Monday, April 25, 2016

Review: Death of Riley

Death of Riley Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely lovely narration by Nicola Barber--the Irish accents were gorgeous. It didn't hurt that I enjoyed what wanna-be private instigator Molly Murphy was up to in this novel. She's trying to make it in NYC, fresh off the boat from Ireland, and wants to make it in a man's world as a PI. When her new boss is murdered, she quickly learns how to investigate and makes some interesting new friends in the process.

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Friday, April 22, 2016

Review: Juliet Takes a Breath

Juliet Takes a Breath Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book makes me wish I were a badass Latina lesbian like the main character.
If you loved Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, read this.
Review to come in SLJ AB4T.

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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Review: The Steep & Thorny Way

The Steep & Thorny Way The Steep & Thorny Way by Cat Winters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My kind of historical fiction. I had NO IDEA that the KKK was this active in Oregon--scary stuff for people living there back in the 1920's. There do seem to be a lot of stories going on in this YA book--Hanalee is a biracial teen girl dealing with racism and not fitting in with her white community. Then there is another plot line about a gay young man being a target of the KKK. Both of them come together as friends to escape and beat the hatred stemming from their community members. Things end up a bit far-fetched, but I enjoyed Hanalee's point-of-view. I'll keep reading books by this author. And I LOVE the cover--glad the publisher put the main character on the cover and not some silly picture of half a body or a face turned away.

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Monday, April 18, 2016

Review: Starclimber

Starclimber Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure how I missed this book coming out years ago--I loved Book #1 and #2 in this series!

And the Full Cast Audio was perfect (although I'm not sure how Matt can stand to listen to his Kate). Matt and Kate are off on another adventure together--this time, to space. As always, it was non-stop action and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This series would make a great all-family listen on a road-trip.

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Review: The Last Goodnight: A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure & Betrayal

The Last Goodnight: A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure & Betrayal The Last Goodnight: A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure & Betrayal by Howard Blum
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Whew! Fascinating stuff here about Betty Pack, a real WWII spy. She slept her way through secrets, and did all sorts of things that were intriguing. Why is there not a movie here? Her story

screech!!!!!! (it's amazing what a Google search can do)

Jennifer Laurence might be playing Betty Pack in a movie--she'd be perfect!

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/betty-pack-j...

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Monday, April 11, 2016

Review: 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unabashed novel about fat shaming and body image. Loved it. Review to come in SLJ AB4T.

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Review: Confessions

Confessions Confessions by Rabee Jaber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What was the last Lebanese novel you read that was translated from Arabic? Yeah, that's what I thought.....read this book.
Read the full review soon in SLJ AB4T.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Review: A Voice from the Field: A Newberg Novel

A Voice from the Field: A Newberg Novel A Voice from the Field: A Newberg Novel by Neal Griffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The more I read about human trafficking, the more angry I get. In this cop novel, Detective Suarez is working undercover as a prostitute. When she is grabbed by two creepy men in a van, she fights them off, but manages to see a young Hispanic girl tied up in the back of the van. Her higher-ups think that she is hallucinating again (yeah, um, she had that problem in the last book after a shooting), but she wasn't. Tia becomes a one-woman mission to find the young girl and bust the selling of young women for sex.

Some parts of this novel are over-the-top, but I didn't mind. It was just the kind of female police detective story I was looking for.

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Review: Highly Illogical Behavior

Highly Illogical Behavior Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To be published May 2016. I received an advance reading copy from the publisher.

I thoroughly enjoy reading Whaley's books. They have a smooth readability that is feels like coming home to me. That said, they do start to sound similar, but I don't mind that because I'm enjoying the ride!

Lisa is a high-maintenance high school student trying to win a prestigious scholarship for psychology and she figures she'll use someone from her small town to win it. Solomon threw himself into a fountain years ago during a panic attack and never leaves the house, so she figures she can "fix" him, write her essay about it, and win the scholarship.

Of course, they end up being close friends, and the betrayal threatens the relationship. Add in Lisa's possibly gay boyfriend, and you have another interesting twist.

It's a sweet, searching friendship/love/family/mental health tale--reminded me of an early Sarah Dessen novel.

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