Lynn's List (August 31, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff
• The Girl from The Savoy: A Novel by Hazel Gaynor
• Somewhere in France: A Novel of the Great War by Jennifer Robson
• Behind the Door (A Kathy Ryan Novel #1) by Mary SanGiovanni
• Wonder Valley: A Novel by Ivy Pochoda
• Bloodlines: The True Story of a Drug Cartel, the FBI, and the Battle for a Horse-Racing Dynasty by Melissa Del Bosque
• Heart Spring Mountain: A Novel by Robin MacArthur
• The Outside Child by Tiffany L. Warren
• The Mending by Susan Lantz Simpson
• When the Rivers Run Dry, Fully Revised and Updated Edition: Water-The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-First Century by Fred Pearce
• The Other Sister by Sarah Zettel
• We All Love the Beautiful Girls by Joanne Proulx
• Don't Close Your Eyes (Texas Justice #1) by Christie Craig
• Three Thrillers: The Valhalla Testament, Vortex, and The Doomsday Spiral by Jon Land
• The Last Weekend of the Summer by Peter Murphy
• A People's History of the United States: 1492-present (P. S. Ser. #1) by Howard Zinn
• A River of Stars: A Novel by Vanessa Hua
• The Fixer: A Justice Novel (Justice #1) by T. E. Woods
• Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths by Karen Armstrong
• Alice Paul and the Fight for Women's Rights: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment by Deborah Kops
• Tears of Salt: A Doctor's Story by Lidia Tilotta
• To the Promised Land: Martin Luther King And The Fight For Economic Justice by Michael K. Honey
• The Burning Girl: A Novel by Claire Messud
• First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen

Review: The Cutting (McCabe & Savage Thriller, #1) by James Hayman

Title: The Cutting (McCabe & Savage Thriller, #1)
Author: James Hayman
Publisher: Witness Impulse
Publication Date: June 3, 2014 (first published January 1st 2009)
Edition: ebook (448 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Crime Fiction
• Mystery
• Suspense
• Thriller

Series:McCabe & Savage Thriller

Michael McCabe, A Detective with the Portland Maine PD, has left New York and moved to a smaller city for several reasons--one being because he believes living in a smaller city is safer for his thirteen-year-old daughter. But in Portland, someone is stealing the hearts of young women, and he is called upon, along with his partner, to investigate and solve these crimes before another victim is claimed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's rich in description, mystery and characters. I also enjoyed Michael McCabe and Maggie Savage as people. Their personal lives and struggles figured into the book along with their police work. I'm looking forward to reading more of the Series.

Lynn's List (August 24, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. My apologies for a very short list this week. Happy reading!

• The Boy in the Burning House by Tim Wynne-Jones
• Solitary Confinement: Social Death and Its Afterlives by Lisa Guenther
• Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman
• Shelter from the Storm by Lori Foster
• A Fatal Obsession: A Novel (McCabe and Savage Thrillers) by James Hayman
• Lift Us Up, Don't Push Us Out!: Voices from the Front Lines of the Educational Justice Movement by David Goodman and Mark R. Warren
• Swift Vengeance by T. Jefferson Parker
• The Air You Breathe: A Novel by Frances de Pontes Peebles
• Making Natural Liquid Soaps: Herbal Shower Gels, Conditioning Shampoos, Moisturizing Hand Soaps, Luxurious Bubble Baths, and more by Catherine Failor

Lynn's List (August 17, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump by John Nichols, Ben Clements and Ron Fein
• Let Me Be Like Water by S. K. Perry
• Grace: The Remarkable Life of Grace Grattan Guinness by Michele Guinness
• Sweet Little Lies: A Novel by Caz Frear
• The Story of H: A Novel by Marina Perezagua
• The Sapphire Widow: A Novel by Dinah Jefferies
• House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia by Craig Unger
• The Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found by Bart Van Es
• Shadow of Whimsy: A Cape Cod Love Story by Ann Hymes
• The Rancher's Homecoming (Sweetheart, Nevada #1) by Cathy Mcdavid
• Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It's Killing Us by Shane Claiborne
• I Will Find You: Solving Killer Cases from My Life Fighting Crime by Joe Kenda
• The Olive Branch: A gorgeous summer romance set in Italy by Jo Thomas
• Until Death: A gripping thriller about the dark secrets hiding in a marriage by Ali Knight
• Barefoot in the Dark (Samantha and Rick #1) by Suzanne Enoch
• The Plot to Destroy Democracy: How Putin and His Spies Are Undermining America and Dismantling the West by Rob Reiner and Malcolm Nance
• The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement by Matthew Horace and Ron Harris
• Lying in Wait: A Novel by Liz Nugent
• Music of the Ghosts: A Novel by Vaddey Ratner
• Stand Your Ground: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray
• A Single Breath: A Novel by Lucy Clarke

Review: The Silent Sister by Shalini Bolande

Title: The Silent Sister
Author: Shalini Boland
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: July 16, 2018
Edition: Kindle (144 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Mystery
• Psychological Thriller
• Suspense
• Thriller

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

It all begins when Lizzy Beresford discovers a threatening letter peaking out from the floorboards of the cottage she shares with her boyfriend, Joe, and their cat, Frank. Until that moment, Lizzy thought she lived an almost perfect life. Her only concerning issue is her lack of a relationship with her sister. But that proves the least of her problems as malicious incidents begin to occur with greater and more terrifying frequency. It finally becomes clear to Lizzy that someone is trying to kill her. But who and the why of it remain elusive until almost the very end. And the end, itself, is a huge surprise.

I truly enjoyed this book. The plot unfolded and built, but it gave me time to absorb the story without being rushed to conclusions. It was suspenseful and moved at a good pace, and I enjoyed the writing. I will definitely be coming back to Shalini Boland for more great psychological fiction in the future.

Review: The Walls by Hollie Overton

Title: The Walls
Author: Hollie Overton
Publisher: Redhook
Publication Date: August 8, 2017
Edition: Kindle (416 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Suspense
• Thriller

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kristy Tucker spends her days as a Public Information Officer, working on death row at a Texas prison. She is raising her teenage son and caring for her ill father. Because of a school incident involving her son, she meets and marries Lance Dobson. But her life is not at all what she imagined. She lives her life in a constant state of terror about her family's well being, and feels she can tell no one. She knows she has to do something to protect her family. How far will she have to go to do this? How far will she actually go? What are the consequences for her and others?

I found this book enthralling from beginning to end. It challenged me to think outside the box, to those often gray areas, where things are not always so easily defined. It also made me revisit, for the thousandth time, the moral issue of the death penalty, though that is not the focus of the book--it is most definitely a subtext. This is one of my best reads of 2018.

Review: Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage by Jason Kander

Title: Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage
Author: Jason Kander
Publisher: Twelve
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Edition: Kindle (256 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• Politics

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

You may have heard of this dynamic person--the first millennial ever elected to statewide office and founder and president of Let America Vote. He is a progressive Democrat who speaks honestly about his vision for America--an America for everyone. Part memoir and part pep talk, this book is full of hope and optimism. It is not a politician's talking points, it is a down-to-earth look at who he is, what America is, and what we can be again.

For anyone disheartened and discouraged by the results of the 2016 election and the present climate of discouragement, I urge you to read this book. Take a deep breath, and let's get to work.

Lynn's List (August 10, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon
• Jacob The Liar by Jurek Becker
• The Walls by Hollie Overton
• Abiding Mercy by Ruth Reid
• Arms of Mercy (An Amish Mercies Novel #2) by Ruth Reid
• Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico by Barry D. Keim and Robert A. Muller
• The Education of a Black Radical: A Southern Civil Rights Activist's Journey, 1959-1964 by Nikki Giovanni and D’Army Bailey
• The Darkening Web: The War for Cyberspace by Alexander Klimburg
• Atomic Testing in Mississippi: Project Dribble and the Quest for Nuclear Weapons Treaty Verification in the Cold War Era by David Allen Burke
• Midnight Gardens (Daughters of Midnight Ser. #1) by Ellen Dugan
• Standing Against Dragons: Three Southern Lawyers in an Era of Fear by Sarah Hart Brown
• Outside the Wire: Ten Lessons I've Learned in Everyday Courage by Jason Kander
• The Girls of Mulberry Lane: A heart-warming, war time family saga (The Mulberry Lane Series) by Rosie Clarke

Review: The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon

Title: The Incendiaries
Author: R.O. Kwon
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Edition: Hardcover (224 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Contemporary Fiction

My Rating: 3 stars

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet and fall in love as students at Edwards University. They are from different backgrounds. Each, in their own way, is searching for identity and trying to come to terms with their past. Each is trying to heal emotionally. Phoebe becomes involved with a religious cult with a commitment to terrorist acts, and Will is struggling to regain perspective after leaving behind his fundamentalist religious background.

The book appealed because I thought it would offer insight into personality characteristics of those drawn into this behavior, and to an extent, it did. However, I found I could not fully relate to either of these young people in a real way. I'm not sure this is anyone's fault. The book is certainly well written, and the characters are not shallow people. Perhaps it's my age showing. I found the book oddly disturbing, but with a weird kind of intensity. This will probably not be a reread for me, but I expect it will have broad appeal and likely receive awards.

Review: The Foyles Bookshop Girls (The Foyles Girls #1) by Elaine Roberts

Title: The Foyles Bookshop Girls (The Foyles Girls #1)
Author: Elaine Roberts
Publisher: Aria Books
Publication Date: June 1, 2018
Edition: Kindle Edition (295 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Historical Fiction
• World War I

Series: The Foyles Girls

Alice, Molly and Victoria have been friends since childhood. They all work at London's famous Foyles Bookshop. As World War I begins, their lives, and the lives of each of their families, are unalterably changed by the shortages, ravages of war, and the real possibility that they may have to face the possible death of loved ones. Each of the characters in this book have to come to terms with circumstances they never imagined.

Elaine Roberts brings these characters to life with great depth of emotion, character flaws and all. I enjoyed this book so much. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

The next books in the Series are scheduled for release in January and June of 2019, respectively.

Lynn's List (August 3, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
• The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
• The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett
• The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer
• Not That I Could Tell: A Novel by Jessica Strawser
• Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
• Mislaid by Nell Zink
• Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin
• Madonna in a Fur Coat by Ureen Freely
• Every Other Weekend by Zulema Renee Summerfield
• The Night She Died (The Inspector Thanet Mysteries #1) by Dorothy Simpson
• The Vanishing Year: A Novel by Kate Moretti
• The Tea Planter's Wife: A Novel by Dinah Jefferies
• Chris Matthews Complete Library E-book Box Set: Tip and the Gipper, Jack Kennedy, Hardball, Kennedy & Nixon, Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think, and American by Chris Matthews
• Fatal Deceptions: Three True Crime Tales of Passion, Murder, and Deceit by Joe Sharkey
• The Tomorrow File, The Passion of Molly T., and Capital Crimes by Lawrence Sanders
• 1941: The America That Went to War by William M. Christie
• Summer of Roses: A Novel by Luanne Rice
• Someone Is Watching: A Novel by Joy Fielding
• The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani
• No Place to Hide: A Novel by Susan Lewis
• The Bone Garden: A Novel by Tess Gerritsen
• Voices from D-Day: Eyewitness Accounts from the Battle for Normandy by Jon E. Lewis
• Caged: A Novel by Ellison Cooper
• Alone in America by Robert A. Ferguson
• Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts
• The Foyles Bookshop Girls (The Foyles Girls #1) by Elaine Roberts
• MLK: An American Legacy: Bearing the Cross, Protest at Selma, and The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr. by David J. Garrow
• The Cazalet Chronicles: Five Novels in One Collection by Elizabeth Jane Howard
• Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
• All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
• Changing Our Mind: Definitive 3rd Edition of the Landmark Call for Inclusion of LGBTQ Christians with Response to Critics by David P. Gushee

Review: Angels of September by Andrew M. Greeley

Title: Angels of September
Author: Andrew M. Greeley
Publisher: Warner Books
Publication Date: December 31, 1986
Edition: Hardcover (451 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Mystery
• Romance
• Suspense

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anne Reilly has spent much of her life afraid, trying to do the right thing, and trying to navigate her Catholic faith. Suddenly, she is confronted by her past, as it collides with her present. As the owner of a well known art gallery, she agrees to exhibit the paintings of a Catholic priest who spent years hospitalized with mental illness. Unexplained things began to happen to her. Will those who love her be able to put the picture together in time to save her life?

Father Andrew Greeley is a master story teller. He brings the characters he writes about to life in vivid detail. And, he writes, without apology, about the flaws of his characters and the flaws of the Church, past and present.

I first read this book shortly after its publication in 1986, and have reread it a few times since. I find it fascinating each time I reread it. It was a book my mom enjoyed, so it is special to me for that reason also. I'm reminded of the quote: "Get knocked down seven times, stand up eight." This is precisely what Anne Reilly does, along with so many people in real life. Suffice it to say, I have an affinity for strong characters, especially strong women.