reader

Book Review: Book Scavenger

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Book Scavenger
Book #1
by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade adventure

Twelve-year-old Emily is a book scavenger. That means she takes part in a game where books are hidden to be found by other scavengers. The only good thing about her family moving (yet again) is that they’re going to San Francisco, which is where the founder of this game, Garrison Griswold, lives. But when Emily’s family gets to San Francisco, she learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in the hospital. Emily and her new friend James find a book hidden near the location of Griswold’s attack and suspect that it was hidden on purpose as part of Griswold’s next big game. But will this discovery make them the next target of Griswold’s attackers?

This book started out feeling a little like the Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series, with the wealthy benefactor of fun games for kids, the heavy book vibe, and puzzles, but add in geo-caching. It certainly takes its own path, though, so I’m not trying to say that it’s just like Lemoncello. In fact, I like this book more than the first Lemoncello, which is saying something. Besides the puzzles, reading, and hunting, this book includes wonderful themes of family, home, and friendship.

Emily and her brother remind me a little of my own kids, even though the age gap is very different. Emily and Matthew used to go book scavenging together, before Matthew got interested in other things; my kids have often gone geo-caching together. Our family has gone together a couple of times now, in fact, and it’s a lot of fun! So I had a pretty good frame of reference for the book scavenging game. And Emily’s new friendship with James—and Steve!—is the heart of the book.

There are moments in this book that are probably a little unrealistic, but who cares? In fact, some of those were some of my favorite moments in the book! I loved this book so much and highly recommend it to kids aged around 10-14 (my now-14-year-old daughter loved it when read it a year or more ago as well) but also for teens and even adults who enjoy books and puzzles.

Find out more about Book Scavenger

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Sign of the Twisted Candles

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

The Sign of the Twisted Candles
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #9
by Carolyn Keene
read by Danica Reese

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic mystery

Nancy gets involved in another mystery when she learns that a man’s 100th birthday is going to be ignored. The man’s relatives are waiting for him to die so they can get their inheritance, while others are taking matters into their own hands and siphoning off some of the man’s possessions early. Meanwhile, there’s a young woman caught up in the plot, who Nancy befriends and whose life Nancy turns around. It’s all a bit much for me, and some of it feels too much like at least parts of previous plots. (Does Nancy ever help a young man in need, or is it only ever women who are being taken advantage of or in some kind of messy situation?) To make matters worse, the young woman, Carol, tends to act a bit whiny and acts as if Nancy is the best thing on the planet. If I had to hear, “Oh, Nancy…” one more time…

The narration has gone completely downhill since Laura Linney’s narration ended (though this one was a bit better than the previous), and there’s only 1 more in this series that even has an audiobook (at least at my library). I think this is a good place to end my trip through the series, since I have a difficult time with the repetitiveness and Nancy as the most awesome, kind, beautiful, and generous person to ever walk the earth anyway. I guess I could handle it more with decent narration, so if they get Laura Linney to do some more, maybe I’ll listen to more. Or maybe they can get Lani Minella to narrate some! I’d be down for that.

Find out more about The Sign of the Twisted Candles

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Leader of the Pack

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Leader of the Pack
Andy Carpenter #10
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

A visit to a client whose case Andy lost years in the past turns into Andy and wonder dog Tara visiting the client’s uncle, an elderly crime family member, for a dog therapy session. Andy is surprised when the old man makes comments about his nephew in jail that turn Andy onto a new track for his client’s defense case. When people related to this new line of investigation begin dying, Andy believes he just may be onto something.

This book follows a similar formula to the previous books in the series, with the exception of the way that Andy comes across his new case (which is one of the main things that varies most from book to book anyway). The case is as twisty as normal, though the stakes and destruction are considerably higher this time. I particularly enjoyed Sam in this book, and enigmatic Marcus is always nice to have around. Even Hike made me smile a time or two.

The ending, though…not only did it break the formula, I never saw it coming. Things like that keep a series fresh, and though I do find comfort in the formula, I also enjoy a good shaking up. Andy’s wit and snark bring me coming back to these books, and Grover Gardner’s narration brings it to life. I love this series and recommend the book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas.

Find out more about Leader of the Pack

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Christmas in Bethel

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Christmas in Bethel
by Richard Paul Evans

My rating: 2 / 5
Genre: Contemporary romance

Leigh Beth Stilton has been abused by men throughout her life and experienced many other horrors as well. She has plans to end her life on Christmas day, but after reading a book by an author she’s never read, she finds the strength to carry on. Fast forward ten years, and a chance encounter with “her author” leads her into a whirlwind of fancy dinners, expensive gifts, and a hectic book tour schedule. Beth and J.D. Harper form a quick connection, but the pain in her past threatens to ruin everything.

First things first—this is not really a Christmas story. It takes place from before Thanksgiving to after Christmas, and some festivities are involved, but they’re really just background. It’s really just a contemporary romance that happens to take place at Christmastime. Not a deal breaker for me, but it’s good to make sure potential readers are aware. Also, you might see this marketed as Christian fiction in some places. It’s not. I’ve only read a few of Evans’s other books, but I’ve never gotten the impression that he was a Christian author, or even a Christian who is an author. The book doesn’t mention God once, unless you count the explanation of the meaning of the word “Bethel” (house of God). The two main characters become fairly intimate pretty quickly, though it’s pretty vague whether or not they actually sleep together and there’s nothing graphic. And there is a minor character who is somewhat-subtly gay. None of these things would bother me normally, but when the book is listed as Christian fiction (at least on Amazon and NetGalley), it definitely confuses me.

As for the book itself, I found the plot to be shallow and a bit muddled, and I didn’t really connect with the characters. I questioned so many things while I read. For example: Beth’s first name is Leigh (presumably pronounced like “Lee”), but she goes by Beth. So why did she give her name as “Lee” to the barista at Starbucks? Why, to give her the coincidental chance to meet J.D. Harper (whose real name is Lee), of course…though that could have still been worked out without her using her first name that she never uses. And why didn’t Beth recognize J.D./Lee? Sure, his picture isn’t on his books, but apparently his visage is widespread enough on TV and the internet for him to be recognized like crazy when he’s out at restaurants and stores…yet Beth, who has been halfway in love with him for ten years, doesn’t recognize him? I have other examples, but I don’t want to extend the review too much or come across like I’m ranting.

Not a fault of the book, but I don’t really connect with the heavy abuse in both of the characters’ pasts. But more than that, I felt that the romance was hurried and lacked any depth. They connect quickly, but then Lee stars inviting Beth to all sorts of events and even to his home, with barely any time to get to know each other. I guess the romance is mostly supposed to be in Beth falling in love with Lee through his writing, but since we don’t get to read any of his writing, it falls flat for me. In fact, I’d really like to know…anything about his books, especially the one that saved her life. We get only brief glimpses and are basically told that he writes about love so poignantly that he’s a big-name author. Maybe a romance based around the impact of fictional books works for some people, but it didn’t for me.

When I started to realize the little twist that was coming, I thought it might go a different way, but in the end, I did appreciate the way this story ends. It wasn’t nearly enough to salvage the rest of the book for me, though. I also have realized that I don’t really care for Evans’s writing style—I thought before that it was just his YA style, after reading most of the Michael Vey series, but now I know it’s just his style in general. I don’t personally recommend this book for anyone, but if the synopsis sounds interesting to you, please check out other reviews at the link below. They’re way more positive than not (which is pretty normal for me).

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about Christmas in Bethel

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Rediscovering Christmas

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Rediscovering Christmas
by AJ Sherrill

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Christian non-fiction

After being a Christian for many years, it’s nice now and then to attempt to slow down and take a look at a well-known, often-heard or portrayed account from the Bible in a new light. That’s what this book promises to do. And indeed, are were several different deep dives into historical context and translation in this book that give insight to aspects of the “Christmas story” that most people may never have heard before. Much of it I have, however, from various sources, including my own recently retired pastor, in his attempts to not preach the same sermons every year at Christmas time. This is not a fault of the book or author, of course, it only means the book is probably better for someone who is newer to Christianity or has simply only viewed the surface of the events surrounding the birth of Christ.

The author makes some assertions about the intentions of biblical writers (Luke in particular) that I have never heard before; he may have taken some liberties and made some assumptions, but he often states some of these things as fact. I couldn’t help but question some things as I read (which of course we’re supposed to do as Christians). As an example, this quote from chapter 1: “Jesus is brought into being by the creative breath of God’s Spirit.” It seems to imply that Jesus did not exist before Mary conceived, but of course that isn’t true. He was/is God and has existed for eternity. Giving the author the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he only meant to say that Jesus was brought into “earthly existence” by the creative breath of God’s Spirit, and I was nitpicking without intending to. Whatever the case, between this and my notes in the previous paragraph, this book did not quite resonate with me like it was intended to. Because of some of the uncertainties I had about some of what I read, I don’t know that I could, in good conscience, recommend this book to anyone, but I will say that if you do read it, be sure to go to the Scriptures to verify anything you’re not certain of (which, again, you should do with anything that a fallible human professes about God or the Bible).

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about Rediscovering Christmas

See what’s coming up.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Murder on the Orient Express

/ Kristi / 2 Comments

Murder on the Orient Express
Hercule Poirot #10
by Agatha Christie
read by David Suchet

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

Up front, I’ll say that some time in my life, though I have no idea when or where, I heard a spoiler for this novel. I’ve never seen any adaptations for it or read it before now, but somehow I’ve known the basic solution for a while (the who but not the why or the how). I have no idea if not knowing it would have affected my reading experience. I’m absolutely certain that I would not have figured out the mystery without foreknowledge. This story was one of the more engaging Poirot novels I’ve read so far, not feeling as bloated as some of the earlier ones. Though I do miss Poirot having a sidekick to discuss his thoughts with, at least it means we don’t have to listen to him putting poor Hastings down while extolling his own virtues. Yes, Poirot is brilliant…but he’s not always very nice. On the other hand, his decision at the very end of this book shows much compassion, even if I don’t necessarily agree that it was the right decision.

I definitely understand why this is the most famous Poirot mystery, and I think I’ve gotten to a point in the series that the writing has gotten better and tighter than early on, when I struggled to engage in the mysteries. My expectation is high as I continue on!

Find out more about Murder on the Orient Express

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Nancy’s Mysterious Letter

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Nancy’s Mysterious Letter
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #8
by Carolyn Keene
read by Jessie Birschbach

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic mystery

Coincidences abound when Nancy is contacted by a firm in England looking for a Nancy (Smith) Drew and thinks maybe this Nancy is the one they’re looking for. She’s not, but since the firm had tracked the other Nancy Drew to the United States, it only makes sense that she would be found somewhere in the vicinity of our Nancy Drew. The United States isn’t very big, after all, and same-name people tend to gravitate toward each other. My sarcasm aside, how hard would it have been for the author of this story to have given at least a somewhat more plausible explanation for why this other Nancy Drew happened to have connections to River Heights?

The rest of the story was decent enough, though not outstanding. What brought my rating down more was the narrator. Laura Linney was a great choice for narrating these books, and she was going to be a tough act for anyone to follow. But this narrator was objectively not great. Some of her voices were outlandish or ridiculous, and I’m glad to see she doesn’t narrate any more of these books (though apparently there are only a couple more ND books that even have audiobook editions). My reading of this long series may be coming to a close much sooner than I expected.

Find out more about Nancy’s Mysterious Letter

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Sense and Sensibility

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen
Read by Nadia May

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Classic romance

For my second Jane Austen, I went with an audiobook, after feeling like it would have been better with Pride and Prejudice. Plus, I found an edition narrated by Nadia May, whose narration of Wives and Daughters I love. And though some of the characters made me want to throttle them, I enjoyed the book overall. Probably a little more than Pride and Prejudice, though I don’t think I can really compare reading one and listening to the other.

The plot of this book meandered a bit, but I don’t really remember being bored at any point. Again, that was probably helped by listening to an audiobook with great narration. I admit that I wish there had been a little more chemistry and even friendship build-up between some of the characters and maybe a little more in the way of showing their feelings and admissions of such. Overall, though, I enjoyed my time spent with this book and recommend the narration by Nadia May if you’re considering listening to the audiobook.

Find out more about Sense and Sensibility

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Fate of Ten

/ Kristi / 2 Comments

The Fate of Ten
Lorien Legacies #6
by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

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

Once again split up, the Garde are unable to work together as intended to deal with the Mogodorian invasion of Earth. But whether or not the excursion to Mexico will be as helpful as they had hoped remains to be seen. Meanwhile, fighting amongst some of the Garde makes it difficult for John to focus on stopping the Mogadorians.

I really did not expect this series to get to the point it has—full-scale invasion. It’s a lot for a small number of newly powered teenagers to handle, so it’s a good thing they’re gaining some unexpected allies. I’ve also enjoyed most of this series more than I thought I would, considering that it’s overall fairly shallow and action-based. I like some of the characters and their friendships (though there are a couple of characters and relationships I couldn’t care less about), and Adam is really growing on me. I’d really like to know more about his “relationship” with One.

It seemed to me that the language was suddenly ramped up in this book. I’m not going to go back and check past books, but to my recollection at least, it feels like, on a scale of 1 to 10, we went from a 1 or 2 to a 7, which is quite a leap. Overall, though, I’m enjoying the ride. Taken as a fun, sci-fi romp and not any kind of deep literature, it’s kept me engaged pretty solidly since book #3 (I enjoyed book #1 but found #2 pretty boring). I’m looking forward to reading the final one, and though I didn’t originally intend to bother with the novellas, I’m starting to think I should really check them out.

Find out more about The Fate of Ten

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: One Dog Night

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

One Dog Night
Andy Carpenter #9
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When a man who once broke into Andy Carpenter’s home is arrested for murder, nothing could make Andy care or want to defend the man. Nothing except finding out that Andy’s beloved dog Tara was previously owned by the accused, Noah Galloway. That connection is enough to get Andy digging, and before long, Andy is doing what he does best—unearthing a conspiracy.

Conspiracies are definitely the norm in this series, but this one seemed a bit more bloated and unnecessary than usual. Maybe it just seemed that way because it took so much 3rd-person storytelling to keep the reader on track with what was going on that Andy wasn’t privy to at the time. It seemed like every other scene was 3rd-person, an addition to the normally all-1st-person format that just started in the book previous to this. I still enjoyed the story overall, but since Andy’s personality is a lot of what drew me to this series in the first place and there’s much less of that when Andy isn’t in the scene it does tend to diminish my enjoyment. But not a ton.

I especially liked some of the side characters in this book, the people who make up Andy’s investigative and legal team. Willie Miller shines, and even Hike gets a good moment or two. Despite my complaint above, I still had fun listening to the book. These books have become comfort reads for me; even my least favorite can never be lower than 4 stars. I recommend the book (especially the audio—Grover Gardner makes Andy’s sarcasm and wit come to life) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas.

Find out more about One Dog Night

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!