and secrets kept along the way to it. I didn’t remember all of the details and was caught up as the story unfolded. Telling Andy’s story through Red’s eyes was a great move on King’s part, as I think it makes the reader more sympathetic to Andy than if Andy just told us himself what had happened to him, the various ways he was wronged.

What makes it difficult to assign a rating to this book (aside from the difficulty separating the written story from the movie) is that there’s a lot of content that I struggle with or makes me cringe. Of course that’s not surprising in a book about prison life, but that doesn’t make it easier. (It does make me want to avoid going to prison though.) Overall, I’m glad I listened to this book, and it does make me want to dive a little further into other works by King (maybe not any horror yet though). Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, if you’re interested in the book, I do recommend it. I listened to the audio, which is well narrated.

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Book Review: Cress

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Cress
The Lunar Chronicles #3
by Marissa Meyer
read by Rebecca Soler

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with Cinder.

Living alone on a satellite for 7 years, Cress is tasked with working for Queen Levana but works against her any way she can. When Cinder, Scarlet, and the rest of their band of outlaws contact Cress looking for help, her life will never be the same.

This book brought back my full enjoyment for the series (not that I didn’t like Scarlet; I just didn’t like it quite as much as Cinder). Scarlet and Wolf taking more of a back seat this time helped a lot, and Cress really was a nice addition to the team. For as much as I enjoyed Thorne in the previous book, he really comes into his own here and has become one of my favorite characters in the series. I was really glad to see some advancement in the main storyline, and there’s a lot of humor throughout. 

Rebecca Soler continues to do a great job with the narration. I’m really enjoying the world Meyer has created here and the overall plot and characters, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the series ends in the next book. Fans of futuristic sci-fi and/or fairy tale retellings, maybe around age 15 and up, should definitely consider checking out this series, starting with the first book (these are not stand-alones).

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Book Review: Holy Chow

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Holy Chow
Andy Carpenter #25
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When a woman who adopted an older Chow Chow from Andy Carpenter’s dog rescue foundation calls him and asks him if he’d be willing to take care of Lion in the event of her death and if her step-son can’t, he doesn’t expect to be called upon to fulfill that promise so soon. Tony, the step-son, is willing to take care of Lion, but being arrested for his step-mother’s murder makes that a bit difficult. It’s not long before Andy, a semi-retired defense attorney is caught up in Tony’s case.

This book is a great example of mostly following the series formula but with just enough differences to keep it fresh and fun. Since one of my favorite things about this series has always been the ways Andy’s various peripheral team members are involved, my favorite moment in this book (and what will likely forever be one of my favorite moments in the entire book) involves Marcus and made me cheer out loud while I was listening. Seriously, if you’re a Marcus fan, you cannot miss this book! Andy shines as his usual snarky, witty self, brought to life expertly by Grover Gardner. If it’s not clear, I recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, as well as the books that precede it in the series. Normally I’d say you can dive right in at any point in the series, but with this book, I have to say that having read at least some of the other books (probably within the last 10 or so) would make the aforementioned Marcus moment more meaningful. But because I love the series, I’d say that if you’re interested, you should just dive right in at the beginning.

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Book Review: Stakeouts and Strollers

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Stakeouts and Strollers
by Rob Phillips

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Charlie Shaw is a journalist-turned-private-investigator who, on his first case, ends up getting caught up in a high-stakes mystery involving a teenage girl looking for her estranged dad and a couple of shady bar owners. Meanwhile, he has a six-month-old daughter at home who isn’t sleeping through the night, so he’s running low on sleep too.

I was intrigued by the idea of this new dad trying to balance a new job with his upended home life, and I enjoy a good mystery to boot. However, I realized a little ways into this book that I just wasn’t very engaged. The main character isn’t all that interesting to me, the mystery is lackluster, and the new-baby angle is weirdly both too present and not present enough. The MC does take the baby on a couple of stakeouts with him, which seems like a questionable move, but her irregular sleeping patterns mostly just cause the MC and his wife to yawn at each other randomly. But then conversations about the baby and the MC checking up on her using a monitor app on his phone all just get a bit repetitive. I suppose I’m the wrong audience for a book that focuses this much on what life with a baby is like, because I’m about 16 years removed from that part of life and was never one that wished the helpless-baby phase could have lasted forever.

There were elements of the story that just felt off to me, too. For example, a character that is touted as being super tough and a veteran investigator, etc., lets someone get the jump on him way too easily. And the mystery seemed like it sort of plodded along, until the MC watched his baby do some particular thing and then suddenly was struck with a realization that is kept from us at first, to be revealed later—all of this is a common mystery trope, but the realization he had turned out to be a HUGE leap. Maybe I missed a vital clue, but even when it was explained, it was clear that it was a major guess made by the MC, rather than information he cleaned in passing, experience, or anything like that, coming into play. I kinda think that the target audience for this book is a bit too niche—men who have daughters and enjoy procedural mystery stories. Also, there’s quite a bit of language. I don’t think I could really recommend this book to anyone, but please check out the link below for other reviews if you’re interested.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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