This was a reading suggestion from another person. It is wonderful to share great reads on Litsy and in RL. After reading this prequel I am excited to check out the series. I suddenly want to be a teenage assassin.

We did have Eve and Joe but the main storyline is all about Cara and Jock. Cara hasn't been written with as much strength and fortitude as Eve or other leading females in Johansen's work so having her turning the tables on the villain lacked something. Looking forward to the next Kendra novel and of course Eve.

This was a lovely novel. Although the character of Arthur is idealized he is the heart of the new family he welcomes into his home just over a year after his beloved wife dies. Maddy is the artistic young woman he meets at the cemetery and who desperately needs a friend. Lucille is the lonely neighbor, unlucky in love and looking to bake her way into your heart. They form an unlikely family that inspires us all to love and accept everyone.

Funny and edgy. I don‘t usually like to listen to audio but listening to someone tell their own story is impactful. Be warned. It is a sad, uplifting and raunchy memoir.

A teen searching for cultural identity while living in foster care. The hurt, anger and pain was difficult and unrelenting. Important but tough read and therefore only a so-so rating I recommend it but be prepared.

“You never listen,” she said, and these were her final words.

An empowering story for all kids. I understand the reason to repeat the dismissive words Katherine may have heard many times as she pursued her dream of running but it felt too negative by far. Nevertheless it is a winning book and tells an important but lesser known story.

"I have been unhappy for many years now."

A lot to recommend this one but it didn‘t quite work for me. A cozy with no humour and not enough of a mystery to keep me guessing. Perhaps Maisie needed a kitten to demand her attention when she took herself too seriously?

I have been putting this off for years mostly due to the off-putting cover. I hope the quote on the cover from the NYT is not all hyperbole but three chapters in and I need a cuppa.

Haunting and beautiful. I do not have sisters of my own so longed for them while reading this work. Thankful for the women who have become my sisters over the years. It is painful to constantly be reminded that greed is and always will be such a powerful weapon especially when wielded against the poor and vulnerable.

"Our understanding of Leonardo's life and work rarely becomes more than a pool of theories, surrounded by a tangle of conjecture, suspended from a geometry of clues."

I have not read any other works by Älexander McCall Smith but did not want to read from the No. 1 Ladies‘ Detective Agency series. Unfortunately this title didn‘t quite work for me. There were some glimmers of humor but the abundance of reserved yet yammering character types left me cold.

"Being Swedish was not always easy, but you had to do your best, and hope that you didn't slip, and become...well Mediterranean in outlook."

Breezy mystery. A bevy of suspects and likable characters except for the victim. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Copious cat cuteness. It is a fun set of essays that many cat lovers can appreciate. Others may just ask “why?!”

At the end an enjoyable read. Strong characters but would have appreciated more Vivien and less Dorothy. Did guess the plot twist early on but it was not too predictable. It is a pick but not a must read.

Half way through and becoming disenchanted with 1941 Dolly. There are definitely hints about a plot twist that may be fun to explore but it is hard to wait for it. Perhaps Vivien will be more likable?

It‘s a pick. This work didn‘t have the emotional punch of Blood Water Paint by McCullough but it did tell the story of Joan of Arc in a compelling and beautiful way. I loved the shape poetry, the use of the transcripts from the trials and the shifting narrators. Some of the prose seemed a bit forced but it was wonderfully creative.

“...: a girl who dared to live the life of a brave and honest man.”

“I saw my mark and I went deep.”

“The flames will rise. And I will burn...My name is Joan, but I am called the Maid.”

“..., I was burning; she was my darling, my future, my fuel. I wanted to set her afire right then.”

Just flipping through the pages and I can not wait!

Is it a realistic fantasy? Science fiction highlighting near future social issues? A story of love and loss? I shared a few quotes that were especially poignant to me and expressed the heart of this work. It is a little difficult to describe but I do encourage anyone to walk through the door to see what it is all about.

"We are all migrants through time."

(Image credit Shutterstock.com 1060908011)

"...the calm that is called the calm before the storm, but is in reality the foundation of a human life, waiting there for us between the steps of our march to our mortality, when we are compelled to pause and not act but be."

"..., but they did not see each other,...and they were each at the crest of the hill only briefly, and at different times."

"..., and so by making the promise he demanded she make she was in a sense killing him, but that is the way of things, for when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind."

Third in the series and time to step away. Although all the boxes were checked for a fun genre read there seemed to be some glaring errors in the text. Does that come from too many male characters with names that begin with a "J"? Sadly I won't get to learn how the original members of the Krewe fair in the coupling department but I have a few more hopefully better edited titles to read.

Book 2 in the series. I enjoyed the plantation setting and the no longer a rebel ghost.
1. Current murder- Check!
2. A history and mystery to be solved-Check!
3. Romance-Check!
All in good fun.

I like the Kay Hooper series based upon a similar premise so thought I would check out the Krewe of Hunters series while on vacation this past week. Phantom of Evil is the first. It worked for me. The ghosts were merely supportive players and the mystery had a few twists and turns before it's satisfying conclusion.

This was great fun. I needed something hopeful after my last read. My first Matt de la Pena. (Sorry, I am unable to add the tilde). Looking forward to reading more by this author and more titles in the DC Icon series. I am a fan of Superman in all of his iterations.

I appreciated more than enjoyed this novel. The short chapters made it easy to stop and start. I needed the break. Although there was beauty I kept hoping there would be some snippet of joy to make it all worthwhile.

With you alone I spoke
what no one else can guess.
On never-ending roads
you were my lonliness.

It took some time to adjust to the very measured pacing. But, the slow unveiling of Perveen‘s backstory combined with her first whodunnit legal case provides a solid introduction to a new mystery series. Although I prefer a faster tempo, the pace did give me time to absorb more of the world Perveen inhabits. I had little context to work with but the author gave me a lot without overwhelming me.

The 5 year olds listening said it was a definite “pick”.

"And then there is the wonder of buoyancy..."

Two cold case murder mysteries in one. The 1950 story was especially well done. A chilling and hauntingly good read.

My first taste of Lorna Landvik. Good not great. Characters were not relatable for me but I recognized the 1990's setting and appreciated the lighter tone.

"We may yet discover
The whole country
Will not come back
From the sale of parent
and child." ~The Greatest Personal Privation

Worth a quick read. It includes some of the usual helpful hints to downsize and declutter. I did like it‘s emphasis on attacking the project with empathy for others, scripts to handle the emotions and roles adopted by family and self and to mentally prepare before undertaking a big downsizing project. Now to begin.

Lorna Landvik reminds us that often the only thing you can count on is family and friends. Many of her main characters are filled with acerbic wit and each take turns telling the story sharing surprises and surprising insights along the way.

I can't add much to the many positive reviews from critics and readers alike. It is beautifully written and it will likely touch you in unexpected ways. We know the ending but Paul Kalanithi's work reminds us that it is the journey that has meaning. Our lives are enriched each time we join someone on this journey or begin our own.

The problem, however, eventually became evident: to make science the arbiter of metaphysics is to banish not only God from the world but also love, hate, meaning--to consider a world that is self-evidently not the world we live in.

I was pursuing medicine to bear witness to the twinned mysteries of death...

One of the first times I watched before reading. Amazing how faithful the show Midnight, Texas was to the book. I enjoyed both and plan to read the rest although I may need to give the show a higher rating then the books.

So not really a great read but it definitely causes no little angst.

It took me some time to connect with Eleanor. I am glad I stuck it out with her though. She is abrasive and poignant and learns so much in her journey. As I began the book I asked if the title was a spoiler alert or a misdirection? #titletellsall. Yes and way to bury the lead! Looking forward to my book club members thoughts tonight.

Is it a spoiler alert or just a misdirection? #titletellsall