Lynn's List (June 26, 2020)

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

• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• The Summer House by James Patterson
• Against the Wild by Kat Martin
• The Girl in the Woods by Gregg Olsen
• Countdown to Valkyrie: The July Plot to Assasinate Hitler by Nigel Jones
• The Gritty Gastown Collection: Ride the Lightning, Triggerfish, and The Deadbeat Club by Dietrich Kalteis
• The Shanghai Massacre: China's White Terror, 1927 by Phil Carradice
• Suez: The Double War by Roy Fullick and Geoffrey Powell
• Bad Girls from History: Wicked or Misunderstood? by Dee Gordon
• Combahee River Raid, The: Harriet Tubman & Lowcountry Liberation (Civil War Ser.) by Jeff W. Grigg
• Female Friends: A Novel (Picador Bks.) by Fay Weldon
• Long Summer Day (A Horseman Riding By #1) by R. F. Delderfield
• Part of the Furniture: A Novel (G. K. Hall Core Ser.) by Mary Wesley
• U. S. Grant and the American Military Tradition by Bruce Catton
• Eerie Nights in London: Death Is a Red Rose, Listen to Danger, and Night of the Letter by Dorothy Eden
• Whistle for the Crows by Dorothy Eden
• The Patriot: A Novel by Pearl S. Buck
• Dance of the Dwarfs by Geoffrey Household
• Prince Edward: A Novel by Dennis Mcfarland
• The Far Shore by Edward Ellsberg
• Difficult Daughters: A Novel by Manju Kapur
• A Room with a View: ( Annotated ) 100th Anniversary Collection. An Unabridged Edition by E. M. Forster
• Stranger by the Lake by Jennifer Wilde
• Crazy in Berlin: A Novel (Carlo Reinhart #1) by Thomas Berger
• Places to Stay the Night: A Novel by Ann Hood
• Kill Zone (The Peter Macklin Thrillers #1) by Loren D. Estleman
• The Search for the Green River Killer: The True Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer by Carlton Smith and Tomas Guillen
• Desk 88: Eight Progressive Senators Who Changed America by Sherrod Brown
• The Night Before: A Novel by Wendy Walker
• All Is Not Forgotten: A Novel by Wendy Walker
• The Templar Legacy: A Novel (Cotton Malone #1) by Steve Berry
• You Are Not What You Weigh: End Your War With Food and Discover Your True Value by Lisa Bevere
• The Sunset Sisters: An utterly gripping and emotional page-turner by Cecilia Lyra
• The Secrets She Carried by Barbara Davis
• Can We All Get Along?: Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics by Paula McClain
• We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
• Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee by Bee Wilson
• The Girl from Widow Hills: A Novel by Megan Miranda
• Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy and How to Make It Work for You by Capricia Penavic Marshall
• You Can Go Home Now: A Novel by Michael Elias
• Starting from Seneca Falls by Karen Schwabach
• I Know You Lied: An absolutely addictive and shocking psychological thriller by Lesley Sanderson
• Traces of Mercury by Clark Howard
• The Falling Woman: A Novel by Richard Farrell
• Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted A Faith And Fractured A Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
• Summer at Lake Haven: A Novel (Haven Point) by RaeAnne Thayne
• That Summer in Maine: A Novel by Brianna Wolfson
• The Last Flight: A Novel by Julie Clark
• The Deportation Machine: America's Long History of Expelling Immigrants (Politics and Society in Modern America #137) by Adam Goodman
• Head Over Heels: A Novel by Hannah Orenstein
• The Sullivan Sisters by Kathryn Ormsbee
• What's Left of Me Is Yours: A Novel by Stephanie Scott
• Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City by Wes Moore and Erica L. Green
• A Guide to Eco-Anxiety: How to Protect the Planet and Your Mental Health by Anouchka Grose
• Everyone Knows How Much I Love You: A Novel by Kyle McCarthy
• Empty: A Memoir by Susan Burton
• A Woman Alone by Nina Laurin
• Barcelona Days by Daniel Riley
• Crime and Forgiveness: Christianizing Execution in Medieval Europe by Adriano Prosperi
• Death in Her Hands: A Novel by Ottessa Moshfegh
• Lost River by J. Todd Scott
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski
• The Dutch House: A Novel by Ann Patchett
• The Paris Children: A Novel Of World War 2 by Gloria Goldreich
• Wait! Don't Move to Canada: A Stay-and-fight Strategy To Win Back America by Sam Seder, Bill Scher, and Janeane Garofalo
• There Is No Outside: Covid-19 Dispatches by Verso Books
• All Day I Dream About Sirens by Domenica Martinello
• Shame by Annie Ernaux
• What You Think of Me is None of My Business by Terry Cole-Whittaker
• Black Cat 2-1: The True Story of a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and His Crew by Bob Ford
• Johnny Got His Gun: Johnny Cogió Su Fusil (Film Ink Ser.) by Dalton Trumbo
• The Duchess Of Windsor by Greg King
• I'll Find You by Nancy Bush

Lynn's List (June 19, 2020)

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

• The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
• White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Michael Eric Dyson and Robin DiAngelo
• My Vanishing Country: A Memoir by Bakari Sellers
• The Abduction of Mary Rose by Joan Hall Hovey
• Suzanne by Rhonda Mullins
• Paper Houses by Dominique Fortier
• Three Novels: A Calculated Risk, The Eight, and The Magic Circle by Katherine Neville
• Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
• When She Woke: A Novel (Bride Series) by Hillary Jordan
• Queens of Comedy: Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, Carol Burnett, Joan Rivers, and the New Generation of Funny Women by Susan Horowitz
• Small Hours by Jennifer Kitses
• The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
• City of the Mind by Penelope Lively
• The Nowhere City: A Novel by Alison Lurie
• Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson
• Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump by Mary Jordan
• Sisters and Secrets: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan
• American Immigration: Our History, Our Stories by Kathleen Krull
• Confirmation Bias: Inside Washington's War Over the Supreme Court, from Scalia's Death to Justice Kavanaugh by Carl Hulse
• The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson
• Seven Lies: A Novel by Elizabeth Kay
• The Stone Girl: A Novel by Dirk Wittenborn
• Ghost Road: Beyond The Driverless Car by Anthony M. Townsend
• The Taste of Sugar: A Novel by Marisel Vera
• Saving Ruby King: A Novel by Catherine Adel West
• The White Racial Frame: Centuries of Racial Framing and Counter-Framing by Joe R. Feagin
• The Economics of Belonging: A Radical Plan to Win Back the Left Behind and Achieve Prosperity for All by Martin Sandbu
• The Moral Triangle: Germans, Israelis, Palestinians by Katharina Galor
• Don't Turn Around: A Novel by Jessica Barry
• The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics by Steve Benen
• Who Did You Tell?: A Novel by Lesley Kara
• Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World by Robert M. Gates
• Not a Gentleman's Work: The Untold Story of a Gruesome Murder at Sea and the Long Road to Truth by Gerard Koeppel
• 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrandh
• The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton
• Sarah Bernhardt: The Divine and Dazzling Life of the World's First Superstar by Catherine Reef
• The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope by Munther Isaac
• Sweet Little Lies: A Novel by Caz Frear
• Stone Cold Heart: A Novel by Caz Frear
• Her Pretty Bones: A completely addictive crime thriller with nail-biting suspense (Detective Gina Harte Ser. #Vol. 3) by Carla Kovach
• The Stone and Oliver Series: The Lost, The Insider and The Scandal by Mari Hannah
• The Accusation: An addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Victoria Jenkins
• The Never Never Sisters by L. Alison Heller
• The Lies That Bind: A Novel by Emily Giffin
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Ryan Moore
• Emma in the Night: A Novel by Wendy Walker
• Am I A Murderer?: Testament Of A Jewish Ghetto Policeman by Calel Perechodnik
• Murder along the Yellowstone Trail: The Execution of Seth Danner (True Crime) by Kelly Suzanne Hartman

My review: Daddy's Girls by Danielle Steel

Daddy's Girls by Danielle Steel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Once again my hat is off to Danielle Steel for a superbly crafted story about three sisters who could not be more different. Yet, they are sisters who, above all, love one another. The story opens with a family tragedy and ends with a family triumph, with plenty of ups and downs in between. In the end, I felt a kinship with each of the three sisters and those they loved.

I have been reading Danielle Steel books for decades and have my favorites. I don't think there is anyone quite like her when it comes to telling a story and making the characters come alive as I read. Bravo for this great story. Glad I had tissues handy throughout.

My review: My Vanishing Country: A Memoir by Bakari Sellers

My Vanishing Country: A Memoir by Bakari Sellers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Bakari Sellers is an interesting person and has written an interesting book. A politician who knows who he is, where he's come from, and where he's going.

I chose to read "My Vanishing Country" for several reasons, but primarily because I wanted to learn more about the scourge of poverty in the south. I tend not to focus on the continued need for social justice there, beyond the need for continued efforts to stop the disenfranchisement of African-American voters there, as in other parts of the country.

This book is also a tale of striving, caring, and how both can move you and people ahead. A good read, one which I learned much from.

Lynn's List (June 12, 2020)

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

• Michelle Obama: An American Story (Trade Paper) by David Colbert
• Marrow Island: A Novel by Alexis M. Smith
• Watch Him Die by Craig Robertson
• Bessie's War by Pamela Evans
• Remember Me: You Never Forget Your First Time by Sarah Diamond
• All Fall Down: The Brand New D.I. Helen Grace Thriller by M. J. Arlidge
• The Journey Home by Fiona Hood-Stewart
• Dear Marcus: A Letter to the Man Who Shot Me by Jerry Mcgill
• The Influence Machine: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Capture of American Life by Alyssa Katz
• Obsession: The Fbi's Legendary Profiler Probes The Psyches Of Killers, Rapists, And Stalkers And Their Victims And Tells How To Fight Back by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker
• 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
• Yesterday, I Cried: Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving by Iyanla Vanzant
• Topaz: A Novel (Best-sellers Ser.) by Leon Uris
• Legacy of Hate: A Short History of Ethnic, Religious and Racial Prejudice in America by Philip Perlmutter
• Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Classic Autobiography of Growing Up Poor and Black in the Rural South (Sparknotes Literature Guide Series) by Anne Moody
• New World A-Coming: Black Religion and Racial Identity during the Great Migration by Judith Weisenfeld
• No Ashes in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America by Darnell L Moore
• Daddy's Girls: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America by Michael Eric Dyson
• All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani
• Dance Away with Me: A Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
• The Secret Women: A Novel by Sheila Williams
• Summer and July by Paul Mosier
• If You Never Come Back by Sarah Smith
• Stranger in the Lake: A Novel by Kimberly Belle
• Red Sky Over Hawaii: A Novel by Sara Ackerman
• Half by Sharon Harrigan
• Things Worth Keeping: The Value of Attachment in a Disposable World by Christine Harold
• Safe: A Novel by S. K. Barnett
• The Distant Dead: A Novel by Heather Young
• Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor by Dick Lehr
• Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins
• The Daughters of Erietown: A Novel by Connie Schultz
• All the Way to the Tigers: A Memoir by Mary Morris
• How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales from the Pentagon by Rosa Brooks
• Summer Dream (Seasons of the Heart #1) by Martha Rogers
• Not in Your Lifetime: The Defining Book on the J.F.K. Assassination by Anthony Summers
• Prodigal (Lost and Found #1) by TA Moore
• Place Called Estherville: A Novel by Erskine Caldwell
• Carolina Skeletons: Based on a True Story by David Stout
• Prince William: The Man Who Will Be King by Penny Junor
• The Black Angel: A Novel by Cornell Woolrich
• This Is How It Always Is: A Novel by Laurie Frankel
• The Winter's Child by Cassandra Parkin
• Before It's Too Late: Shocking. Page-Turning. Crime Thriller with DI Will Jackman (The DI Will Jackman Thrillers #1) by Jane Isaac
• Lacey's House: A Poignant Story Of Love, Loss And The Lies We Tell by Joanne Graham
• River People (River Women #1) by Margaret Lukas
• The Forty-Day Word Fast: A Spiritual Journey to Eliminate Toxic Words From Your Life by Tim Cameron
• Own Your Self: The Surprising Path beyond Depression, Anxiety, and Fatigue to Reclaiming Your Authenticity, Vitality, and Freedom by Kelly Brogan
• A Burning: A novel by Megha Majumdar
• The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion by Matt Taibbi
• Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin
• The Inventory: A Novel by Gila Lustiger
• After the Fire: A Novel (Lyons Press Series) by Daniel Robinson
• Saint Peter's Snow: A Novel by Leo Perutz
• Invisible Men: A Contemporary Slave Narrative in the Era of Mass Incarceration by Robin D. Kelley and Flores A. Forbes
• A Tale of Two Citizens: A Novel by Elyce Wakerman
• Bernie Sanders: In His Own Words: 250 Quotes from America's Political Revolutionary by Robert Reich, Chamois Holschuh and Walker Bragman
• Without a Country: The Untold Story of America's Deported Veterans by J. Malcolm Garcia
• Safer Skies: An Accident Investigator on Why Planes Crash and the State of Aviation Safety by Ozzie Cheek
• Beneath the Surface: My Story by Michael Phelps, Bob Costas and Brian Cazeneuve
• Love Is Not Enough: A Mother's Memoir of Autism, Madness, and Hope by Jennifer Hawkins and Jenny Lexhed
• Bat out of Hell: An Eco-Thriller by Alan Gold

My review: The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years Of Panic, Hysteria, And Hubris by Mark Honigsbaum

The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris by Mark Honigsbaum

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The current outbreak of Covid-19 has prompted me to read several titles about pandemics. The subject interests me greatly. This book is the latest one I've read. It has plenty to recommend it. Mark Honigsbaum traces the history of various pandemics and outbreaks around the world, going into much detail about several of them.

What I found particularly fascinating is his exploration of not only the scientific aspect of these outbreaks of disease, but also the politics reflected in the recognition and handling of them. There is a full chapter on Covid-19 also, which I found to be of particular interest. An excellent and informative read, if the topic interests you.

My review: Floodtide: A novel of Alpennia by Heather Rose Jones

Floodtide: A novel of Alpennia by Heather Rose Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I purchased this book as part of a bundle offered by storybundle.com. It is the fourth book in the Alpennia series, and I wondered if I would have difficulty making sense out of it since I have not yet read the previous titles in the series. I needn't have worried.

This book is part historical novel and part fantasy, with just the right amount of magic in the mix. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Heather Rose Jones has crafted a wonderful tale of love, loss and triumph over disaster. Despite its name, Alpennia is a very realistic place. And, if you'll forgive an intentional play on words, very realistic charms and great characters. Roz has come to the city to make her way and send money home to her family. She has ambitions beyond her work as a laundry maid. This is her journey, with many twists and turns along the way.

I am so glad I happened upon this book, and will definitely read more by Heather Rose Jones, not only because of the storyline, but also because this book nudged me out of my comfort zone in terms of genre.

Lynn's List (June 5, 2020)

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

• Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family And The Making Of Modern India by Sujatha Gidla
• How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown
• The Money Class: How to Stand in Your Truth and Create the Future You Deserve by Suze Orman
• Flu: The Story Of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It by Gina Kolata
• Crazy Horse: The Lakota Warrior's Life & Legacy by The Edward Clown Family
• Hideaway by Rochelle Alers
• Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior
• The First Mistake: A Gripping Psychological Thriller About Trust And Lies From The Author Of The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
• The Last Place You Look: A Mystery (Roxane Weary #1) by Kristen Lepionka
• What You Want to See: A Roxane Weary Novel (Roxane Weary #2) by Kristen Lepionka
• Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness by Jennifer Berry Hawes
• Hideaway: A Novel by Nora Roberts
• A Week at the Shore: A Novel by Barbara Delinsky
• Pelosi by Molly Ball
• The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America's 16th President--and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch
• Last Girls by Demetra Brodsky
• Strange Hotel: A Novel by Eimear McBride
• The Paris Hours: A Novel by Alex George
• Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez by Jose Baez, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez and George Willis
• The Lonely Life: An Autobiography by Bette Davis
• Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers
• Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum
• Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life by Amber Scorah
• All Adults Here: A Novel by Emma Straub
• Where the Bodies Lie by Mark Lisac
• Priced Out: The Economic and Ethical Costs of American Health Care by Uwe E. Reinhardt
• Blackbirds: A Novel (Blackbirds Series #1) by Garry Ryan
• Friendly Fire (Nunatak First Fiction Series #42) by Lisa Guenther
• Court of Injustice: Law Without Recognition in U.S. Immigration by J.C. Salyer
• Seven Years of Darkness: A Novel by You-Jeong Jeong
• The Choice by Gillian McAllister
• A Convenient Death: The Mysterious Demise of Jeffrey Epstein by Daniel Halper and Alana Goodman
• The Yield: A Novel by Tara June Winch
• The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Julie Schwietert Collazo and Rosayra Pablo Cruz
• One by One by One: Making a Small Difference Amid a Billion Problems by Aaron Berkowitz
• Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters: A Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini
• The Lehman Trilogy: A Novel by Stefano Massini
• The Lies That Bind: A Novel by Emily Giffin
• Say I'm Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets, and Love by E. Dolores Johnson
• Lone Star Promises by Brenda Minton
• Peril on the Ranch by Nicole Helm
• Solitude Creek by Jeffery Deaver
• Missing, Presumed: A Novel (Manon Bradshaw #1) by Susie Steiner
• The Devil's Breath: The Story of the Hillcrest Mine Disaster of 1914 by Steve Hanon
• The COVID-19 Catastrophe: What's Gone Wrong and How to Stop It Happening Again by Richard Horton
• The Grief Journal by Wisnu Meier
• The Vanishing Half: A Novel by Brit Bennett
• A Thousand Tomorrows by Karen Kingsbury
• The Pentagon's Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top-Secret Military Research Agency by Annie Jacobsen
• When the Wind Blows (When the Wind Blows #1) by James Patterson
• A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty: A Novel (Playaway Adult Fiction Ser.) by Joshilyn Jackson
• The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do by Daniel Woodrell
• Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
• The Moores Are Missing by James Patterson
• To the Bright Edge of the World: A Novel by Eowyn Ivey
• Mount Misery: A Novel by Angelo Peluso
• Requiem for a Lost Empire: A Novel by Andreï Makine
• Assignment: Oswald by Thomas Hosty and James P. Hosty
• Mandela: His Life and Legacy for South Africa and the World by Bob Crew
• Fall from Grace: The Truth and Tragedy of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson by Tim Hornbaker
• A Real Emotional Girl: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Tanya Chernov
• One Perfect Day: A Mother and Son's Story of Adoption and Reunion by Diane Burke and Steve Orlandi