The Goldfinch - Book Review

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Publication date: October 22, 2013

Pages: 771 pages

Genre: Literary fiction

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Strengths: Beautiful words, compelling plot

Weaknesses: Overall length

After watching the movie on Amazon Prime a couple weeks ago, I added myself to the library's waiting list for this classic. I happened to get my turn within a week of a couple other reviews being due, so I wasn't fully committed to finishing 700+ pages. I figured I'd start into it and see if I felt like finishing after 10% or so. While 10% wasn't very far into the plot of the movie, it was enough to have me hooked. I had to know how it all would go.

I loved this book. The movie pretty much followed an overview of the book. Anything that was different was still believeable, in my opinion, based on the characters. I would have liked to have read the book slower, but in the words of a famous meme, "Ain't nobody got time for that."

The story tells of Theo Decker, who was having a fairly average childhood until he and his mother are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when bombs go off inside the museum. They are separated at the time. He later finds out that his mom dies in the explosion, but he is in a room with the guardian of a young girl who caught his eye earlier. He speaks (at length, in the book) with the guardian during his last moments, and takes The Goldfinch at the man's suggestion. Having the priceless painting and not being quite sure why is a contemplation that overshadows a lot of the rest of his life.

After living for a little while with a rich classmates family (and finding and visiting the mystery girl from the museum), Theo's estranged father shows up with a trashy girlfriend in tow and moves him back to Vegas with them. In Vegas, Theo meets Boris, a Ukranian (I think?) who has traveled the world while his father digs wells or something everywhere. Boris promptly introduces Theo to lots of drugs and alcohol. Now haunted not only by the painting in his possession, Theo becomes an even less reliable narrator, as everything is colored by his binges.

Anyway, I LOVED this book! I would love to read it again when I have time to process it more. I'd give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars, but only recommend it to someone who knows what they're in for. 

Friday Feelings

Whoa. All the feelings lately. Am I right?

There's nothing to make you question everything like sitting and spending too much time with yourself. Which, even with a house full of family, is exactly what happens during a pandemic, apparently.

Defeated and Exhausted

Sorry - this one is always at the top of the list. I read that a parent tried to correct this one for a kid to be 'deflated.' Meh. Whatever. Sounds the same to me.

Every day is so much of the same. I have had to work a few days, and I do grocery shopping and checking the post office for packages every week or two, but each day is still mostly the same. Sleep until I wake up. Read. Laundry. Play Animal Crossing. Clean the kitchen. Remind kids about school work. Make dinner. Climb back into bed and read til I fall back asleep. Ugh. Feeling like I have little control over options of what to do with my time is draining. 

Furious

Yeah - rage and fury definitely cross my radar regularly too. I think a lot of people are reaching their wit's end. They're mad, and then they do things that I think are stupid, and then I'm mad. Or the other way around - maybe I'm doing things other people think are stupid too, no doubt. Everyone is being influenced by a struggle, a battle, with an enemy we can't put our hands on. 

The virus, obviously. 

And now racism -- the murder of George Floyd and the following protests and violence, and back to point one, the systemic racism that has caused more minorities to suffer and die as a result of the virus. Ugh. Yes, I recognize my white privilege. I can stay home. I can social distance. I don't have to go out and work continually to keep a roof over my head and food on my table. 

Rage. And nothing to do with it.

Purposeful, sometimes

Sometimes I come around with a burst of energy. I've got so much uncommitted time! I can read and review more books than ever! I'm playing the flute again! 

Until I realize that the defeat intrudes again. So when that purposeful burst comes, I need to hustle to get something done before it ebbs again.

Tired. And sleepless.

Yeah, that seems fair. Hahaha... Like I said in my whole day summary, after I eat dinner, I can climb back into bed and read and sleep. I don't know if it's just my age or the extra stress, but I only get one chance to really fall into a deep sleep. So if something wakes me up before morning (someone else coming to bed, yelling at the kids, a storm), I'm probably up for a while. Honestly I'm grateful that I don't regularly deal with insomnia, as I read about on lots of other Facebook timelines. 

Peaceful

Not all feelings are bad. Not even bad feelings are all bad. Sometimes I sit still and recognize the luxury I have - to sit still, watch the birds, feel the sun on my skin, play video games with the kids. I really do try to take this time to know my little people, especially. And hubs and I have had a couple fun dinners where we reminisce about days gone by, and the kids learn about us as people, and not just mom and dad. 

How are your feelings? I saw an article on Facebook talking about somewhere (Detroit is closest, so maybe that was it) opening a new mental health urgent care. This is hard on a lot of people for a lot of different reasons, and there is no right or wrong way to handle it. 

I wonder where I'll get the energy to carry on all the stuff we did regularly before, but I can take comfort in knowing I won't have to do all that anytime soon.

More than Neighbors - Book Review

More than Neighbors (Blackberry Bay #1) by Shannon Stacey

Publication date:  July 1, 2020

Pages: 288 pages

Genre: Contemporary romance

Rating: 3/5 stars ✰✰✰

Strengths: Happy, endearing characters

Weaknesses: Predictable

Meredith bought a new beach house, sight unseen. She's moving across the country with her young daughter, Sophie, and their dog Oscar to start fresh since losing Meredith's husband to a traffic accident four years earlier. The realtor told her their closest neighbor is an old woman who lives alone. Imagine their surprise when a man who isn't hard on the eyes is the first person they see at the house next door in quaint little Blackberry Bay.

Meredith does not remember knowing hot neighbor Cam's biological father or grandmother when she grew up in Blackberry Bay. Cam is officially known as the heir to the Maguire business interests in New York City. He's just in Blackberry Bay for the summer to wrap up the estate of the grandmother he never knew. She left it to him, after keeping her promise to her son to never contact Cam (at least while she was alive).

As I said, this was a pretty predictable book, but sometimes that's the right, feel-good thing for it to be. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it as a pleasant beach or travel read. I'd also be curious to see the later books in the series. Blackberry Bay is full of fun small-town characters, and I already have a guess who the next book will be about.

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for my advance electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review. 

Sister Dear - Book Review

Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon
Publication date: May 26, 2020
Pages: 384 pages
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary fiction
Rating: 3.5/5 stars ✰✰✰✰
Strengths: Plot, misdirection, characters
Weaknesses: Would have liked a happier ending, but then it wouldn't have been the same book!


This one definitely surprised me! Based on the summary, I completely expected the villain to be a different character. I'm afraid to say much more because I don't want to give away the twist.

To summarize the general story, the main character, Eleanor, loses the dad she's known her whole life to cancer. She's never been at all close to her mom or sister, and she suddenly finds out she may be related to a completely different family. Feeling all alone since losing her closest family members, she wants to explore who these other people are, and imagine how her life might have been different. Her plan develops beautifully, and she is suddenly spending time with others and having more friends than ever before in her life, even if some of the relationships may involve a few un-truths.

The style of this book is charmingly conversational. I could really imagine Eleanor's emotions through her successes and failures. Overall, I'd give this 3.5 out of 5 stars. I'd recommend this book as a fun read for anyone who enjoys great female characters or psychological thrillers.



Thank you to Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review. 

Friday Book Memes - Book Beginnings, #Friday56, and Book Blogger Hop

First up is Rose City Reader sharing Book Beginnings on Fridays. I'll give you a little about the book in a minute, but here's the opening chapter:

September 1972Thirty-five years ago, Havens would have opened his eyes and thought of the day ahead as lacking. The surprise of old age is how comfortable a person can be with an empty day, how companionable it can be. If anything, Havens wants the day to empty itself even more, allow for memories to pay a visit, and should he decide to spend his time doing nothing more than sitting in his recliner and missing her, what's to stop him?

---

Now, for which book this is from - it's a book that was just published a couple weeks ago: The Last Blue by Isla Morley. I was super-excited to start this one when I read the summary last night. In part: "...What they see will haunt Clay into his old age -- Jubilee Buford, a woman whose skin is a shocking and unmistakable shade of blue." I recognized the...concept? as being a big deal in a book I'd seen mentioned by a few book bloggers - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. Sure enough, both books seem to be about the same population - the blue people! I'm still waiting on The Book Woman from the library, but I'm now even more excited to start reading The Last Blue (which I received from the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review).

---

Next up, I'd like to share with you a bit of page 56 from The Last Blue, for #Friday56, hosted by Freda's Voice.

Levi hands Jubilee a small wooden box. Something shuffles inside.
Through the slats, she sees two wide eyes and a beak about the size of a pinky fingernail -- a baby owl. "Hi, little guy!"
"I guess flying lessons didn't go too well." Levi is always going on about what a waste of time it is interfering with nature instead of letting it take its course, but half of her patients come from him. This is one is meant as a peace offering.

---

And for today's Book Blogger Hop hosted by Ramblings for a Coffee Addicted Writer, we're asked: "If you own an eBook, would you also purchase a print copy as well?"

Hmm....While I was stubborn about switching to my kindle for reading, now most of my books are Netgalley reviews or library loans (which are all online while the library is closed). I can read in bed or with less-optimal light on my kindle. But it's hard for me to page back through on a kindle to get an excerpt for a review, or just to find something I thought happened to review while I'm reading..

Since reading on my kindle is usually easier (the actual reading, not reviewing or finding excerpts and such), I'm more likely to buy a book I really like as an eBook if I originally read it as a paperback or hard-cover. Make sense?

That being said, I may buy a print copy of a book I really liked on my kindle in order to share it with friends.

So I'm a solid maybe, either way. Hahaha...

---

10 GREAT Things about Lockdown

Work with me here. LOL

We've all seen the posts - what changes have you made in your life that you want to, well, KEEP in place? How is your life better while your circle is smaller? Some of these may be more serious, and some may be more tongue-in-cheek, but here are ten GREAT things about our 2 1/2 months in lockdown.

1. Sleeping in. Yes, I love my job, but I'm there by 7:30am Monday - Friday. Even when I've had to go in during lockdown, it's never quite that early. I'm really appreciating sleeping and not using an alarm clock. Like, really a lot.
2. Spoiling myself with dinner prep. It's pretty much the focus of most days. Instead of being my regular bored with the choices, and someone doesn't like it no matter what I make, I've been spending a little more grocery money to get meal prep boxes from Hello Fresh, Home Chef, Every Plate, and Gobble. (We'll both get a discount if you use one of my links to sign up for any of these.) They ship a full meal, veggies and all, with sauces and everything in exact amounts that you need! All you really need on hand is olive oil and salt & pepper. Saves me a trip to the store, gives us at least one well-rounded meal/day, and the prep teaches me more cooking skills and gives us something to do (my 12-year-old daughter and I usually cook together, another GREAT thing).
3. Saving money. Sure - there are a few impulse buys and indulgences, but I think overall we're spending less. We don't need gas when we don't go anywhere, and there are no extra stops that spend more money when we are out and about. Going out is a pretty regimented thing now ;)
4. Practicing a hobby. I've started playing the flute again. According to the notes in my sheet music, I haven't played (or at least had a lesson) since 1987. Whoa. That's like 13 years, which is a long time anyway, and then I realize that it isn't the year 2000 anymore, and it's actually 33 years. Bigger whoa. Muscle memory is amazing, and practicing is just as therapeutic for me as it was back then.
   
5. 10? I really said 10??
6. Dinner as a family. When we've all got our things, planning dinner around baton practices and swimming (for the kids), and race car build nights and teaching ski lessons (for hubby) is really challenging! While Friday night pizza and a movie is a pretty hard and fast tradition for the kids and I, since lockdown started, I think we've had dinner as a family all but one night (when hubby went on a road trip to get car parts). We're all here, so no excuses!
7. Seeing the good in people. Social media, ya'll. It can raise your spirits, or totally crush your heart. Today we're talking about the GREAT things, so look at all the good. Women have started groups of anonymous 'wine-ing' - delivering goodie baskets to other strangers in the group. Multiple food banks, with numerous employees and volunteers, are helping to both feed the needy, and employ or give a social outlet to those turning up to help. Birthday parades! Seeing neighbors across the street when we're all out for a walk on a nice day.
8. De-cluttering, cleaning, and donating. Maybe this counts as more than one? After this long, we're legit changing wardrobes and donating anyway, but we've also got a bit of extra time and focus, right? My office has been re-organized, with a shelving unit (also recognizable as a baby changing table) donated, and a whole list of books available to anyone who wants them. Our basement has been re-organized to make room for hubs at-home office. And the local charity has started pick-ups again for donations. Look out next week, Purple Heart, we're at three bags and adding more!
9. Slowing down. True story. Yes, there's more of a different kind of stress, but most of us have the luxury of less constant pressures on our time. Working from home is its own kind of stress, but we do appear to have more freedom listening to our hearts about when to go to bed and wake up, what to wear, not needing to be as available. As my hub's friends say on the car chat boards, your mileage may vary. But hopefully you're able to enjoy a little more time to process the new strangeness that is life.
10. Time to re-evaluate. Yeah. That's kind of the point of all of this. What do you actually miss from your 'real' life, and what would you be happy to continue doing without? This is your big chance. I get that I won't be able to sleep in forever, but I can keep playing the flute, appreciate the reading time when I've got it, and enjoying my new de-cluttered space and found treasures from storage. Moods are changing fast - be sure to appreciate the time when you're feeling, well, appreciative of the current normal.

My own disclaimer: Yes, I'm a middle-class, privileged white woman. I live in a home with 'enough,' and free of abuse. I get that not everyone has the same GREAT things that I do, even if I wish they did. This post was about me choosing to focus on the good for a bit, and not the fury and frustration I imagine for those trapped in less fortunate circumstances.

And I don't want to end on a downer note. What's the BEST part of lockdown for you? 

This is How I Lied - Book Review

This is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf
Publication date: May 12, 2020
Pages: 336 pages
Genre: Thriller, police procedural, contemporary fiction
Rating: 3/5 stars ✰✰✰
Strengths: Plot twists, fake suspects
Weaknesses: Character changes over time

Maggie Kennedy O'Keefe is seven-months pregnant and expecting to have her detective duties moved to just desk duty any minute. Then an additional clue is found to her best friend's murder in the caves 25 years ago. How can she say no to a case that has so much influence on her life?

Soon Maggie is not only rifling through additional random calls - including confessions from people not born when the crime occurs. What is with people? Maggie is also targeted and rumors start flying that she's involved with a married man who isn't her husband. Then things start showing up that reference her teenage love life - from back when her best friend was murdered.

Plenty of suspects to choose from, and the author gives each one a little time in the spotlight to make them all seem plausible. I have to admit, I kind of did figure it out, just because I questioned the actual physicality of one of the initial suspects. The ending was definitely satisfying for more than just the committed crime.

I did question the true craziness of the crazy character - she still seems more dangerous to me than the author finally gave her credit for. And one of the fake suspect focuses left me not liking another character - perhaps unfairly. LOL

Overall, I'd give this book 3 out of 5 stars. I definitely couldn't put it down toward the end as I wanted to know who really dun it! I'd recommend this book as an interesting thriller.


Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my revew.

Show Us Your Books - May 2020

Welcome to my May version of Show Us Your Books, hosted by Jana Says and Life According to Steph. I've been joining in with these book bloggers this year to try and keep myself accountable for reading, and tracking what I've read.

Blogging and reading blogs has also been my most consistent social contact since lockdown started. Here in Michigan, we haven't had school since March 12, and stay home~stay safe has just been extended to the end of May (28th? 29th?). And I feel like the virus is similar to a toxic spill - I won't be the first one out there to test the air! Hahaha....

Made any fun purchases since you've been locked down? I got a pair of pj pants back around Easter, a new t-shirt celebrating my June birthday, and this excellent hoodie. Hopefully the weather will warm up soon and I won't be bundled in hoodies every day, but until then, I needed more to get by.

And now onto the ten books I read following last month's Show Us Your Books.

Finished Reading:

Act of Murder by John Bishop MD: An interesting medical thriller tying some seemingly unrelated deaths together. I reviewed it as 3.5/5 stars here. Thank you to the publisher for my copy of the book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gotham High by Melissa de la Cruz: This graphic novel was published in early April to some pretty mixed reviews so far. It looks like diehard comic fans question some of the characterizations. While I"m admittedly not a big comic fan, I enjoyed this book (and so did my 12-year-old daughter). I gave it 3.5/5 stars in my full review here. Thanks to the publisher for our copy of the book, but as usual receiving it for free did not influence my review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kill Code by Clive Fleury: I loved this fast-moving dystopian story of a man's fight first for a more rewarding live, but what quickly turns to a fight for his very survival. I gave it 4/5 stars in my full review here. While it didn't influence my review, I did receive this book for free from the publisher. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Love, Life, and Lucille by Judy Gaman: Lucille was impossible not to love. Her enthusiasm with her life and any new experiences was so charming and uplifting to read. While we knew it was coming, losing Lucille kind of ruined the end of the book for me. Unreasonable, I know. I gave it 3/5 stars in my full review on Books I Think You Should Read. Thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. ⭐⭐⭐

Rage and Ruin by Jennifer Armentrout: I was so excited to find out about this second book in the Harbinger Series. I reviewed the first one (Storm and Fury) almost a year ago, and was thrilled to get an advance copy of book number two from Edelweiss+ in exchange for my honest review. The characters in both books were unique and quite engaging for me. I'm a sucker for a well-imagined fantasy world. Wardens and demons and angels, oh my! My complete 4/5 star review is on my blog here. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick: I enjoyed this heartwarming story of love and changing attitudes. Mitchell starts out as a grouch who hates all the locks left on the bridges in his town as tokens of love. The story of him getting back into life after the loss of his fiance is hopeful and cozy. Check out my full 3.5/5 star review here. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advance copy of the book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman: One of the reasons I wanted to review this book was its setting in western Michigan. Iris is an old woman who no one has seen in years lives behind high walls at her lakefront house with beautiful gardens. She also owns and rents out the house next door, on the condition that they don't try to talk to her. But when Abby and Cory move into the rental along with their young daughter Lily, the rules start to change. I reviewed this one on my blog and gave it 3.5/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez: I requested this one from the library when I started seeing reviews of the follow-up book, Happy Every After Playlist. I enjoy spending more book time with charming characters I already know. The Friend Zone was a fun read with a few plot twists for me. Check out my full 4/5 star review here. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The American Crusade by Mark Spivak: This political thriller rings familiar with both events and characters, but it really is fiction. Some character attributes are definitely drawn from real politicians, and the suicide bombing of the Mall of America and other noticeable landmarks are inspired by the events of 9/11. For someone really into politics, this book was probably more entertaining. I reviewed it for Books I Think You Should Read and gave it 3/5 stars (by the way - there's a giveaway there through 5/12). Thank you to the publisher for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. ⭐⭐⭐

Ten Days Gone by Beverly Long: A woman is being killed every ten days, and as the fourth body is found, they have ten days left to find a killer and save the next life. This was a suspenseful read that I gave 3/5 stars to in my full review. I'd love to work with these detectives again in a subsequent book. Thanks to Netgalley for sharing a copy of the book with me in exchange for my honest review. ⭐⭐⭐

Currently Reading:

With the new month, I've got a few promised dates for reviews coming up, so I've already cranked a few more books out. I finished My Kind of People yesterday (full review and giveaway here), and just got done with This is How I Lied today (review later this week). I'm starting Glorious Boy tonight, but I'm a little concerned with reading a pdf on my kindle. Last time I couldn't adjust the font size, so it was too small to read long comfortably. Wish me luck!

Planning to Read:

It looks like library holds will be bringing Always and Forever Lara Jean and The Conference of the Birds (the fifth book in the Miss Peregrine series) my way soon. I also requested Rodham from Edelweiss+ (fingers crossed!). Already on my shelf and moving up quickly are Breath Like Water and I'm excited to finally read The Electric Heir (follow up to The Fever King from last year).

What were some of your best reads from April?

Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger Series Book 2) - Book Review

Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication date: June 9, 2020
Pages: 608 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5 stars ✰✰✰✰
Strengths: Characters, fantasy world setting, steamy sex
Weaknesses: Open-ish ending

I was so excited to get this second book in the Harbinger series, and it definitely did not disappoint. I admittedly giggled at the first lines - a conversation with Trinity's ghost friend, Peanut. That dialogue got me right into the old conversations and characters from the first book.

In Rage and Ruin, Trinity has a new Protector, since the first book ended with her finding out about the double-crossing by her first Protector, Misha. While there is still grief about the loss of Misha, we've got a whole new drama dealing with her newly appointed Protector, Zayne, who was almost her boyfriend right before the last conflict. Whoops!

Trinity (a Trueborn - half human and half angel) and Zayne (a Warden - killer of demons and protector of all humans) are now trying to find the truly evil Harbinger, with the help of their friends, who include the Crown Prince demon Roth. Perhaps one of the best unstated lessons in this whole series is that no one is completely good or completely evil. As long as there is a little bit of humanity in play, choice will always influence the outcome.

While most of the books I read are more heavy in plot and character than, well, steamy sex, this book does have some touching and passionate scenes of the forbidden chemistry developing between Trinity and Zayne. I liked how it spiced things up and added another level of emotion to their relationship's development.

Overall, I'd give this book at least 4 out of 5 stars. While the ending was highly satisfying for some characters, the fate of the world as we know it is still balancing precariously. I hope this means we've got more books in the Harbinger Series to come!


Thanks to Edelweiss for proving me with an advance electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my opinions.

Tuesday Teaser ~ First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Tuesday Intro - Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger Series Book 2)

Welcome back to First Chapter ~ First Paragraph ~ Tuesday Intros with Socrates' Book Reviews, and Teaser Tuesday with The Purple Booker.

I'm so excited about the book I'm reading right now! It's my first approval from Edelweiss+, and I went looking for it.
See, my daughter and I were watching Pick of the Litter on Disney+, and one of the women getting a guide dog had retinitis pigmentosa, which had caused her blindness. I heard that and knew I'd heard of it before in a book. So I googled 'retinitis pigmentosa fiction character.' Sure enough, Storm and Fury (which I read and LOVED last year) has a main character with the degenerative eye disease. Total side note: The author introduces this because she also has retinitis pigmentosa.

Anyway, while researching this far, I found that the next book is being published in June 2020! Yay! So I went in search of the second Harbinger book, Rage and Ruin, and was granted an early reader copy - huge yay!! I'm enjoying this as much as I expected, and I'm here today to share with you from this fabulous book.

First Chapter, First Paragraph:

I blinked open achy, swollen eyes and stared straight at the pale, translucent face of a ghost.
Gasping, I jerked upright. Strands of dark hair fell across my face. "Peanut!" I pressed the heel of one palm against my chest, where my poor heart pounded like a steel drum. "What in the Hell, dude?"

Amazon summary:

Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all. 

Teaser Tuesday (from 17% read of my Kindle copy):

"By the way, what did you roll around in back there?" he asked
"A puddle of bad life choices."
"Huh. I always wondered what that smelled like."
"Now you know."
Despite the fact I smelled rank, another laugh tickled the back of my throat as I looked at him again. The black shirt he had on was a mess, but his leather pants held up under the constant shirting from human to Warden and back again, which must be why he wore them when he patrolled. And I was not complaining about them. 

The first book in the Harbinger series was one of my favorites from last year, and I'm really enjoying the second book now. Trinity and Zayne are thoroughly likable, and even understandable despite being non-human. I love a well-done fantasy, and this series totally hits the mark.

Friday Fill-Ins - 1 May 2020

At least it isn't another book review? LOL I may be a little obsessed with my reading lately ;)

I'm joining in for Friday's Friendly Fill-Ins with Four-Legged Furballs and 15 and Meowing.

Here's the fill-ins for this week:

1. It is important to learn ______________.

2. When I was _____________, I was obsessed with _________________.

3. I feel __________________about _____________.

4. My lucky number is ________________.

My answer is in bold, and each statement is followed by any comments I have on the subject.

1. It is important to learn to be happy with yourself.
Other people will come and go from your life, but you should be your own best friend! It's been an ebb and flow thing through my whole life so far, but happiness from within is the only happiness you have any control of.

2. When I was celebrating my first holiday season living on my own, I was obsessed with penguins.
Whoa - this was a harder one for me. I don't recall being obsessed with much over the years. But unpacking my holiday decorations will show that when I first set up my own place, without any small children around, I loved to hang penguin ornaments on my holiday tree. Which was kind of intentional. I liked them, sure, and having something to name made gift suggestions and requests easy. Now I love all the ornaments from/about/by my kids.

3. I feel passionate about feeding kids.
My 'day job' is feeding lunch at our local elementary school. While our district tends to be solidly middle class, there are still kids who get free or reduced lunch/breakfast, and kids with food insecurities. Some adults in the community don't believe it, or think the people picking up food since the schools have closed are 'scamming' the system for benefits, but I see these kids all the time. As well-to-do as some of our neighborhoods look from the outside, there are kids going to bed hungry, and kids who can't focus in class because they're worried about when they'll get their next meal. It really breaks my heart sometimes.

4. My lucky number is 13.
It's also my birthday. I like that it's odd and a prime number, without being too high to count in a hurry :) Hey, you asked!


Hope you and yours are doing well in this wild, wild world. Make good choices, and stay safe!

Ten Days Gone - Book Review

Ten Days Gone by Beverly Long
Publication date: February 18, 2020
Pages: 377 pages
Genre: Police procedural, mystery, contemporary
Rating: 3/5 stars ✰✰✰
Strengths: Plot and backstory, believable characters
Weaknesses: Not a lot of depth, some fake drama

I'm glad I read this book. A.L. (whose real name we still don't know) and Rena are perfect police partners. He's the wizened old guy who remains a bit grumpy most of the time, and she's the younger, underestimated but quite competent detective. They get along - finish each others' thoughts, and respect each other. It makes them both very likable.

In this, the first book about A.L., anyway, they're dealing with four dead women, each murder committed 10 days apart. They have 10 days til the next murder is expected. Can they find the perpetrator, or at least deduce and protect the next intended victim? It seems likely, of course. Who would want to keep reading books where the serial killer wins?

As they trace down clues and question witnesses, A.L. is also trying to deal with his teenage daughter and his ex-wife, and Rena is worried about her marriage, as she and her husband struggle with infertility. The side plots really helped develop the characters and how their own distractions helped them view the case from different perspectives.

Overall, I'd give this procedural 3 out of 5 stars. It was a good read, and I'd definitely seek out subsequent books in the series.


Thank you to Mira Books and Netgalley for my free electronic copy of this book. I received the book in exchange for my unbiased review.