May Books

 The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler -- Sienna returns home and finds a murder investigation has recently been reopened. She was dressed like the young lady who was killed, and often wondered if she were the intended target. 

The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson -- I thought about not finishing this book when I had read a third of it. It was OK, but I was having trouble keeping up with all the people. Then I decided to keep reading for a while longer and finished the book that night. Bea and Selene are best friends from Boston who travel to neutral Portugal during World War II. There they get involved in spying for the Allied side. Pretty good. 

Sweet Vidalia by Lisa Sandlin -- After Eliza's husband dies and she's left in a precarious financial situation, she is advised to rent out her house and live with one of her children. But Eliza doesn't want to live with her grown children and decides to take a course at the local business school and live at a place with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette. Yep, it's the Sweet Vidalia for her. There and at her school she meets some interesting characters and makes new friends. Pretty cute story. 

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor -- I saw somewhere that this was the first in the Franklin Warren series. As such, Detective Warren has recently moved to a small town in Vermont where he's put to work investigating the death of an ornery ol' cuss, Hugh Weber. Was this a suicide or murder? 

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney -- Grady is an author who wants to celebrate his success with his wife, but as she drives home from the fish-and-chips shop, she stops for a person lying in the road. Then Abby disappears. About a year later, Grady's agent sent him off to a remote isle called Amberly where he meets some of the twenty-five residents and thinks he sees his missing wife.

The Names by Florence Knapp -- Cora is going to register her son's birth and hates the fact that her little boy will be yet another Gordon. She dreams of naming him Julian while her daughter Maia loves the name Bear. This book imagines what happens if Cora defies her husband and follows her heart or does as her daughter suggests. It also takes into account Cora following the demands of her controlling husband. Three scenarios viewed from years apart. An interesting and somewhat unique book! 

The Book for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick -- Margaret, Charlotte, Viv, and Bitsy bond over a book by Betty Friedman so they refer to themselves as "the Bettys." The ladies meet for book club and other times, and share life experiences and struggles and successes. 

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen -- Last month I mentioned reading book 2 in the Martini Club series so I wanted to read the first book so I'd know more about these characters. This one focuses on Maggie living in Maine, raising her chickens, but a woman is killed and left on her property. This book explores Maggie's past as she worked for the Agency. Pretty good. 

The Burning of Rosemont Abbey by Naomi Stephens -- Louisa's twin brother is thought to have burned the abbey, yet she's convinced she knew the moment he had died. Much to the chagrin of her proper aunt and uncle, not to mention the local law enforcement officers, she's determined to find out the truth. 

The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish -- Jamie is a commuter on a river boat, and when his pal Kip doesn't show up, he assumes Kip is skipping work again after a party weekend. This book flashes back to when Clare and Jamie get to know Kip and his girlfriend Melia. 

The Other Woman by Jane Green -- Ellie lost her mom when she was young, and is so excited about gaining a new family when she and Dan marry. Soon she realizes her doting mother in law is a bit much and her husband can hardly say no to his mom. 

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper -- Tildy is cleaning a closet in the library when she discovers a secret room with two stunning dollhouses. In her search to learn more about the creator of these dollhouses, she travels to New Hampshire. The alternate storyline shares the story of Cora as she works in Paris and later England during World War I. 

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak -- Billy is a fourteen year old in 1987, in danger of repeating ninth grade, but with a desire to create video games on his Commodore 64. These were early days for families having their own personal computers, and a rather cute book. I like that the main characters are 14 which is Zach's age as of a couple weeks ago, plus the year 1987 is meaningful to me. And oddly enough this is the 87th book I've read this year. 

Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben -- Sami is a former police officer now investigating for an attorney. Years ago he fled Spain when a lady he met appeared dead and he had woken up with a knife in his hand. Years later he is teaching a criminology class when this lady, Anna, shows up in his class. She flees, and he follows. 

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff -- Did you know the Nazis opened a department store in Paris - the Lévitan - for prisoners to sort items they stole from Jewish families? There prisoners made piles of items to be shipped to Germany and many to be sold to German occupiers in France. This book has alternative stories of Louise and Helaine and their ties to this place. 

The Last Days of Kira Mullan by Nicci French -- If you thought the bulk of these 400+ pages featured Kira Mullan, you'd be wrong. Instead Nancy North is moving to a new flat with her partner. There she meets the other tenants in this residence, and unfortunately her partner, Felix, tells everyone about her recent stay in the mental hospital. When Nancy runs into Kira on what would later be known as her last day, she is convinced that Kira did not die by suicide, but was murdered. But no one takes her seriously. Instead they say she's paranoid and going mad again - and needs to be sectioned (seems this is the English term for being committed to a mental hospital) against her will!  Why will no one look into Kira's death? 

Capture the Moment by Suzanne Woods Fisher -- The first book in a new series: National Park Summers, this story is about Coop who is a high school biology teacher who does seasonal work with the park service. Meanwhile Kate is after the one-in-a-million photograph of the grizzly bear called 399. A nice escape to the Grand Tetons and its stunning scenery, dangers, and a rumor of a poacher! 

Daddy's Gone A Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark -- Kate is meeting a former employee Gus way too early in the morning when an explosion at the business kills Gus and knocks out Kate. Her sister Hannah wonders why Kate was meeting Gus. Did they start the fire in order to hurt Kate and Hannah's father?

Itchy Boots Season 8: Iran to the UAE

 Here are some notes from this season's adventures which so far have been in the Middle East

See this link for notes from the beginning of Season 8

January 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29

We watched episodes 26-32 which took place in Iran and Iraq

Noraly was given the wrong stamp so she wasn't able to get out of Iran right away. Mohammed helped guide her for hours sorting things, and she even stayed with him and his mom overnight. She explored with Mohammed who showed her where Sadaam had hidden at one point from the Americans. (eps. 28) I enjoyed the tour of Baghdad with Aya, a lady who does tours and advertises her business on Instagram. It was interesting seeing Babylon, Saddam's palace, holy sites and Ali's shrine. I enjoyed her visit to Ur, seeing the ziggurats and seeing her interact with lots of nice people. In episode 32 Abu Haider sang to her and she met Marsh Arabs who live where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. 

February 2, 5, 10, 12, 16, 19, 24, 26, 

We watched episodes 33-40 which took place in Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia 

Noraly was able to get Frankie fixed, and I greatly enjoyed her ride in the wadi in Saudi Arabia. It was unlike anything I imagined that country looked like! She met Sandra and Fiona who have their own social media channel, we saw lovely rocky mountains and a volcano in the desert. I love the sweet groups of men and women who helped carry luggage, fed her in the rough terrain, and kids popping their heads out of the cars (see eps. 39).  

March 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30

We watched episodes 41-49  which took place in Saudi Arabia 

There was a mirrored building and Nabatean tombs, and she met a Scottish lady walking with a local guide and two camels, Juicy and Lula. That lady is walking north to south in the country.  She showed us a coral house along the Red Sea and yellow grasshoppers near Medina. She saw a car on fire and had her own mechanical issues, but had very nice people helping her. 

April 2, 6, 10, 13, 16, 20, 25, 29, 30

We watched episodes 50-58 which took place in Saudi Arabia and Yemen 

Noraly flew into Yemen - a part where the Houthis were not getting bombed. She couldn't have her own motor bike there, but borrowed a variety of Chinese bikes from locals. She had a  required guide, tried khat, and showed us mud-brick skyscrapers. The men often had daggers and guns and she had to wear an abaya while riding her bike in certain places.  Much of her time in Yemen was actually riding on an island named Socotra. There we saw caves, nice pools and dragon blood trees.

May 4, 8, 11, 16, 20, 24, 25

We watched episodes 59-65 which took place in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates

In Socotra, she went on a boat and saw lots of dolphins. She also met a man, who often lives in a cave, catching fish with his hands!  She flew back to Saudi Arabia where she rode through a beautiful wadi, did some climbing, and heard yelling monkeys. She tried camel meat, rode through some of the Empty Quarter showing us a narrow "hidden" canyon and pigeon houses. She took us through parts of Riyadh where she lamented the traffic and watched Captain America at a super-fancy cinema. She watched the movie while waiting a couple of hours for the sky bridge to open at 4 PM.   She went to Dubai where she announced a break on the channel as the first leg had ended. She's going to the UK as part of her book tour. Her book was published this year in English in the US, UK, and Australia. Based on what she said, I think she'll do a mini-series of some sort during this break. 

Last year at this time, she had had her accident in Africa and was recovering back home.

April Books

 The Last Girl by Jane Casey -- I hadn't read much in the Maeve Kerrigan series in a few months so I ordered this one from the library. Maeve is investigating the murder of a mother and daughter. Another daughter was spared as she was swimming, and the father/husband was merely knocked unconscious. Maeve and the team work to figure out who killed Vita and Laura, and why.

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass -- Shelby and Mack are best friends enduring a horrible time after an event fifteen months prior when Shelby was locked into a freezer and left to die and Mack's husband disappeared. Meanwhile Shelby continues her job at The Oleander, a senior center made up of a loveable group. Shelby understandably deals with stress related to her ordeal, and Mack just wants to know what happened to Leo. Was he the one who locked Shelby into the freezer? A pretty good story. 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins -- I remember this book was super-popular years ago, but I never read it then. Rachel takes the same train every day, and gets to know the people living along the route - by watching them from her seat on the train. There is one couple she dubs Jess and Jason, a good looking couple, that she imagines she knows. In real life Megan and Scott have some underlying issues.

After Life by Gayle Forman -- Amber arrives at home only to find things are different. How much has changed since she left for school this morning. When her mom gets home, her mom screams. It's only about then that Amber finds out she died in a hit and run accident while riding her bike home from school seven years ago. Her dad, an atheist, calls it a miracle and suddenly believes in all that religious stuff (Ok, maybe not all of it), but her mom treats her like she's not happy to see her. 

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks -- The author travels to an island in Tasmania and reflects on the death and grief associated with the sudden loss of her husband, author Tony Horwitz, who died while on a book tour in Washington, D.C. in May 2019. I remember being stunned at this news as I thoroughly enjoyed Tony's books. He wrote a couple about times he was in the South, and this book tour covered one such book which I read not long after he died. I cried through parts of this book as I imagined her grief and remembered my own (today, April 8, is 2.5 years after all).  This book is short enough that you could read it in a single afternoon such as I did today, a lovely sunny day around 58 degrees (after having been close to 90 just a few days ago.)  

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister -- The book starts with Cam feeding her daughter and getting ready for her first day back at work after maternity leave. For some reason, she can't get in contact with her husband Luke. Later when there is news of a hostage situation, she is stunned to find out that her sunny, fun-loving husband is involved. 

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak -- Mallory is a recovering addict who lands a job as a nanny. Teddy is a darling five year old who loves to draw during quiet time. Yet his imaginary friend, Anya, often makes appearances in his pictures. Not a big deal except Anya has him draw some disturbing things: like her getting strangled. Pretty good story and I like that we can see Teddy's pictures throughout the book. 

Break To You by Neal Shusterman, Debra Young, and Michelle Knowlden -- When Adriana is sent to juvenile detention she was able to keep her journal. One day she accidentally leaves it in the library, and when she goes back, she locates it alphabetically in the fiction section. She realizes someone read her journal and replied to her thoughts!  She's so upset with this mysterious J, and  decides to respond to this person. A bit far-fetched perhaps, but an interesting look at juvie from female and male perspectives. 

The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen -- I was already into this book before I realized it was part of a series - The Martini Club, of all things - but I kept on reading. Susan is part of the Conover family now, and she and her husband Ethan and their daughter Zoe make the trek to Maine in order to spread the ashes of Ethan's father. Zoe was seen swimming with a local girl, and when she doesn't come home in the evening, Susan calls the police to report her daughter missing. Jo, the chief of the police, along with the Martini Club, made up of retired operatives, seek to find clues about Zoe. When the pond is searched and bones are found, the community has another mystery on its hands!

The Other People by C.B. Everett -- Ten strangers wake up in a home and have no idea how they got there. There are familiar elements - they have their own clothes and their first meal features everyone's ideal food and drink. A lady appears and tells them they have to solve a mystery of sorts and then she gets shot. People keep dying, and everyone is suspicious...it's quite a bizarre book! 

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha -- An Indian family goes to a private island in Scotland to celebrate their parents' anniversary and the sale of their father's company. Aseem and his non-Indian wife Zoe want to finally leave the family home in Delhi, Myra wants a huge payout to save her pet project, and Aisha - well, she brings along yet another surprise boyfriend. This book makes you question your loyalty to family. Pretty good. 

The Stranger You Know by Jane Casey -- another in the Maeve Kerrigan series; The team is investigating some women's deaths and take a closer look at one of their own, Maeve's partner on the police force, Josh Derwent! 

Tea With Elephants by Robin Jones Gunn -- This first of the Suitcase Sisters series features Lily and Fern, long-time best friends, now in their thirties. The ladies are gifted with a trip to Kenya...how fun. A good reminder to me on page 195 about being able to rest and trust God and His timing. 

As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark -- Delaney is a court reporter covering the trial of Betsy Grant who is accused of murdering her husband, a doctor with early-onset Alzheimer's. She's convinced the prosecution has the wrong person though the evidence certainly points to Betsy as the killer. 

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger -- Adele is a single mom raising two teeangers. When her son Blake shows her a contest on one of his favorite online games, she decides to enter. The one million dollar prize would certainly help put the kids through college, and she is fit and believes she can do it. Meanwhile Maverick and his Extreme team set things up for this experience, but the locals aren't all happy with them being on their island.

Run Away by Harlan Coben -- Simon is looking for his daughter Paige who left home after she changed so much while in college. Meanwhile Elena is a private investigator looking for someone, and Ash and DeeDee are going around murdering folks. Wild. 

March Books

 Red River Road by Anna Downes -- Katy is in a van looking for her sister Phoebe who was traveling through Western Australia and seemed to have disappeared. She meets Beth who ends up tagging along for the ride and helps her locate her sister. Pretty good story. Deals with the issue of women traveling and how often men or intimate partners make them feel unsafe. 

Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh -- this is a novel based on the memoir of Alice Marble, a tennis star from the 1930s. Pretty interesting lady!

Written in the Waters by Tara Roberts -- "A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging;" the author travels with groups to places where slave ships were wrecked. She also went to a few other places like Benin and Togo to find out more about her own heritage. Pretty interesting. 

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia -- Stephanie, a successful lady in theTV industry, is leaving Madison for yet another conference. And she is not happy about it. Just because she's the single lady, she most always has to be the one who travels.  Jasmine is fleeing an abusive boyfriend. They meet on the plane to Denver.  Their friends and acquaintances back home wonder when neither shows up to their destinations and they receive odd text messages. A pretty good thriller type book! 

 

Melania by Melania Trump (or her ghostwriter?) -- I say that about the authorship because there are no acknowledgments at all. Well there is a page for photo credits at the very end of the book, but the book ends with a letter to the American people after the assassination attempt on her husband's life. I usually enjoy memoirs from immigrants and I put this one on hold several weeks back when I saw it on my library's online catalog. It was just 181 pages of text with a nice chunk of pictures in the middle. I enjoyed seeing Melania's mother, father, and sister as well as Melania as a baby and child up to her modeling days and as a mother and First Lady.  My favorite part to read was probably when she took trips as FLOTUS, and her times with children and leaders/partners of other countries.  She took a rosary to Pope Francis hoping he would bless it for her (he did.) 

She talked about her modeling career as she lived in Milan and Paris before coming to New York City where, of course, she met her future husband.  She told how she and Donald bonded over favorite musicians and movies.  She told about her Be Best campaign and why she wore that jacket; about the media being out for her family, touched on the impeachment trials with no depth, but just that political enemies were out to get her husband.  I didn't realize she had renovated so many areas while living at the White House, but that is something she enjoys doing. She talked of how she sometimes disagrees with her husband on his political stances, but how she discusses these things with him in private. She has a strong pro-choice position regarding abortion. She also thought the FBI raid on her house was like something people in her former Communist country would do.  She also discussed her posing nude for some French magazine since those photos were brought up at some point in the last several years.  (Europeans are OK with nudity so it's nothing shameful for her to have done. No big deal except to some Americans. Yawn.)  

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto -- I saw this one on Myrna's blog  and decided to read it. Very cute story about Vera who found a dead body in her tea shop. Knowing the murderer often comes back to the scene of the crime, she collects the four strangers who show up outside her tea shop and seeks to solve the mystery - because, of course, the police don't investigate properly in her opinion.She's quite a lady! 

The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly -- When Isabelle's mom dies, she is shocked to find out her mom left the dress shop to both herself and her sister Sylvia who abandoned them after her marriage to Hugo. Sylvia tries to show that she's changed, and runs the dress shop when Izzie is conscripted into helping England in their fight against the Nazis.  

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark -- Kat is a journalist who has been tracking Meg for years. Meg is a con artist who is finally back where she grew up. She came to settle a score against a man who left her and her mom homeless. Pretty good story.

The Crash by Freida McFadden -- Tegan is eight months pregnant and going to visit her brother at the ski place he works at when she hits a tree during a blizzard. Her ankle is most-certainly broken and she has no idea what to do.  A local man Hank helps her, but Tegan gets weird vibes from him and is scared that he'll hurt her. Instead he takes her to his house where his wife Polly, a nurse, helps her. But when Tegan is convinced to stay in the hospital bed IN THE BASEMENT, and then it seems to take forever for their road to be cleared...well, it's just bad times for Tegan. 

The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn -- Elinor grew up as a privileged daughter of a man who made his fortune in cotton, yet she and her dad are surprised when they get an invitation to a ball where "their kind" aren't usually welcomed. There she meets Frederick who quickly sweeps her off her feet. A quick wedding follows and Elinor finds out fast that she was chosen due to her father's fortune. (Those titled folk often need money to keep up the family's crumbling estate afterall.)  When Elinor has a chance to travel on the Titanic, she's excited about this adventure and being able to see her father again plus spend time with her little boy. At home he's off with the Nanny for most of the day, and she wants to be a mother to him herself. Yet...we know what happens on the Titanic. Good story! 

A Right Worthy Woman by Ruth P. Watson -- A novel about Maggie Lena Walker, "the first Black woman to establish and preside over a bank in the United States, whose actions transformed her community of Jackson Ward into Virginia's Black Wall Street."   I admire her determination and hard work! 

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova -- Olivia is living alone on Nantucket after a separation from her husband. Their son was diagnosed with autism at age 3, and the doctor asked then about their marriage. An odd question.... then again, maybe not. Meanwhile Beth finds out in a cruel way about her husband's infidelity and tries to figure out what to do. Meanwhile she starts writing a novel about a boy with autism. 

The Note by Alafair Burke -- Three friends are on a girls' weekend when a prank goes awry. Next thing they know May, Kelsey, and Lauren are questioned by a lead detective about a wealthy young man who is missing. Yikes! 

The Girl from Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig -- This book is a "novel of Hamilton, Burr, and America's First Murder Trial."  In it you meet people with names like Brockholst Livingston, Cadwallader Colden, Buthrong Anderson, and the murder victim herself, Elma, short for Gulielma Sands. 

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering -- This book follows Lucy and Stephen who met when both were in college at Baird. Stephen has a strong hold on Lucy, and this book was rather annoying due to their toxic relationship....whew.

 A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner -- This book follows the story of Melanie Cole who was blacklisted as a Communist simply because she dated a certain actor. Meanwhile Eva, the immigrant who helps at her house, has secrets that could make things worse for Melanie if they are uncovered. And then there are Elwood and June next door. They've seen June several times lately, but where is Elwood? 

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson -- A novella about a young American student who went to England to study. Ashley was thrilled to be invited to Emma's country estate to spend the Christmas holiday. While there she hears about a murder and how her friend's twin brother is a suspect. 

February Books

 Dead Connection by Alafair Burke -- This book was just OK. It featured a rookie detective Ellie Hatcher who was chosen to help Flann McIlroy when women were murdered in New York City. Ties are made to a dating service which is one aspect Ellie and Flann investigate.

The Umbrella Lady by V.C. Andrews --  After her mom dies in a house fire, Saffron and her dad are at the train station. He leaves her there to color while he buys supplies, but he never returns. Instead an older lady appears and convinces Saffron to eat and sleep at her house. Time passes and Saffron is still with this lady, dubbed the umbrella lady because she carries an umbrella with her every time she leaves home. This book was a bit odd, but came together in an OK way so maybe I'll read the next book about Saffron since I saw her story continues.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova -- Alice Howland is a professor and research scientist at Harvard. When she starts having some memory issues around the time of her fiftieth birthday, she decides to ask her doctor if this is normal - menopausal behavior perhaps? What follows is a case of Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease and how she and her family deal with this diagnosis. Good book, and I like that it is told from the perspective of Alice. I've recommended this book to my family and a friend, and have thought of it several times since I read it. 

Past Perfect by Susan Isaacs -- Katie worked for a couple of years with the CIA, but she was fired without any explanation. Fifteen years later, she still wants to know what happened. When a former coworker calls saying she has the answer and will call back tomorrow, Katie is ready for answers. Only her former coworker never calls and Katie cannot locate her. Pretty good story. The author is a rather amusing lady which I like at times, but also sometimes comedy in books distracts from the story for me.  

The English American by Alison Larkin -- Twenty-eight years ago Pippa was adopted by British parents from a young mother in the United States. When she finally gets around to wanting to find out where she came from, she is able to get in touch with Billie, a Georgian living in New York. She's invited to visit her birth mother, and what follows is an adventure of where she gets her hands, her laugh, her artistic and messy traits.  One of my favorite parts are the comments about what Pippa finds so different in the US. For instance telling folks "I love you," or the easy talk of God or money make her squirm. Many times she bit back her honest thoughts and credited this to her British upbringing of being polite no matter what. 

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen -- Again I cannot remember all the details from past books in this series - On Devonshire Shores - but this one is mostly about Claire's return to England to be near her mom and sisters. She was disowned by her father after running off with a guy who said he'd marry her, but after that broken relationship, she was living in Scotland with an elderly family member. After Aunt Mercer dies, she returns and becomes a partner in a boarding house. William Howland is a widower with a young child named Mira. Pretty good story. 

Out of the Rain by V.C. Andrews -- This is the sequel to the book mentioned above about Saffron. After the death of Mazy, the umbrella lady, Saffron decides to look for the father who never returned for her. Her father is stunned to see Saffron show up in his yard, and hurriedly instructs her where to go and urges her to go along with his story before she comes to live with him, his wife, Ava, and their two children Karen and Garson. Saffron goes to a private school and gets used to living with "Uncle Derick"'s family though it's hard to keep her story straight. Interesting story and what a father! 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson -- Ernie aka Ern is with his family at a must-be-there family reunion because his brother Michael is being released from prison, and it was imperative that everyone be at this event to welcome him. Ern is the narrator of this story and adds a lot of commentary and editor's notes as well as telling the Dear Reader where to find all the murders throughout this book. Ha!  I heard about this book from Myrna so I decided to read it. 

We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin -- Meg was driving when her family was in an accident which led to her husband's death. They were being harassed by a group of skinheads trying to photograph them when Meg lost control of the vehicle. A few months later, Meg and her daughter Lily are confronted with a website that makes them believe they were targeted. This book took me a while to get into, but it ended up being pretty good though not my favorite from this author. 

My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero -- Another from Myrna's January book list, this is a Junior Biography in my library geared obviously to younger readers. Interesting story! I read it within a few hours on Valentine's Day and when I read the last chapter, I felt so so sad that this reality of Trump in office AGAIN was happening to the immigrant community. Andrew recently finished Wilmer Valderrama's book which I picked up for him at the library, and we talked about his story, how his family came to the US for a better life. Really wish people had more compassion in understanding why people move to countries. It's not that they dislike their homes (food, culture, language, family), but are often searching for better lives. And sometimes they are fleeing dangerous situations and can't apply through legal channels (like that is super-easy, quick, and cheap!). Like I've told some folks, You have to be desperate to come to the US where even the Christians*** hate you!   Since I wrote this, Andrew read this book while I still had it checked out. He enjoyed her stories and we've continued talking about Diane and Wilmer. 

***  I know not all Christians hate immigrants, but it seems many of them do. They only like the ones who come legally which, as I said earlier, is not cheap or easy or something folks always think to do when they are desperate. Also I called out "the Christians" because supposedly Jesus told us to love others. Like after loving God with all our hearts, we are supposed to love others.  Even our enemies! 

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James -- Kitty pretends to be a nurse and gets a job at a place where men who fought in the Great War are now recovering after madness sets in. She's desperate to escape home and thinks this place will be a good area to hide. She meets interesting patients and fellow nurses. Pretty good though her books always have a ghostly element that some people may not like. 

The Last Room On the Left by Leah Konen -- Kerry has signed up to be the caretaker for the month of February at this motel outside of the City, and she discovers the room she is supposed to be living in has the previous occupant's stuff all in it. Odd. This book alternates between Kerry and Siobhan's voices with a bit of Allison in the mix. A pretty good thriller about good friends, a murder, and more! 

No One Knows by J.T. Ellison -- Aubrey's husband disappeared five years ago when the two of them split up for their friends' separate parties. When Aubrey went to meet Josh later that evening, he never showed up. Five years later, he's finally declared dead by the courts, but Aubrey still wonders what happened. Meanwhile she runs into a man who reminds her so much of Josh, and she and Chase become close. Will she ever figure out what happened to her husband? 

The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio -- Flora is headed to England to work as a nanny. Her assignment is to find a rare camellia and inform the man who hired her, but she starts enjoying her job with the children.  Meanwhile - in more recent times - Addison and Rex head to England from the US where Rex's family has a home - the place Flora lived decades ago. This was OK. 

The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopolous -- This book was highly recommended by Suzanne, so I looked to see if my library had it.  I put it on hold, and it was finally available this month.  I enjoyed learning more about how the presidents from JFK to Biden used the Sit Room. I was introduced to so many interesting people and some of my favorites were Gerald Ford's photographer, David Hume Kennerly, who piped up to offer a suggestion regarding the Cambodians capturing a ship even though he was supposed to be a "fly on the wall." (see page 80)  I also really enjoyed the backstory to the famous "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."  (At one point he thought of just letting President Reagan say it in German since speechwriter Peter Robinson got the idea after visiting with a group of Berliners (pg. 143). He was told by the chief speechwriter that an American President should always give his big lines in English...ha.)  I also noted how much I liked Brent Scowcroft and the tech wizard Gary Bresnahan who were mentioned several times as they served under several presidential administrations.  I love the stories of the Bush family - the first George and Barbara - and how they were "informal" compared to the Reagans. If it was a slow night, they even invited staffers to join them in eating popcorn and watching movies (pg. 170).  The pages about "please hold for the President" were pretty good and invite a chuckle, while the chapter about 9/11 brought tears to my eyes as I relived that day. It was interesting that although the Sit Room was to be evacuated, folks decided to stay so one man had them write down their names and SSNs - a "dead list" in case they died there. I love that "U.S. Navy detailees to the White House mess, which was adjacent to the Sit Room, also refused to leave." After being told that they were free to go, yet learning folks were staying in the Sit Room, one guy said, "You guys are gonna need to eat. What do you want?" (pg. 208)  

So many good backstories! 

I wrote the above when I was about 80% finished with the book and since then I read the chapter about the Trump presidency which was interesting!   I read quite a bit of that chapter to Andrew and thought about what advisors to Trump in his first term think about things now since it seems there is no one there to "take the phone away."  I guess time will tell.

The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner -- Meg's dad has promised to take her to Florence since she was a young girl. Years later, she finally gets the chance to visit the place where her beloved Nonna lived at one time. Unfortunately her father doesn't meet her at the airport, yet Meg finds a place to stay with Sofia, the lady writing a memoir. This book took me longer to read than it should have as I had a hard time sticking with the story. It wasn't terrible, but not my favorite from this author. Also I was reading the book mentioned above while reading this so my attention was divided. 

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange -- In order to help his father after having a stroke, Kyle returns to Potsdam, New York, after leaving nearly 2 years ago. Casey has to deal with her former husband returning to help his father who lives across the street from her. Why did this couple split up and why did Kyle leave in the first place?

HBD, DBF3! <3

January Books

 The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson -- A pretty long book (over 400 pages), but pretty easy to read. Constance is the companion to an older lady, and makes friends with Poppy, the daughter of a baronet, who rides a motorcycle. Harris is Poppy's brother who lost his leg during the war. Anyway, a pretty good story to start the year. 

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James -- A receptionist by day, Shea is a true-crimes blogger at night, and in this story she meets the lady acquitted as "the Lady Killer" back in the late 1970s. The alternative story here is from Beth's point of view. Pretty good.

The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers -- I have several books on hold, but none of them was available so when I saw this on the New Books shelf, I decided to check it out.  The author admits up front that this is a work of fiction based on ten years of research from which she "extracted various hints, allusions, and suggestions that fed my personal interpretation of Julia's little known, but formative OSS service in World War II Asia."  

All By Myself, Alone by Mary Higgins Clark  -- I like these books sometimes because they are super-fast reads. This one takes place on a cruise ship where not everyone makes it across the ocean unchanged. There are guest lecturers like Celia the gemologist, and the guy who lectures on Shakespeare. Then there are the quirky guests such as Lady Em and her assistant Brenda among others. 

The Thirteenth Husband by Greer MacAllister -- Some of the story of Aimée Crocker, the lady with many surnames due to her many marriages. Interesting person if you like nontraditional types.

All Dressed in White by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke -- This continues the Under Suspicion series. Laurie and her team try to figure out what happened to Amanda who was dubbed "the Runaway Bride" five years ago when she never showed up for her wedding. She's never been seen since,either. 

The HItchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel -- Imagine getting together with your college friends several years after you all have gone your separate ways. Things might have been fun in college, but they did not end well.  Alfred now owns the creepy house at the top of the hill, and has made it into an inn based on Alfred Hitchcock's films. Zoe, Julius, Grace, TJ, and Samira reluctantly agree to the weekend reunion.. so exciting! 

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova -- Imagine being one of Boston's finest - a patrol cop for many years, when your wife wants you to go to the doctor because of odd behavior. She believes you when you say you haven't been drinking or taking drugs. Unfortunately tests confirm a neurological disorder - Huntington's Disease - that is debilitating and fatal. This is such an interesting and, yes, even entertaining read as Joe deals with his diagnosis in his early forties, and even his adult children decide whether or not to get tested for the gene mutation. There's a fifty fifty chance they will inherit this awful disease, too. 

The Wright Sister by Patty Dann -- An imagined pile of diary entries and letters from Katharine Wright to her brother Orville after she married for the first time at fifty-two. Orville was so bothered by this, he refused to speak to his sister. Thankfully I read a much fuller novel about this family last year so this wasn't a shock to me. 

I Need You To Read This by Jessa Maxwell -- After the lady who ran the "Dear Constance" advice column is murdered, Alex sends in her application to fill the position. Francis Keen's advice was always meaningful to Alex, and she is shocked when the editor calls her, asking her to fill the position. Pretty good story. 

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis -- Charlotte is a curator at the Met in New York City after years of studying about ancient Egypt. She took a trip there nearly forty years ago, but has mostly refused to return due to a terrible curse. Annie is a young adult looking for her way in life. An interesting story about archaeology and antiquities. 

Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke -- I'm trying to finish the Under Suspicion series and this was next in line. Laurie and her team investigate the death of a society lady who fell off the roof at the Met during a gala. The prime suspect was her boyfriend who was a couple of decades younger, but he was never convicted.

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James -- The book begins in 1982 when Viv is in Fell, New York, working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel. She's read about another young lady who has been killed and then she - Viv - disappears. Then it's 2017 and Carly arrives in the same town and begins a search for her aunt Viv, someone she never knew, but someone her mom grieved until her death from cancer. Pretty good story especially if you don't mind a few ghosts in the mix. 

The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader -- Clara and Abbie are shocked when a celebrity comes to their mom's funeral. How did BettyAnn Beecher know this famous woman? Thus begins the story of how Kitty, BettyAnn, and Jenny met at a nursing college in Iowa during the Vietnam era. Jenny's goal is to go to Vietnam to serve whereas Kitty's dream is to travel to Hollywood to be a seamstress. Pretty good story about these friends over the decades.

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith -- The latest in the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series featuring Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi (she of the 97% on her final examination at the secretarial school), the lovely detectives in Botswana. In this book they are asked to investigate strange happenings at the Great Hippopotamus Hotel among other things. 

You Don't Own Me by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke -- I think I've read all the Under Suspicion books finally. This one has Laurie and her team investigating the murder of a famous doctor. His wife was suspected of his murder, but it wasn't proven. 

The Adults by Caroline Hulse -- Matt waited for several weeks before asking Alex about going with him on a trip around Christmas. He wants his ex wife and her partner to join them for the sake of Scarlett, his seven year old daughter.  He and Claire (the ex) get along well, and he wants to see his daughter open her presents at Christmas. Did I mention this trip is not just a weekend, but a five-day event?  What could possibly go wrong? 

More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova -- This author is a neuroscientist and her novels focus on people with brain conditions such as Huntington's Disease, ALS, autism and so forth. I only discovered her books recently and read the story about HD earlier this month. In this book, she talks about Maddy who discovers she has bipolar disorder. I am going to look for more of her books as they are helpful to me in learning more about people who have neurological conditions that we often don't understand and fear. 

The Close Up by Pip Drysdale -- Zoe is a British woman living in Los Angeles struggling with writer's block as she is due to write another book. While working her day job as a florist, she is reunited with Zach who she met a few years ago when her boyfriend Will broke up with her. Since then Zach has become a star, and Zoe is pleasantly surprised when he seems to want to rekindle their relationship.

Bad Habits by Amy Gentry -- Claire and Gwen reconnect at a conference where Claire (formerly known as Mac short for MacKenzie) is one of the speakers. This book alternates between their late-night chat and back to their younger years especially when the two of them were part of The Program. Gwen was mentored by Rocky whereas Rocky's wife, the powerful Bethany Ladd took Mac under her wing. Lots of unethical conduct here, and this book was just "meh" to me. At least it was a quick read. 

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins -- The story starts with Rosie and Morgan exchanging anonymous messages through a donor connection site. Rosie was the recipient of Morgan's wife's heart when his wife, Daphne, died unexpectedly at a young age. Rosie nearly immediately realizes that this husband she's writing is a local author and she follows him on Instagram imagining them meeting in real life and who knows? falling in love! Pretty good. 

What the Wife Knew by Darby Kane -- Addison's husband, a well-known doctor, died from a fall. Or maybe he was pushed? Either way, she's under suspicion. She's glad he's dead. She married him as part of a scheme, but she didn't kill him. Who did? 

The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden -- Erika knows her son is special. He's handsome, smart, polite, and has a dark side. When a local girl goes missing, Erika prays that Liam is not involved, 

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak -- Frank is so happy to hear from his daughter after their three-year estrangement, and is shocked when she invites him to her upcoming wedding. Frank along with his older sister and a foster daughter make the trek to New Hampshire to meet this family, and some weird stuff happens that makes him question his daughter and her future inlaws. 

Itchy Boots Season 8: Bike Building in Germany to the Border of Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran

 I haven't written about Itchy Boots' adventurers since Season 7 ended in Africa. She took a few months off to heal from her surgery, and in late September, she started posting videos again to her YouTube channel.  I decided to post this about her first 25 episodes of Season 8. 

2024 

September 29; October 6, 13, 20

We watched episodes 1-4 which were in Germany and the Netherlands

Noraly was in Germany showing us her new bike which is actually a 1987 Yamaha which Moritz and his mechanics custom-made for her.  1987 is special to Noraly because that's the year she was born. In the second episode we learned the bike's name, Frankie, because she is a bit of a Frankenstein.  This section wasn't my favorite as I'm not a huge motorcycle person and prefer Noraly traveling to showing off the new bike, but I know she was eager to get this season started after her channel was idle for over four months.

October 27, 30

We watched episodes 5 and 6 which were in Turkey.

Noraly rode from European Turkey into Asian Turkey. I enjoyed seeing the flamingos, the lake, mountains, and trout farms.

November 3,6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27

We watched episodes 7-14 which were in Turkey

I enjoyed the historical and cultural aspects, seeing a Roman amphitheatre, the city of Konya, Rumi's grave, and a whirling dervish performance. I also enjoyed little girls who were saying "bye" like a southerner (in my opinion) and "I love you" (eps. 9). It was interesting to see underground cities and an abandoned village in Cappadocia (eps. 11), and watching Noraly ride through many tunnels along the Euphrates River to a city on the Black Sea (eps. 13). 

December 1, 4, 9, 11, 15, 18, 21, 25, 29

We watched episodes 15-23 which were in Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan

I enjoyed her interaction with the locals in many of these episodes. In Kurdistan, it was interesting to see the monastery as well as the Yazidi temple. (eps. 19). I was amused by Muhammad trying to interest Noraly in his 18 year old son, and I enjoyed that she was able to give them a gift of honey after they were so hospitable to her (eps. 20).  While Noraly had a great time in Kurdistan, unfortunately, her bike was stolen in Erbil for a bit, and the thieves cut several wires which made the electrical part of her bike unworkable. Because this bike can also be kickstarted, it came in handy that it was an older bike with that option until she can get it fixed (eps. 22). 

2025

January 1, 5

We watched episodes 24 and 25 which took place in Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran

As she started for the Iranian border, she discovered she had left her passport at the hotel. Thankfully she wasn't terribly far away so she could go back and get it. A man there reminded her she needed a hijab to use while in Iran so she purchased a scarf. (eps. 24).  The reason she is headed to Iran is so she can, hopefully, enter Federal Iraq. Apparently she can't go directly from the Kurdish region into the non-Kurdish region so she's going into Iran to sort out the visa so she can explore another part of Iraq. She's hoping to get Frankie fixed in Baghdad.  It was interesting to see the border crossing: the helpful people and the ones warning her about petrol smugglers.  Also, a nice customs official left a bag of oranges on her motorcycle while she was in the hotel (eps. 25.)