My Reads of 2019

1. Educated by Tara Westover
2. Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family by Jess Walter
3. The Jury Master (David Sloane Ser. #1) by Robert Dugoni
4. Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive: And the Truth That Sets Us Free by Jonathan Walton
5. Sins of the Fathers by James Scott Bell
6. A Thin Dark Line (Broussard and Fourcade #1) by Tami Hoag
7. Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill
8. Comm Check...: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia by Michael Cabbage and William Harwood
9. Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space by Chris Jones
10. The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life by Joshua Becker
11. Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House by Cliff Sims
12. Her Sanctuary (Her, #1) by Toni Anderson
13. The Boy (Broussard and Fourcade #2) by Tami Hoag
14. Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe by Roger McNamee
15. Quitting Church: Why the Faithful Are Fleeing by Julia Duin
16. Parkland: Birth of a Movement by Dave Cullen
17. Betrayed (The Cost of Betrayal Collection #1) by Dee Henderson
18. Hello, My Name Is: Discovering Your True Identity by Matthew West
19. Enemy of the People: Trump's War on the Press, the New McCarthyism, and the Threat to American Democracy by Marvin Kalb
20. Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1) by Linda Castillo
21. Pray for Silence (Kate Burkholder, #2) by Linda Castillo
22. The Ice House by John Connor
23. This Much Country by Kristin Knight Pace
24. Diana of the Dunes: The True Story of Alice Gray by Janet Zenke Edwards
25. The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump by Andrew G. McCabe
26. Cemetery Road by Greg Iles
27. They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
28. The Crying Child by Barbara Michaels
29. In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy by Frédéric Martel and Shaun Whiteside (Translator)
30. Run Away by Harlan Coben
31. The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty by Susan Page
32. The Huntress by Kate Quinn
33. Reckless Love: Jesus' Call to Love Our Neighbor by Tom Berlin
34. Alice's Island: A Novel by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
35. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
36. Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders by Joe Sharkey
37. Bending Toward Justice: The Birmingham Church Bombing that Changed the Course of Civil Rights by Doug Jones
38. The Book of You: A Novel by Claire Kendal
39. In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives by Kenneth C. Davis
40. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
41. Over the Edge (Alex Delaware, #3) by Jonathan Kellerman
42. In the Dark: A Jenny Aaron Thriller by Andreas Pflüger
43. Polar Explorer by Jade Hameister
44. The Mysterious Murder of Martha Moxley: Did the Political and Financial Power of the Kennedy/Skakel Families Trump the Truth? by Joe Bruno
45. Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon by Robert Kurson
46. Cold Waters (Normal, Alabama #1) by Debbie Herbert
47. Sailor and Fiddler: Reflections of a 100-Year-Old Author by Herman Wouk
48. Tomorrow's Bread by Anna Jean Mayhew
49. Ludie's Song by Dirlie Herlihy
50. 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, #1) by James Patterson
51. The Memory House by Rachel Hauck
52. Missing by Debra Webb
53. The Sinking of the Bismarck: The Deadly Hunt by William L. Shirer
54. Primary Justice by William Bernhardt
55. Frasier Island (Frasier Island Series #1) by Susan Page Davis [reread]
56. The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941-1942 by Nigel Hamilton
57. Stands A Calder Man (Calder Saga #2) by Janet Dailey [reread]
58. D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose
59. The Secret Life of Bacon Tait, a White Slave Trader Married to a Free Woman of Color by Hank Trent
60. Sweet and Deadly by Charlaine Harris
61. Thin Air (Jessica Shaw, #1) by Lisa Gray
62. This Calder Sky (Calder Series #3) by Janet Dailey [reread
63. Calder Born, Calder Bred (Calder Series #4) by Janet Dailey [reread]
64. The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation by Brenda Wineapple
65. The Third Victim: A Novel by Phillip Margolin
66. The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America by Jim Acosta
67. Jaws by Peter Benchley [reread]
68. Calder Pride(Calder Series #5) by Janet Dailey [reread]
69. The Girl on Gander Green Lane by M.J. Hardy
70. No Time for Tears by Cynthia Freeman [reread]
71. Evergreen: (Werner Family Saga) #1) by Belva Plain
72. Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution by Jeff Shaara
73. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen
74. Magnolia Storms (A Coastal Hearts Novel) by Janet W. Ferguson
75. Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy #1) by Ken Follett
76. One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon by Charles Fishman
77. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
78. Thunderhead (Flicka, #2) by Mary O'Hara
79. Green Grass of Wyoming (Flicka, #3) by Mary O'Hara
80. Target Hiroshima: Deak Parsons and the Creation of the Atomic Bomb by Al Christman
81. Left To Die (To Die #1) by Lisa Jackson
82. Alive on the Andrea Doria!: The Greatest Sea Rescue in History by Pierette Domenica Simpson
83. I'll Be Watching You by Courtney Evan Tate
84. Triptych (Will Trent, #1) by Karin Slaughter
85. Blindsighted (Grant County #1) by Karin Slaughter
86. Failure is not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Kranz
87. The Passengers by John Marrs
88. The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
89. Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church by Peter Fox
90. Kisscut (Grant County Series #2) by Karin Slaughter
91. A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3)" by Karin Slaughter
92. The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine by Gregg Olsen
93. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
94. Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson [reread]
95. An Untamed Heart Red River of the North #0) by Lauraine Snelling [reread]
96. The Unexpected Gift by Berna King [reread]
97. The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
98. The Guardians by John Grisham
99. The Way Home: Tales from a Life Without Technology by Mark Boyle
100. The Death of a President by William Manchester [reread]
101. No Greater Love by Danielle Steel [reread]
102. Assassinations, Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama by Ronald L. Feinman
103. The Gilded Hour (Waverly Place #1) by Sara Donati [reread]
104. Where the Light Enters (Waverly Place #2) by Sara Donati
105. Angels in the Snow by Rexanne Becnel
106. Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness by Craig Nelson
107. The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher
108. The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani
109. The Girl in the Photograph: The True Story of a Native American Child, Lost and Found in America by Byron L. Dorgan
110. True Colors by Kristin Hannah
111. Angel Landing by Alice Hoffman

Review: Angel Landing

Angel Landing by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Angel Landing by Alice Hoffman is one of those books that leaves me shaking my head and wondering what the point was. Every time I thought I had the characters figured out, at least to some extent, I found I really had no clue, and maybe that, more than anything was the point. Natalie Lansky, a therapist, allows herself to become involved with her Client, Michael Finn, who admits he tried to blow up a power plant. And then there is Carter Sugarland, Natalie's boyfriend--and I use that term loosely--who is an environmental activist. And we can't forget about Aunt Minnie who has her own brand of eccentricities.

This book left me feeling aimless and surrounded by strange people. Maybe after some reflection, I can appreciate these characters more for who they are.

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Lynn's List (December 27, 2019)

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

Wishing everyone a bless and happy 2020!

• The Rule Of Love: How The Local Church Should Reflect God's Love And Authority (9marks Ser.) by Jonathan Leeman
• Negotiating Science and Religion In America: Past, Present, and Future by Greg Cootsona
• Call Your Daughter Home: A Novel by Deb Spera
• Israel Under Netanyahu: Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy by Robert O. Freedman
• Injustice for All: America's Dysfunctional Criminal Justice System and How to Fix It by Jason Brennan and Chris W Surprenant
• The Child Finder: She Finds Missing Children Who Will Find Her? by Rene Denfeld
• The Butterfly Girl: A Novel by Rene Denfeld
• The Color of Lightning: A Novel (P. S. Ser.) by Paulette Jiles
• Belong to Me: A Novel by Marisa de los Santos
• The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman
• Only Child: A novel by Rhiannon Navin
• The Hunt by William Diehl
• Angel Landing: A Novel by Alice Hoffman

Review: True Colors

True Colors by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

TRUE COLORS is the story of the Grey sisters: Winona; Aurora; and Vivi Ann. After the death of their mother, they must deal with a recalcitrant and emotionally absent father and make their way in the world. But each is trapped in a cycle of wanting their father's approval, and each struggles with love and jealousy that nearly destroys their lives.

Kristin Hanna keeps the story moving forward in time, emotion and place. As that happens, the characters grow familiar to the reader. They are wonderful, obnoxious, and, at times, extremely frustrating. Yet their humanity is very real. This is a great story, filled with the twists and turns and bumps in the road fraught by life.

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Review: True Colors

True Colors by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

TRUE COLORS is the story of the Grey sisters: Winona; Aurora; and Vivi Ann. After the death of their mother, they must deal with a recalcitrant and emotionally absent father and make their way in the world. But each is trapped in a cycle of wanting their father's approval, and each struggles with love and jealousy that nearly destroys their lives.

Kristin Hanna keeps the story moving forward in time, emotion and place. As that happens, the characters grow familiar to the reader. They are wonderful, obnoxious, and, at times, extremely frustrating. Yet their humanity is very real. This is a great story, filled with the twists and turns and bumps in the road fraught by life.

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Review: The Girl in the Photograph: The True Story of a Native American Child, Lost and Found in America

The Girl in the Photograph: The True Story of a Native American Child, Lost and Found in America by Byron L. Dorgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Tamara, a little Native American girl was badly beaten and traumatized as a small child. Her story, when it appeared in the Bismarck Tribune, deeply affected then North Dakota Senator, Byron Dorgan. He traveled to Tamara's home on the Standing Rock Reservation to see her and her grandfather. They later lost touch. Decades later, they found one another again. This book is Tamara's story. And, there is so much to her story.

Byron Dorgan writes this story with such emotion and integrity. He tells Tamara's story and also that of Native Americans. He not only explains the roots of Native American culture, but also what the United States government has done and continues to do to dishonor the treaties made with Native American tribal sovereign nations. This book will make you cry. It will make you angry. It will educate and inform you. And, my hope is, it will motivate you to demand more from those who represent you in Congress.

As a North Dakotan, I was honored to vote for Congressman and then Senator Dorgan numerous times. He is a person of integrity, and he has worked hard to better the lives of those he comes in contact with. With today's rather cynical attitudes toward politicians, the phrase "he cares" genuinely applies. I'm so glad I read this book. I learned much from it, and I think anyone who reads it will also benefit from doing so.

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Lynn's List (December 20, 2019)

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

• Fire Road: The Napalm Girl’s Journey through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace by Kim Phuc Phan Thi and Ashley Wiersma
• Our Damaged Democracy: We the People Must Act by Joseph A. Califano Jr.
• Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson
• The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky
• Executioner's Current: Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the Invention of the Electric Chair by Richard Moran
• Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump by Peter Fritsch and Glenn Simpson
• The Rise of Magicks: Chronicles of The One, Book 3 (Chronicles of The One #3) by Nora Roberts
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family by Laurence Leamer
• The Kennedy Men by Laurence Leamer
• The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle That Brought Down the Klan by Laurence Leamer
• Good Girl, Bad Girl: A Novel by Michael Robotham
• Never Have I Ever: The gripping psychological thriller about a game gone wrong by Lucy V. Hay
• Smoke Screen by Terri Blackstock
• Galileo: Watcher of the Skies by David Wootton
• Hostile Environment: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats by Maya Goodfellow
• The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani
• The Sanctuary for Lent 2020 (Pkg of 10) by Sam McGlothlin
• Under Currents: A Novel by Nora Roberts
• Fake President: Decoding Trump's Gaslighting, Corruption, and General Bullsh*t by Mark Green and Ralph Nader
• The Works of Anne Bradstreet (John Harvard Library) by Jeannine Hensley
• Citizens by Meyer Levin
• Compulsion by Meyer Levin
• The Settlers by Meyer Levin
• The Harvest by Meyer Levin
• Darling Blue: A gripping tale of family, love and acceptance by Tracy Rees
• Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History Of Racist Ideas In America by Ibram X. Kendi
• Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland by Jonathan M. Metzl
• To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment by Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz
• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Tatum
• The Secrets of My Life by Caitlyn Jenner
• Into the Abyss: An Extraordinary True Story by Carol Shaben
• Columbine: How The Press Got It Wrong And The Police Let It Happen by Dave Cullen
• The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
• Filthy Rich: A Powerful Billionaire, the Sex Scandal that Undid Him, and All the Justice that Money Can Buy: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein by James Patterson and John Connolly
• The Goldfinch: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) by Donna Tartt
• Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen
• Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham
• Fly Girls" How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O'Brien
• The Second Civil War by Ronald Brownstein
• Unconditional: A Novel by Eva Marie Everson
• The Road to Testament by Eva Marie Everson
• Love Story by Erich Segal
• Oliver's Story by Erich Segal
• In Pieces by Sally Field
• After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
• Al Franken, Giant of the Senate
• The Winters by Lisa Gabriele
• The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Review: The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump

The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Since Donald Trump took office in 2017, I have read several books about him, his policies, and his effect on our democracy. I would characterize this book as the best I've read thus far. If you're interested in knowing what is happening to the United States of America because of Donald John Trump, this book will inform you, and, hopefully, transform you into a person of action to stop this scourge.

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Review: The Kennedy Debutante

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found THE KENNEDY DEBUTANTE by Kerri Maher to be utterly absorbing. Kathleen Kennedy has always interested me because of her independent spirit and how much she had to sacrifice for happiness. I've read a few nonfiction books about her life, but none have captivated me as much as this historical fiction account by Kerri Maher. It seems to me that she has captured the essence of Kathleen Kennedy, the person, in this book.

A word of warning to the reader: Have your tissue box handy. You will need it. But isn't that what makes a great read? When a book evokes a strong emotional response, I consider that a transforming experience. A gift from the author to me. And, I thank you, Kerri Maher, for such a wonderful gift. One I will revisit again, as I do with many of my favorite books.

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Lynn's List December 13, 2019)

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

• Every Breath: A Novel by Nicholas Sparks
• Long Road to Mercy (Atlee Pine Series #1) by David Baldacci
• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History Of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
• Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
• The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
• Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation And Its War by James Wright
• The Cross of Christ by John Stott
• The Whisper Man: A Novel by Alex North
• The Lost Man by Jane Harper
• North of Hope by Jon Hassler
• The Girls in the Lake: An addictive and gripping crime thriller by Helen Phifer
• Splintered Silence (A Bone Gap Travellers Novel #1) by Susan Furlong
• Fractured Truth (A Bone Gap Travellers Novel #2) by Susan Furlong
• The Thief of All Light: Santero And Rein Thriller (Santero And Rein Thriller Series #1) by Bernard Schaffer
• An Unsettled Grave (The Santero and Rein Thrillers #2) by Bernard Schaffer
• Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger by Soraya Chemaly
• Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free by Linda Kay Klein
• Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women by Sarah Bessey and Rachel Held Evans
• The Awakening: A Novel (Modern Library Torchbearers) by Kate Chopin
• Someone We Know: A Novel by Shari Lapena
• The Sacrament: A Novel by Olaf Olafsson
• The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets: A Novel by Molly Fader
• The Berlin Wall: August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989 by Frederick Taylor
• The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen
• The Girls at 17 Swann Street: A Novel by Yara Zgheib
• Before We Were Yours: A Novel by Lisa Wingate
• Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society by Lisa Wingate and Judy Christie
• Cash: The Autobiography by Patrick Carr and Johnny Cash
• Johnny Cash by Michael Streissguth
• Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert Hilburn
• Man in White by Johnny Cash
• A Woman Is No Man: A Novel by Etaf Rum
• The Woman in the Window: A Novel by A. J Finn
• United States of Jihad: Who Are America's Homegrown Terrorists, and How Do We Stop Them? by Peter Bergen
• Trump and His Generals: The Cost of Chaos by Peter Bergen
• An Ordinary Woman: A Dramatized Biography of Nancy Kelsey by Cecelia Holland
• In the Dream House: A Memoir by Carmen Machado
• The Disposables: A Novel (A Bruno Johnson Thriller #1) by David Putnam
• Truth Without Tears: African American Women Deans Share Lessons In Leadership by Carolyn Hodges and others

Review: Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness

Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness by Craig Nelson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Craig Nelson traces the attack on Pearl Harbor , December 7 1941, from its origins, planning and execution, through its aftermath and the official surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945. This book, along with others on the subject, is a historical record of the events. Each book I have read on the topic lends its own unique perspective. The detail presented here is astounding. And, I have to say, it is sometimes overwhelming. If you're looking for a book that ties many aspects of the events before and after the attack on Pear Harbor together, this is an excellent read.

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Review: Angels in the Snow

Angels in the Snow by Rexanne Becnel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charles Montgomery arranges a Christmas retreat for his wife, son and daughter, who are less than thrilled about the prospect of being in a rural area, just by themselves. They have everything they could want, at least that's what Charles thinks. Yet, all three are unhappy and discontented. But they will soon learn about the meaning of Christmas. And their gifts will not be material, but spiritual.

I did enjoy this story. The Montgomery children's attitude and actions grated on me often, but that's undoubtedly because I'm old school and didn't grow up getting everything I desired, and didn't expect too. Still it's a good Christmas story with a good message.

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Lynn's List December 6, 2019)

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

• Beautiful Bad: A Novel by Annie Ward
• 100 Years of Women's Suffrage: A University of Illinois Press Anthology by Dawn Durante
• Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons
• The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
• The Secrets Between Us: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar
• The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future by Andrew Yang
• America Ascendant: The Rise of American Exceptionalism by Dennis M. Spragg
• Because You're Mine by Marin Montgomery
• Before I Let You Go: A Gripping Novel About The Unbreakable Bond Between Sisters by Kelly Rimmer
• Seasons of Her Life: A Biography of Madeleine Korbel Albright by Ann Blackman and Brooke Zimmer
• Madam Secretary by Madeleine Albright
• The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs by Madeleine Albright
• Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Albright
• Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 by Madeleine Albright
• President Carter: The White House Years by Madeleine Albright and Stuart E. Eizenstat
• Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trump's War on the FBI by Josh Campbell
• Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness by Craig Nelson
• Cold Heart Creek: A nail-biting and gripping mystery suspense thriller by Lisa Regan
• Change of Heart by Faith Baldwin
• Little Fires Everywhere: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• The Outlander Series 7-Book Bundle by Diana Gabaldon
• Watch Over Me by Mila Gray
• The German House by Annette Hess
• The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch: How the Canceled Sitcom Became the Beloved Pop Culture Icon We Are Still Talking About Today by Kimberly Potts
• Reputation: A Novel by Sara Shepard
• A Crisis of Peace: George Washington, The Newburgh Conspiracy, And The Fate Of The American Revolution by David Head
• Snowfall in the City by Susan Wiggs
• The Clutter Remedy: A Guide to Getting Organized for Those Who Love Their Stuff by Marla Stone
• Well Worth Saving: American Universities' Life-and-Death Decisions on Refugees from Nazi Europe by Laurel Leff
• Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales by James Robertson, Dylan Howard and Melissa Cronin
• A Bookshop in Berlin: The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the Nazis by Françoise Frenkel
• The Scoop by Terence J. Quinn
• Alaska Bush Cop: The Beginning by Andy Anderson
• The Good Citizen: The Markers of Privilege in America by JoAnne Myers
• The World That We Knew: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
• What Was Mine: A Book Club Recommendation! by Helen Klein Ross
• The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga
• A Lincoln Rhyme eBook Boxed Set: Coffin Dancer, The Empty Chair, The Stone Monkey by Jeffery Deaver
• Final Girls: A Novel by Riley Sager
• Sunstroke: A Thriller by Jesse Kellerman
• The King: A Biography of Clark Gable by Charles Samuels
• My 21 Years in the White House by Alonzo Fields
• The Girl in the Photograph: The True Story of a Native American Child, Lost and Found in America by Byron L. Dorgan
• The Gilded Hour (Waverly Place #1) by Sara Donati
• Where the Light Enters (Waverly Place #2) by Sara Donati

Review: Where the Light Enters

Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sara Donati has, once again, in my opinion, outdone herself with "Where the Light Enters (Waverly Place #2)." I thought it couldn't get any better after reading the first book, "The Gilded Hour. I was wrong. This is absolutely a remarkable saga. Two women doctors in 1880s New York, where women, and especially women doctors, are not highly regarded or respected, find themselves navigating complex personal and professional lives. Sara Donati brings this all to life in vivid detail. These two books, together, are two of the best historical novels I've ever read. I love them both. Both definite future rereads, as I will want to revisit these women of courage and the people who love them, from time-to-time. A 5 star rating isn't even close to what I would like to give these Waverly Place books.

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Lynn's List (November 29, 2019)

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

• Dear Life by Lisa Wylie
• The Plot to Betray America: How Team Trump Embraced Our Enemies, Compromised Our Security, and How
We Can Fix It by Malcolm Nance
• A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston by Robyn Crawford
• Assassinations, Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama by
Ronald L. Feinman
• Crisis: Local, Regional And International Responses (Sid Halley) by Felix Francis
• Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey
• The Lying House by Rick Mofina
• The Nancy Pelosi Way: Advice on Success, Leadership, and Politics from America's Most Powerful
Woman (Women in Power) by Christine Pelosi
• Under Occupation: A Novel by Alan Furst
• Silent Night: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• Spy: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• Year One ( Chronicles of the One #1) by Nora Roberts
• Swedish Chicago: The Shaping of an Immigrant Community, 1880–1920 by Anita Olson Gustafson
• Angels in the Snow by Rexanne Becnel
• Jack and Jill: A Village Story (Mobi Classics Ser.) by Louisa May Alcott
• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
• Term Limits by Vince Flynn
• Eagle & Crane by Suzanne Rindell
• Daughters of War: A gripping historical novel of love and loss (War Nurses Ser. #Vol. 2) by Lizzie
Page
• The Silent Wife: A Gripping Emotional Page Turner With A Twist That Will Take Your Breath Away by
Kerry Fisher

Review: No Greater Love

No Greater Love by Danielle Steel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a reread for me! I've read this book many times, and it continues to speak to me each time I do so.

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Review: Assassinations, Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama

Assassinations, Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama by Ronald L. Feinman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Lynn's List (November 22, 2019)

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

• Thunder in the Mountains: Chief Joseph, Oliver Otis Howard, And The Nez Perce War by Daniel J. Sharfstein
• The Trial of Adolf Hitler: The Beer Hall Putsch And The Rise Of Nazi Germany by David King
• The Secrets She Keeps: A Novel by Michael Robotham
• Good Girl, Bad Girl: A Novel by Michael Robotham
• The Patient One (Walnut Creek Series, The #1) by Shelley Shepard Gray
• Her One Mistake: A Novel by Heidi Perks
• The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
• Slightly South of Simple: A Novel (The Peachtree Bluff Series #1) by Kristy Woodson Harvey
• Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving by Mo Rocca
• The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution by Gregory Zuckerman
• The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
• Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom
• Edison by Edmund Morris
• Noel Street (The Noel Collection) by Richard Evans
• Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry: A Novel by Mary Higgins Clark
• The Starless Sea: A Novel by Erin Morgenstern
• Faith: A Journey For All by Jimmy Carter
• The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations by Mark Salter and John McCain
• The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David Mccullough
• Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
• Mystic Summer: A Novel by Hannah Mckinnon
• The Daughters of Mars: A Novel by Thomas Keneally
• The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
• The Silver Star: A Novel by Jeannette Walls
• Impulse (Mia Fullerton) by Ellen Hopkins
• The Sleeping Doll: A Novel (Kathryn Dance #1) by Jeffery Deaver
• Crown Jewel: A Novel by Fern Michaels
• Blowout by David Hagberg and Byron L. Dorgan
• Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald
• Intermittent Fasting Basics: Your Guide to the Essentials of Intermittent Fasting--and How It Can Work for You! (Basics) by Lindsay Boyers
• Secret Lives by Diane Chamberlain
• Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond by Alexandra Horowitz
• Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare (Timeless Classic Ser.) by G. K. Chesterton
• Israel, the Church, and the Middle East: A Biblical Response to the Current Conflict by Mitch Glaser and Darrell Bock
• This is America!: A Novel by Henye Meyer
• Cut & Run (Cut & Run Series #1) by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
• Environmental Justice in Postwar America: A Documentary Reader (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classics) by Christopher Wells
• Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story Of Heroism And Tragedy Aboard The Can Do by Michael Tougias
• Blood and Faith: Christianity in American White Nationalism by Damon Berry
• Enemies of the State: The Radical Right in America from FDR to Trump (The American Ways Series) by D. J. Mulloy
• The New Politics of the Old South: An Introduction to Southern Politics by Charles S. Bullock III and Mark J. Rozell
• Vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right) by Tore Bjørgo and Miroslav Mares
• A Warning by Anonymous
• Miracle in Lake Placid: The Greatest Hockey Story Ever Told by John Gilbert
• The Confession Club: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg
• How to Cook Anything in Your Dutch Oven: Classic American Comfort Foods and New Global Favorites by Howie Southworth
• Her Dark Heart: A totally gripping crime thriller by Carla Kovach
• Simple Abundance: 365 Days to a Balanced and Joyful Life by Sarah Ban Breathnach
• The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook: The Only Book You Need for Your Small, Medium, or Large Air Fryer by Bruce Weinstein
• Church and State in American History: Key Documents, Decisions, and Commentary from Five Centuries by John Wilson and Donald Drakeman
• Guilty Not Guilty by Felix Francis
• Corliss (The Girls of Spindrift #1) by V. C. Andrews
• Donna (The Girls of Spindrift #2) by V. C. Andrews
• The Silhouette Girl by V. C. Andrews
• The Ash Family: A Novel by Molly Dektar
• Change of Heart by Jude Deveraux
• Moonlight in the Morning (Moonlight Trilogy #1) by Jude Deveraux
• Stranger in the Moonlight: A Novel (Moonlight Trilogy #2) by Jude Deveraux
• Moonlight Masquerade (Moonlight Trilogy #3) by Jude Deveraux
• Murder at McDonald's: The Killers Next Door by Phonse Jessome
• The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier
• In the Blood: A Novel by Lisa Unger
• Tell Me Who I Am by Julia Navarro
• Yes She Can: 10 Stories of Hope & Change from Young Female Staffers of the Obama White House by Molly Dillon
• Ceremony: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics) by Larry Mcmurtry

Lynn's List (November 15, 2019)

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

• Angels Walking Box Set: Angels Walking, Chasing Sunsets, and Brush of Wings (Angels Walking Ser. #1) by Karen Kingsbury
• The Family Upstairs: A Novel by Lisa Jewell
• This Is Home: A Novel by Lisa Duffy
• The Salt House: A Novel by Lisa Duffy
• Find You in the Dark: A Novel by Nathan Ripley
• Leave No Trace: A Novel by Mindy Mejia
• Everything You Want Me to Be: A Novel by Mindy Mejia
• The Reckoning by David Halberstam
• Blood on the Moon (The Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy #1) by James Ellroy
• The Brontës: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of a Literary Family by Juliet Barker
• The Soldier's Curse: A Novel (Monsarrat Trilogy #1) by Thomas Keneally
• Sailing Lessons: A Novel by Hannah McKinnon
• Elevator Pitch: A Novel by Linwood Barclay
• Politics as Usual: Thomas Dewey, Franklin Roosevelt, and the Wartime Presidential campaign of 1944 by Michael Davis
• The Chicago Trunk Murder: Law and Justice at the Turn of the Century by Elizabeth Dale
• Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel by Mark Sullivan
• Taste of Home Copycat Restaurant Favorites: Restaurant Faves Made Easy at Home by Taste Home
• Night of the Tyger by David Klass
• When They Took Away the Man in the Moon by Kate Lehrer
• Me: Elton John Official Autobiography by Elton John
• The Pope: Francis, Benedict, and the Decision That Shook the World by Anthony McCarten
• The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling: The Life And Legend Of Yuri Gagarin by Andrew Jenks
• Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice
• This Tender Land: A Novel by William Krueger
• The Perfect Wife: A Novel by JP Delaney
• God Help the Child: A novel (Vintage International Series) by Toni Morrison
• Justice for Bonnie: An Alaskan Teenager's Murder And Her Mother's Tireless Crusade For The Truth by I. J. Schecter and Karen Foster
• American Hate: Survivors Speak Out by Arjun Sethi
• Set Free: A Biblical Case for Restoring Religious Freedom for All by Anne R. Bradley
• Cross Her Heart: A Novel by Sarah Pinborough
• Liberalism at Large: The World According to the Economist by Alexander Zevin
• Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography by Charles Moore
• Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado
• The Dog I Loved: A Novel by Susan Wilson
• The Ambassadors: America's Diplomats on the Front Lines by Paul Richter
• Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference, and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by Jessica McDiarmid
• The Innocents: A Novel by Michael Crummey
• Citizen 865: The Hunt for Hitler's Hidden Soldiers in America by Debbie Cenziper
• A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston by Robyn Crawford
• Her Last Promise: The bestselling author of The Letter returns with an uplifting story of hope by Kathryn Hughes
• Victory City: A History of New York and New Yorkers during World War II by John Strausbaugh
• City of Jasmine by Olga Grjasnowa
• The Boy Who Belonged to the Sea by Denis Thériault
• Back Up by Paul Colize
• Anne of Green Gables: The Complete Collection (Legend Classics #1) by L. M. Montgomery
• The Martha Manual: How to Do (Almost) Everything by Martha Stewart
• Get started on Android with TalkBack by Homiyar Mobedji
• Overkill by Linda Castillo
• Sullivan's Crossing Collection Volume 1: What We Find Any Day Now (Sullivan's Crossing Ser. #1) by Robyn Carr
• The Kent Family Chronicles: Volumes One Through Three (The Kent Family Chronicles) by John Jakes
• The Kent Family Chronicles Volumes Four Through Six: The Furies, The Titans, and The Warriors (The Kent Family Chronicles) by John Jakes
• The Lawless (The Kent Family Chronicles #7) by John Jakes
• The Americans (The Kent Family Chronicles #8) by John Jakes
• As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark
• Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World--Told from the Inside by the Man Who Ran It by Stephen Handelman
• The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne
• Oliver Wendell Holmes: A Life In War, Law, And Ideas by Stephen Budiansky
• Desperate Characters: A Novel by Paula Fox
• Family Life: A Novel by Akhil Sharma
• Capital: A Novel by John Lanchester
• Anxiety: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety Disorder by Joshua Fletcher
• In Her Eyes: an unputdownable, twisty psychological thriller by Sarah Alderson

Lynn's List (November 8, 2019)

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

• The Dollhouse: A Novel by Fiona Davis
• My Darling Clementine: The Story of Lady Churchill by Jack Fishwick
• A Jury of Her Peers by Jean Hanff Korelitz
• Robert F. Kennedy: The Brother Within by Robert E. Thompson and Hortense Myers
• Black Man in the White House by E. Frederic Morrow
• The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
• This Side of Innocence: A Novel by Taylor Caldwell
• Tender Victory: A Novel by Taylor Caldwell
• Deadly Greed: The Riveting True Story of the Stuart Murder Case, Which Rocked Boston and Shocked the Nation by Joe Sharkey
• Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders by Greg King
• Sleep, My Child, Forever: The Riveting True Story of a Mother Who Murdered Her Own Children (Onyx True Crime Ser. #Vol. 335) by John Coston
• Decluttering For Dummies by Jane Stoller
• The Way Home: Tales from a Life Without Technology by Mark Boyle
• Red Snow by Will Dean
• The Day I Found You by Pedro Chagas Freitas
• Women Who Dared: To Break All the Rules by Jeremy Scott
• Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati
• Billy Graham: A Biography of America's Greatest Evangelist by W. Whalin
• The Cooper-Hewitt Dynasty of New York by Polly Guérin
• 100 Small Steps: The First 100 Pounds You Gotta Think Right (100 Small Steps #1) by Keith Trotter
• Not Another Word! by Judith Logan
• The Golden Moment: A Survival Story by Bic Parker
• The Connection by Martin Gagen
• The Film by George Amos
• Confessions of a Fumbling Believer by Margaret Mary Sickles
• Waves by Ingrid Chabbert
• Hold on to Love by Mollie Hunter
• Master of Thin Air: Life and Death on the World's Highest Peaks by Andrew Lock
• Cost of Life by Joshua Corin
• Captains and the Kings: A Novel by Taylor Caldwell
• We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights by Adam Winkler
• Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America by Adam Winkler
• A Separation: A Novel by Katie Kitamura

Review: The Way Home: Tales from a Life Without Technology

The Way Home: Tales from a Life Without Technology by Mark Boyle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Have you ever imagine what life would be like without technology? No phone (landline or smart phone). No Internet. No central heating. No running water. No indoor plumbing. Mark Boyle made the choice to build and live in a small cabin without all of these things. Plus, he and his girlfriend chose to live mostly off the land on what they could grow or hunt.

I've been interested in reading about these types of experiences for many years. People have all sorts of reasons for making drastic changes in life style. Some of these reasons are not unique, but the people who choose to go off the grid certainly are. And their choice to do so are just as valid as mine not to do so.

Mark Boyle writes clearly about his experiences. At first, I found the story interesting, but I gave this book 3 stars because it seemed to go on and on and ... on. Since this is his story, he, of course, as the right to tell it his way, but I found his strong opinions, inserted into nearly every paragraph, to be a bit much, and I stopped reading at the 90% mark, as a result. Still it is an interesting story, worth the read if the subject interests you.

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Lynn's List (November 1, 2019)

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

• The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Chelsea Clinton and Hillary Clinton
• My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love by Amanda Barratt
• Saving Bravo: The Greatest Rescue Mission in Navy SEAL History by Stephan Talty
• The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War by A. J. Baime
• With Malice by Eileen Cook
• The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World by A. J. Baime
• $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn J. Edin
• The Calligrapher's Daughter: A Novel by Eugenia Kim
• The Berlin Wall: August 13, 1961 - November 9, 1989 by Frederick Taylor
• If: A Mother's Memoir by Lise Marzouk
• The Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate by Tom Brokaw
• Home Now: How 6000 Refugees Transformed an American Town by Cynthia Anderson
• How to Beat Trump: America's Top Political Strategists on What It Will Take by Mark Halperin
• Surviving the Apocalypse: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Nuclear War, Floods, Fire, Earthquakes, Civil Unrest, Pandemics, and More by N. E. MacDougald
• The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses by Dan Carlin
• The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words 1000 BC-1492 AD (Story of the Jews #1) by Simon Schama
• Runaway Genres: The Global Afterlives of Slavery by Yogita Goyal
• Finding Home Again (Catalina Cove) by Brenda Jackson
• The Survivors: A Story of War, Inheritance, and Healing by Adam Frankel
• A Castle in Wartime: One Family, Their Missing Sons, and the Fight to Defeat the Nazis by Catherine Bailey
• Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History by Andrew Roberts
• What Your Cat Is Thinking: Everything you need to know to understand your pet by Bo Söderström
• Coming to America (Second Edition): A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life by Roger Daniels
• Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family by Amanda Jette Knox
• My Husband's Wife: A Novel by Jane Corry
• First: Sandra Day O'Connor by Evan Thomas
• The Earthquake Bird: A Novel by Susanna Jones
• Perfecting Ourselves to Death: The Pursuit of Excellence and the Perils of Perfectionism by Richard Winter
• Voices Of Freedom: A Documentary History Vol. 1 (Fifth Edition) by Eric Foner
• Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, Volume 2 (3rd Edition) by Eric Foner
• Blacklisted!: Hollywood, the Cold War, and the First Amendment by Larry Dane Brimner
• Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America (null) by Gail Jarrow
• Rescue by Jessie Haas
• Stolen Secrets by L. B. Schulman
• Booth's Daughter by Raymond Wemmlinger
• Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right by Anne Nelson
• The Chelsea Girls: A Novel by Fiona Davis

Lynn's List (October 25, 2019)

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

• The Harry Bosch Novels, Volume 1: The Black Echo, The Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly
• The Harry Bosch Novels, Volume 2: The Last Coyote, Trunk Music, Angels Flight by Michael Connelly
• The Harry Bosch Novels, Volume 3: A Darkness More than Night, City of Bones and Lost Light by Michael Connelly
• The Guys by Anne Nelson
• Suzanne's Children: A Daring Rescue in Nazi Paris by Anne Nelson
• Red Orchestra: The Story of the Berlin Underground and the Circle of Friends Who Resisted Hitler by Anne Nelson
• Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
• The Collected Works Volume One: Captured, Holloway Falls, and Mr. In-Between by Neil Cross
• The Collected Works Volume Two: Always the Sun, Natural History, and Heartland by Neil Cross
• William Styron: Lie Down in Darkness, Set This House on Fire, The Confessions of Nat Turner, and Sophie's Choice by William Styron
• The Collected Novels Volume One: The Long View, The Sea Change, The Beautiful Visit, and After Julius by Elizabeth Jane Howard
• The Collected Novels Volume Two: Odd Girl Out, Something in Disguise, Falling, and Getting It Right by Elizabeth Jane Howard
• Challenging Discriminatory Practices of Religious Socialization among Adolescents: Critical Media Literacy and Pedagogies in Practice by Kiran Vinod Bhatia
• White Guys on Campus: Racism, White Immunity, and the Myth of "Post-Racial" Higher Education (The American Campus) by Nolan L Cabrera
• Reformed American Dreams: Welfare Mothers, Higher Education, and Activism by Sheila M. Katz
• Baltimore Revisited: Stories of Inequality and Resistance in a U.S. City by Nicole Fabricant and others
• Lost: Miscarriage in Nineteenth-Century America (Critical Issues in Health and Medicine) by Shannon Withycombe
• American Community: Radical Experiments in Intentional Living by Mark S. Ferrara
• Love, Anarchy, & Emma Goldman: A Biography by Candace Falk
• The Worlds of William Penn by Emily Mann and others
• The Trials of Richard Goldstone by Daniel Terris
• Unwatchable by J. Hoberman and others
• Place Called Estherville by Erskine Caldwell
• All the Names by José Saramago
• A Woman in Jerusalem by Hillel Halkin and A. B. Yehoshua
• Voyageurs: A Novel by Margaret Elphinstone
• The World Beneath: A Novel by Cate Kennedy
• The Third Hill North of Town by Noah Bly
• Sanctified Sisters: A History of Protestant Deaconesses by Jenny Wiley Legath
• Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975, Thirtieth Anniversary Edition by Alice Echols
• Virgin River (A Virgin River Novel #1) by Robyn Carr
• The Deserter: A Novel by Nelson DeMille and Alex DeMille
• Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff
• All the President's Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator by Monique El-Faizy and Barry Levine
• The Night Fire: A Bosch And Ballard Thriller (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel #2) by Michael Connelly
• The Gospel of Climate Skepticism: Why Evangelical Christians Oppose Action on Climate Change by Robin Globus Veldman
• The Bright Unknown by Elizabeth Byler Younts
• Out of Darkness, Shining Light: A Novel by Petina Gappah
• My Past Is a Foreign Country: A Muslim Feminist Finds Herself by Zeba Talkhani
• Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet by Meggan Watterson
• Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
• American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Shane Bauer
• Suspicion by Joseph Finder
• Murderous Minds: Neurological Imaging and the Manifestation of Evil by Dean Haycock
• Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis by Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow
• Bitter Reckoning: Israel Tries Holocaust Survivors as Nazi Collaborators by Dan Porat
• Muslims in American History: A Forgotten Legacy by Jerald Dirks
• The House On Marshland by Louise Glück
• The House of Brides: A Novel by Jane Cockram
• Demon Seed (Compass Ser.) by Dean Koontz
• Her Mother's Lies: A gripping psychological thriller with a stunning twist by Rona Halsall
• The Royal Secret: A Novel by Lucinda Riley
• The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
• The Seas by Samantha Hunt
• In My Mother's Name: A totally addictive and emotional psychological thriller by Laura Elliot
• Pat Conroy: Our Lifelong Friendship by Bernie Schein
• The Immoral Majority: Why Evangelicals Chose Political Power Over Christian Values by Ben Howe
• Cold Warriors: Writers Who Waged the Literary Cold War by Duncan White

Review: The Guardians

The Guardians by John Grisham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this latest John Grisham tale, Cullen Post is a lawyer/Priest who is a part of Guardian Ministries, a not-for-profit specializing in freeing wrongfully convicted people from prison. It is mainly about Quincy Miller, an African American man who has spent the last twenty-three years in a Florida prison after conviction for murder.

No matter your position on the rightness or wrongness of the death penalty, I think this story is one any reader can relate too. As is the case with his first several books, John Grisham is a master at bringing to light both the humanity and inhumanity of man. I think "The Guardians" is my favorite of these efforts, thus far. The characters are ones I can relate too, and the circumstances of Quincy Miller's murder conviction present both a past and current portrait of "the old South's" style of justice, if you will.

Suffice it to say, I loved this book. Perhaps I should have waited before writing this because all of the emotions it evokes are still on free range and free fall in my head. This one will stay with me for a long time to come, I think. It will also be a reread for me, for certain.

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Review: The Black Echo

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Michael Connelly begins the first installment in the Harry Bosch series with the force of a runaway train. "The Black Echo" introduces the reader to Harry Bosh, L.A. PD Homicide Detective. Not far into the book, I dubbed Harry Bosch as "not bullshit Harry," and that is how I will probably think of him throughout the series.

It begins one spring night when Harry gets a call to respond to a body discovered at Mulholland Dam in a drainpipe. From there a series of events lead him deeper and deeper into a case that becomes highly personal, evoking memories of his time in the Vietnam War and people he served in the military with.

There is plenty here for every mystery and detective story reader. Crime. Unexplained events. Police procedure. Questionable outcomes. This book is a reader's dream. Plus, you have Harry Bosh, a legend among fictional characters. Please, just read it. No bullshit. If you do, you'll see exactly what I mean about the significance of those two words.

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Lynn's List (October 18, 2019)

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

For those who may be wondering why there haven't been any book reviews posted here lately, it is because I've been rereading old favorites.

• Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice
• Anne of Green Gables: The Complete Collection (Aladdin Classics) by L. M. Montgomery
• Chains: Seeds of America (The Seeds of America Trilogy #1) by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Forge (The Seeds of America Trilogy #2) by Laurie Halse Anderson
• See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism by Robert Baer
• The Memory Police: A Novel by Yoko Ogawa
• Homecoming (Tillerman Family #1) by Cynthia Voigt
• Dicey's Song (Tillerman Family #2) by Cynthia Voigt
• A Solitary Blue ( Tillerman Family #3) by Cynthia Voigt
• The Runner (Tillerman Family #4) by Cynthia Voigt
• Come a Stranger (Tillerman Family #5) by Cynthia Voigt
• Sons from Afar (Tillerman Family #6) by Cynthia Voigt
• Seventeen Against the Dealer (Tillerman Family #7) by Cynthia Voigt
• Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth by Rachel Maddow
• Settlement by Marvin Dixon
• Poverty (The Basics) by Bent Greve
• Sugar Run: A Novel by Mesha Maren
• Changing Season: A Father, A Daughter, A Family Farm by Nikiko Masumoto
• Linda Lael Miller Montana Creeds Series Volume 1 by Linda Lael Miller
• Then She Was Gone: A Novel by Lisa Jewell
• Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly
• The Guardians: A Novel by John Grisham
• Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow
• A Shadow Falls: A Jenny Aaron Thriller by Andreas Pflüger
• My Name is Eva: An absolutely gripping and emotional historical novel by Suzanne Goldring
• Lost Daughter: An utterly heartbreaking and unforgettable page-turner by Ali Mercer
• The Girl in the Grave: An unputdownable crime thriller with nail-biting suspense (Beth Adams Ser. #Vol. 1) by Helen Phifer
• Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes: A romantic and heartwarming family saga by Amy Miller
• Heartaches and Christmas Cakes: A Wartime Family Saga Perfect For Cold Winter Nights (Wartime Bakery Ser. #Vol. 1) by Amy Miller
• Telegrams and Teacakes: A heartbreaking wartime family saga (Wartime Bakery Ser. #Vol. 3) by Amy Miller
• The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel
• The Other Couple: The Amazon Number One Bestseller by Sarah J. Naughton
• The Jason Bourne Series 3-Book Bundle by Robert Ludlum
• Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love: How a Violent Klansman Became a Champion of Racial Reconciliation by Thomas A. Tarrants

Lynn's List (October 11, 2019)

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

• If I Never Get Back: A Novel (If I Never Get Back) by Darryl Brock
• The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan
• Watch Me Disappear: A Novel by Janelle Brown
• TransAtlantic: A Novel by Colum Mccann
• Secrets and Shadows: Two friends in a world at war by Brian Gallagher
• Beneath the Apple Leaves by Harmony Verna
• A Christmas Home (The Promise Glen Series #1) by Marta Perry
• Child's Play: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• Barack and Joe: The Making of an Extraordinary Partnership by Steven Levingston
• Escape from Paris: A True Story of Love and Resistance in Wartime France by Stephen Harding
• I Know You Remember by Jennifer Donaldson
• Deep State: Trump, the FBI, and the Rule of Law by James B. Stewart
• The Giver of Stars: A Novel by Jojo Moyes
• Last Train to Paris by Michele Zackheim
• Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood
• Checkpoint by Alison Anderson
• Shelter in Place: A Novel by Alexander Maksik
• To Name Those Lost: A Novel by Rohan Wilson
• The Principle: A Novel by Howard Curtis
• The Crossing by Andrew Miller
• Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
• The Rain Watcher: A Novel by Tatiana De Rosnay
• Manderley Forever: A Biography of Daphne du Maurier by Tatiana De Rosnay
• Silent Night: An absolutely gripping crime thriller by Geraldine Hogan
• All Her Secrets: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a stunning twist by Sue Watson
• Our Little Lies: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a brilliant twist by Sue Watson
• Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most by Gail Sheehy
• A Shout in the Ruins: A Novel by Kevin Powers
• The Making of a Justice: Reflections on My First 94 Years by John Paul Stevens
• Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11 by James Donovan
• Angels Make Their Hope Here by Breena Clarke
• The Devil That Never Dies: The Rise and Threat of Global Antisemitism by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
• The Three: A Novel by Sarah Lotz
• The Visionist: A Novel by Rachel Urquhart
• The Lifeboat: A Novel by Charlotte Rogan
• Chains: Seeds of America (The Seeds of America Trilogy #1) by Laurie Halse Anderson
• The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel by Kathleen Kent
• North River: A Novel by Pete Hamill
• The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump by John Nichols, Ben Clements, Ron Fein and John Bonifaz
• Forget Me Not: A Novel (Crossroads Crisis Center #1) by Vicki Hinze
• Playing with Fire: A Novel by Tess Gerritsen
• The Eleventh Day: The Full Story of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden by Anthony Summers
• Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland (Americana Ser.) by Gerald Clarke
• Out of Darkness, Shining Light: A Novel by Petina Gappah
• Rich Man, Poor Man and Beggarman, Thief: In One Volume by Irwin Shaw
• The Dutch House: A Novel by Ann Patchett
• The Slave Trade, Abolition and the Long History of International Criminal Law: The Recaptive and the Victim by Emily Haslam
• The Last Wife: An absolutely gripping and emotional page turner with a brilliant twist by Nicola Marsh
• Border Wars: Inside Trump's Assault on Immigration by Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael Shear
• All the Lives We Never Lived: A Novel by Anuradha Roy
• A Checklist for Murder: The True Story of Robert John Peernock by Anthony Flacco
• Blood Games: A True Account of Family Murder by Jerry Bledsoe
• Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine
• The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It by Marcia Angell
• Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead by Jim Mattis and Bing West
• Where the River Runs by Patti Callahan Henry
• Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen

Lynn's List (October 4, 2019)

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

• Nora Roberts The Sign of Seven Trilogy (Sign of Seven Trilogy) by Nora Roberts
• Public Secrets: A Novel by Nora Roberts
• Sanctuary by Nora Roberts
• Sarah, Plain and Tall Complete Collection by Patricia Maclachlan
• The Suspicion Series Volume One: Suspicion of Innocence, Suspicion of Guilt, and Suspicion of Deceit (The Suspicion Series) by Barbara Parker
• The Suspicion Series Volume Two: Suspicion of Betrayal, Suspicion of Malice, and Suspicion of Vengeance (The Suspicion Series) by Barbara Parker
• The Suspicion Series Volume Three: Suspicion of Madness and Suspicion of Rage (The Suspicion Series) by Barbara Parker
• Of Long Memory: Mississippi and the Murder of Medgar Evers by Adam Nossiter
• Running North: A Yukon Adventure by Ann Mariah Cook
• Random Winds by Belva Plain
• The Divorce: A gripping psychological thriller with a fantastic twist by Victoria Jenkins
• That Day You Left by Dorothy Koomson
• New South African Review 6: The Crisis Of Inequality by Sarah Mosoetsa and others
• Resistance: In a Nazi-Occupied Ireland, Where Would You Stand? by Brian Gallagher
• Private Lies: A compelling novel of family secrets, romance and self-discovery (Fortune's Daughters Trilogy Ser.) by Muna Shehadi
• Baltimore Blues: The First Tess Monaghan Novel (Tess Monaghan #1) by Laura Lippman
• Food or War by Julian Cribb

Lynn's List (September 27, 2019)

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

• The Last 100 Days: The Tumultuous and Controversial Story of the Final Days of World War II in Europe (Modern Library War) by John Toland
• The Orchard by Theresa Weir
• One Fine Day (Molly #2) by Theresa Weir
• The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff
• The Obamas by Jodi Kantor
• She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
• The Institute: A Novel by Stephen King
• Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story Of How The Wildest Man In Congress And A Rogue Cia Agent Changed The History Of Our Times by George Crile
• The Longest Year: America at War and at Home in 1944 by Victor Brooks
• Stilwell the Patriot: Vinegar Joe, the Brits, and Chiang Kai-Shek by John S. Major and David Rooney
• No Substitute for Victory: Successful American Military Strategies from the Revolutionary War to the Present Day by David Rigby
• 1941: The America That Went to War by William M. Christie
• With Wings As Eagles: The Eighth Air Force in World War II by Philip Kaplan
• Baker Chocolate Company, The: A Sweet History by Anthony M. Sammarco
• The World Crisis, 1911–1914 (Winston Churchill World Crisis Collection #1) by Winston S. Churchill
• The World Crisis, Vol. 2 (Winston Churchill World Crisis Collection #2) by Winston S. Churchill
• The World Crisis, Vol. 3 Part 1 and Part 2 (Winston Churchill World Crisis Collection #3) by Winston S. Churchill
• The World Crisis, Vol. 1: The Aftermath (Winston Churchill World Crisis Collection #4) by Winston S. Churchill
• The World Crisis, Vol. 1: The Eastern Front (Winston Churchill World Crisis Collection #5) by Winston S. Churchill
• History of the Twentieth Century: The Concise Edition Of The Acclaimed World History by Martin Gilbert
• The Will of the People by Martin Gilbert
• The Story of the Jewish People: Letters to Auntie Fori by Martin Gilbert
• Never Again: A History of the Holocaust by Martin Gilbert
• The Holocaust: The Human Tragedy by Martin Gilbert
• Auschwitz and the Allies: A Devastating Account of How the Allies Responded to the News of Hitler's Mass Murder by Martin Gilbert
• Red Rain: A Novel by R. L. Stine
• The Tea Planter's Wife: A Novel by Dinah Jefferies
• Her Father's House: A Novel by Belva Plain
• I Could Never Be So Lucky Again: An Autobiography by Carroll V. Glines and James Doolittle
• Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts
• The Sun Coast Chronicles by Terri Blackstock
• The Seasons Collection: Seasons Under Heaven, Showers in Season, Times and Seasons, Season of Blessing by Beverly Lahaye and Terri Blackstock
• The Cape Refuge Collection: Cape Refuge, Southern Storm, River's Edge, Breaker's Reef by Terri Blackstock
• The Newpointe 911 Collection: Private Justice, Shadow of Doubt, Word of Honor, Trial by Fire, Line of Duty by Terri Blackstock
• The Moonlighters Collection: Truth Stained Lies, Distortion, Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock
• The Definitive FDR: The Soldier of Freedom (1940–1945) (Roosevelt) by James Macgregor Burns
• The Kat Bronsky Thrillers: The Last Hostage and Blackout (The Kat Bronsky Thrillers #1) by John J. Nance
• Strands of Truth by Colleen Coble
• Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
• The Charlestown Mysteries: Books 1 and 2 by Tom MacDonald
• When the Clouds Fell from the Sky: A Daughter's Search for Her Father in the Killing Fields of Cambodia by Robert Carmichael
• Once Shadows Fall (A Jack Kale and Beth Sturgis Mystery #1) by Robert Daniels
• Last Girl Gone (A Laura Chambers Novel) by J. Hetherton
• On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein
• 24/6: The Power of Unplugging One Day a Week by Tiffany Shlain
• The Need: A Novel by Helen Phillips
• Memories of the Future: A Novel by Siri Hustvedt
• From a Dead Sleep (The\sean Coleman Thriller Ser. #1) by John A. Daly
• Anytime Soon (Anaya's World #1) by Tamika Christy
• Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
• Return to Earth by Buzz Aldrin and Wayne Warga
• The Wall by Mary Roberts Rinehart
• The Wolf and the Watchman: A Novel by Niklas Natt och Dag
• Such Good Work: A Novel by Johannes Lichtman

Review: The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff recounts the event of September 11, 2001, in vivid and graphic detail. It is, as the title states, an oral history of events of that day, when terrorism came to America, in a way not seen before or since.

This is by far the best book I have read concerning 9/11. I say that because it provides a word picture of that day from several angles, if you will. What struck me, as I read this book, is how no one was prepared to deal with the terror and the uncharted waters of coping with the magnitude of it all. And people stepped up and just did what they had to do.

A word of warning: If you are bothered by graphic description, this may not be the book for you. There is no sugar coating of death or destruction in these pages. Reality is front and center. I am so grateful to all those who have taken the time and trouble to preserve this oral history, and to Mr. Graff for bringing it all together in this historic work.

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Review: The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine

The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine by Gregg Olsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On May 2, 1972, 174 miners went to work, as usual, in Kellogg, Idaho, at the Sunshine Mine. Though mineral mining is a risky job, no one expected a major fire in a hard rock mine such as this. Because of the pattern of smoke, and the slow response of mining company personnel, many of the miners who became trapped and lost their lives were caught off guard. There were questions about a lack of functioning rescue equipment and lack of proper training in its use. Some miners made it out before the toxic smoke got too bad. Many did not. Two remained alive and trapped for several days on one of the deep dark lower levels of the mine. This book tells the story of the disaster and the people who survived and those who did not.

I found this book terribly sad, yet fascinating. I came away with a better understanding of the risks many workers take each day as they go about earning a living. It also gave me a greater appreciation for first responders who also put their lives on the line for others. This was an interesting and informative read.

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Review: A Faint Cold Fear

A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dr. Sara Linton and her ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, investigate a series of supposed suicides at the local college in "A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3)" by Karin Slaughter. And, Lena Adams finds herself wight in the middle of the investigation, as a probable suspect this time.

As with the previous two book in the Grant County series, Karin Slaughter does not disappoint. The thrills and chills just keep on coming. If you are bothered by graphic detail, however, this may not be a read for you.

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Lynn's List (September 20, 2019)

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

• The Good Father: A Novel by Diane Chamberlain
• A Faint Cold Fear: A Grant County Thriller (Grant County Mysteries #3) by Karin Slaughter
• Kate Chase, Dominant Daughter: The Life Story of a Brilliant Woman and Her Famous Father by Mary Merwin Phelps
• The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB by Milton Bearden and James Risen
• The Generals: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, and the Winning of World War II by Winston Groom
• 9/12: The Epic Battle of the Ground Zero Responders by William H. Groner and Tom Teicholz
• Just Jackie: Her Private Years (Core Ser.) by Edward Klein
• The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine by Gregg Olsen
• American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II by Jonathan W. Jordan
• Girls Like Us: The Amazing New Thriller From The Author Of The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger
• On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein
• Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry
• In Jerusalem: Three Generations of an Israeli Family and a Palestinian Family by Lis Harris
• Think Black: A Memoir by Clyde W. Ford
• Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trump's War on the FBI by Josh Campbell
• The Stranger Inside: A Novel by Lisa Unger
• Elevator Pitch: A Novel by Linwood Barclay
• Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge And A Model For America's Future by Pete Buttigieg
• 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder: Effective Strategies from Therapeutic Practice and Personal Experience (8 Keys to Mental Health) (8 Keys to Mental Health #0) by Carolyn Costin Babette Rothschild and Gwen Schubert Grabb
• Close To Me: A stunning new psychological drama with twists that will shock you! by Amanda Reynolds
• Betray Her: The gripping new psychological thriller that you'll be obsessed with by Caroline England
• The Making of a Justice: Reflections on My First 94 Years by John Paul Stevens
• If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin
• In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect by Ronald Kessler
• The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir by Samantha Power
• Bound for the Promised Land: Portrait of an American Hero by Kate Clifford Larson
• The Lies We Tell (The Undertaker's Daughter) by Debra Webb
• Home Front Girls by Loretta Nyhan and Suzanne Hayes
• The Triangle Fire, the Protocols of Peace, and Industrial Democracy in Progressive Era New York by Richard Greenwald
• This We Know: A Chronology Of The Shootings At Kent State, May 1970 by Laura Davis, Carole Barbato and Mark Seeman
• Warnings: The True Story of how Science tamed the Weather by Mike Smith
• The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I by Michael Foreman
• The Rise and Fall of America's Concentration Camp Law: Civil Liberties Debates from the Internment to McCarthyism and the Radical 1960s (Asian American History & Cultu) by Masumi Izumi
• Crossing: A Transgender Memoir by Deirdre N. McCloskey
• Emerson: The Mind on Fire by Robert D. Richardson Jr.
• When Women Won The Vote: The Final Decade, 1910-1920 (Critical Moments in American History) by Sandra Opdycke
• And Then You Were Gone: A Novel by R. Jacobs
• Before She Was Found: A Novel (Harlequin Audio Ser.) by Heather Gudenkauf
• Girls of Summer: In their Own League by Lois Browne
• Battle Cry by Leon Uris
• Mila 18 by Leon Uris

Review: Kisscut

Kisscut by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Doctor Sara Linton and Chief Jeffrey Tolliver find themselves drawn into solving a horrific crime in "Kisscut," the second book of the Grant County series. On a Saturday night, not unlike all other Saturday nights at the local skating rink, a teen age girl is shot by Chief Tolliver, and, after, there is an even more grizzly discovery--one that leads to more and more crimes. Step by step, Sarah and Jeffrey begin to put the pieces together, and Detective Lena Adams begins to try and reclaim her life after her recent trauma she experienced in the first book of the series.

There is nothing quite like a Karin Slaughter book when it comes to thrillers. Fast-paced is an understatement, and the characters are fascinating in personality. I'm hooked on the Grant County series, no question.

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Review: Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church

Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church by Peter Fox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The world is a better place because of people like Peter Fox who care enough to speak out for people who may not be able to speak for themselves. in "Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church," Peter Fox, Former Detective Chief Inspector in the Hunter region of Australia, spoke out publicly concerning the sexual abuse and years of cover-up of these crimes by the Catholic Church. And, for his trouble, he was subjected to ridicule by many, especially by others within the police force--many of whom chose to support the Catholic Church, no matter what.

The subject of abuse of children in the Church--not just the Catholic Church--has interested me for years, so I was very interested in reading this book. It is a most detailed account of the author's experiences as an investigator, and provides detailed profiles of many victims and perpetrators. The extent of the abuse and the ensuing cover-up often extends for decades and decades. The failure of the Church and individuals to recognize the extent of the evil is absolutely astounding to me. This book opened my eyes, in so many ways, to the extent some will go to deny and cover-up evil. It was a very emotional read, but I am glad I read this book. I came away better informed and more aware.

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Review: The Women of the Copper Country

The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell is a historical account of the 1913 strike against the largest copper mining company in the world, lead by Annie Clements, a young woman in her mid twenties with know political experience or preparation for the task--and yet, she stepped up and inspired copper miners and their families to strike for better wages and working conditions.

I found this book totally enthralling and inspiring. It is difficult to imagine how families kept going during the strike, and even before. The working and living conditions were what I can only characterize as brutal. This is in total contrast to today's many excesses in America. Fully deserving of 5 of 5 stars. An excellent read.

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Lynn's List (September 13, 2019)

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

• Wunderland: A Novel by Jennifer Cody Epstein
• A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction by Stephen Fried and Patrick J. Kennedy
• The Conspiracy (Maximum Security #1) by Kat Martin
• Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry
• Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller
• Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir by Clint Hill and Lisa Mccubbin
• Fraud of the Century: Rutherford B. Hayes, Samuel Tilden, and the Stolen Election of 1876 by Roy Morris Jr.
• The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to Jon Benet Ramsey, The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds New Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away (Lisa Drew Bks.) by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker
• CoDex 1962: A Trilogy by Victoria Cribb and Sjón
• The Weight of a Feather: A Mother's Journey Through the Opiates Addiction Crisis by Lynda Hacker Araoz
• The Undiscovered Country: A Novel by Mike Nemeth
• The American President: A Complete History by Kathryn Moore
• The Big Free: A Novel by Martha B. Boone
• Eat Wheat: A Scientific and Clinically-Proven Approach to Safely Bringing Wheat and Dairy Back Into Your Diet by John Douillard
• Here and Now and Then: A Novel by Mike Chen
• November Road: A Novel by Lou Berney
• The Woman Upstairs: A completely gripping psychological thriller packed with twists by Ruth Heald
• Tiny House: Live Small, Dream Big by Brent Heavener
• Walking Towards Thunder: The true story of a whistleblowing cop who took on corruption and the Church by Peter Fox
• The War Outside by Monica Hesse
• Own It.: Make Your Anxiety Work for You by Caroline Foran
• His Secret Family: An absolutely emotional page turner by Ali Mercer
• Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi
• Lyndon B. Johnson and the Transformation of American Politics (Library of American Biography Series) by John Bullion
• Because You're Mine: A Novel by Rea Frey
• It Rained Warm Bread: Moishe Moskowitz's Story of Hope by Hope Anita Smith and Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet
• Keeping Lucy: A Novel by T. Greenwood
• The Murder List: A Novel of Suspense by Hank Phillippi Ryan
• Kill Zone: A High-Tech Thriller by Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason
• Everything I Never Told You: A Novel by Celeste Ng

Lynn's List (September 6, 2019)

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

• Chowderland: Hearty Soups & Stews with Sides & Salads to Match by Brooke Dojny
• Missing Daughter by Rick Mofina
• Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider
• Quakers and Mysticism: Comparative and Syncretic Approaches to Spirituality (Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Mysticism) by Jon R. Kershner
• If I Don't Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings by Amye Archer
• Fractured: A Novel by Tamar Ossowski
• The Glass Woman: A Novel by Caroline Lea
• Cold Storage: A Novel by David Koepp
• Now You See Me: A Novel by Chris McGeorge
• Home Front Girls by Loretta Nyhan and Suzanne Hayes
• Courage to Say No: A Pakistani Female Doctor's Battle Against Sexual Exploitation by Raana Mahmood
• The Third Daughter: A Novel by Talia Carner
• After the Flood: A Novel by Kassandra Montag
• Freedom: The Overthrow Of The Slave Empires by James Walvin
• Unbreakable: The Woman Who Defied The Nazis In The World's Most Dangerous Horse Race by Richard Askwith
• A Polar Affair: Antarctica's Forgotten Hero And The Secret Love Lives Of Penguins by Lloyd Spencer Davis
• The Golden State: A Novel by Lydia Kiesling
• Detain and Punish: Haitian Refugees and the Rise of the World's Largest Immigration Detention System by Carl Lindskoog
• Shark Trouble: True Stories and Lessons About the Sea by Peter Benchley
• Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
• The Liberators: America’s Witnesses to the Holocaust by Michael Hirsh
• City of the Sun: A Novel (Frank Behr #1) by David Levien

Review: The Passengers by John Marrs

Title: The Passengers
Author: John Marrs
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: August 27, 2019 (first published April 1st 2019)
Edition: ebook (352 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Science Fiction
• Thriller

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine: You come out of your house and get into your self-driving autonomous car which is supposed to take you to your programmed destination. Suddenly, you discover, not only are you not traversing the programmed route, but you can do nothing to change the destination or stop the vehicle--and then you're told you're going to die. And to make matters worse, the vehicle's doors are locked, so you are trapped, awaiting your fate.

This book was riveting from the first page onward. The characters were fascinating, the plot inventive but not unrealistic, and the ethical issues presented go far beyond those related to just those one would think about with respect to self-driving vehicles. I will have to reread this book again to absorb the full depth of the ethical dilemmas presented here. A disturbing, yet excellent, read! I highly recommend it.

Lynn's List (August 30, 2019)

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

• Dirty Little Secret: Wild Rose Ranch (Wild Rose #1) by Jennifer Ryan
• The Tenth Muse: A Novel by Catherine ChunG
• Everything She Forgot: A Novel by Lisa Ballantyne
• Silent Night: An absolutely gripping crime thriller by Geraldine Hogan
• Passion on Park Avenue (The Central Park Pact #1) by Lauren Layne
• The Light Over London by Julia Kelly
• Desperate Girls by Laura Griffin
• Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong
• Faithful: A Novel by Alice Hoffman
• Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women by Sarah Bessey and Rachel Held Evans
• Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead--My Life Story by Cecile Richards
• Tiffany Blues: A Novel by M. J. Rose
• The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark
• Far Gone by Laura Griffin
• About Grace: A Novel by Anthony Doerr
• The Woman in the Park by Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist
• Unbeaten: Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection in a Crooked World by Mike Stanton
• Daughter of Moloka'i: A Novel (Moloka'i) by Alan Brennert
• The Parking Lot Attendant: A Novel by Nafkote Tamirat
• The Removes: A Novel by Tatjana Soli
• Ordinary Grace: A Novel by William Kent Krueger
• Save the Hostages by David Reed
• Kisscut (Grant County Series #2) by Karin Slaughter
• Crimes of the Father: A Novel by Thomas Keneally
• The FastDiet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting (Atria Espanol Ser.) by Mimi Spencer and Michael Mosley
• The Passengers by John Marrs
• Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America by Christopher Leonard
• The Freedom Writers Diary (Movie Tie-in Edition): How A Teacher And 150 Teens Used Writing To Change Themselves And The World Around Them by Erin Gruwell
• Invisible: A Novel (Paul McGrath #1) by Andrew Grant
• Annelies: A Novel by David R. Gillham
• The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty by Lawrence Otis Graham
• A Good Woman: A Novel (Playaway Adult Fiction Ser.) by Danielle Steel
• Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church by Philip Yancey
• The Good Detective (A P.T. Marsh Novel #1) by John McMahon
• The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro
• The Dancing Girls: An absolutely gripping crime thriller with nail-biting suspense (Detective Jo Fournier Ser. #Vol. 1) by M. M. Chouinard
• The Last Thing She Told Me: A heart-wrenching story about the secrets families keep... by Linda Green
• While My Eyes Were Closed: The #1 Bestseller by Linda Green
• The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator by Timothy Winegard
• Quiet Neighbors: A Novel by Catriona McPherson
• Resistance Women: A Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini
• On the Edge of Nowhere by James Huntington

Review: Failure is not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Kranz

Title: Failure is not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
Author: Gene Kranz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 21, 2001 (first published January 7th 2000)
Edition: Kindle (416 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Memoir
• History
• Space Exploration

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Gene Kranz tells a riveting story of his experiences as NAASA beginning in the early days of space flight and the space race to get to the moon, culminating as a Flight Director for several missions. He shared his experiences working and interacting with astronauts and others involved in the space program during his nearly three and a half decades at NAASA.

What impressed me about this book is its detail, and also the number of close calls experienced by mission participants--most notable, of course, is the near disaster of the Apollo 13 event. This book will be added to my reread list. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in space flight.

Review: Blindsighted (Grant County #1) by Karin Slaughter

Title: Blindsighted (Grant County #1)
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: May 26, 2015 (first published May 1st 2001)
Edition: ebook (464 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Crime Fiction
• Thriller

Literary Awards:

• Barry Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2002)
• Macavity Award Nominee for Best First Mystery Novel (2002)

Series: Grant County #1
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Police Chief, Jeffrey Tolliver, and Dr. Sara Linton, now divorced, team up to solve the murders of women in a small Georgia town. The crimes are horrific, and not even the police department is left unscathed. The first murder is that of a police detective's sister.

There is something for every reader here. Murder. Complex relationships. Unbridled emotion. Passion. Love. Hate. Outrage. Tragedy. A great beginning to what promises to be a great series. Karin Slaughter has me moving on to the next book without hesitation.

Review: Triptych (Will Trent, #1) by Karin Slaughter

Title: Triptych (Will Trent, #1)
Author: Karin Slaughter
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: August 15, 2006
Edition: ebook (400 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Crime Fiction
• Thriller

Series: Will Trent #1
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is investigating the deaths of several young girls. He believes they are connected, and he is determined to help police Detective, Michael Ormewood, solve these crimes. But, even the people Will works with are not without secrets and secret lives. In fact, some might even be deadly!

This is a great story! When you start reading, you find yourself immersed in an intricate web of secrets and betrayal that will keep you reading from the first page to the last. I read this book without realizing it was connected to Karin Slaughter's Grant County series, so I'm going to read that before returning to Will Trent.