🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 17th

mnmloveli
Pea God

Posts: 28,804

🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 17th Jul 18, 2023 21:30:39 GMT Mystie, gottapeanow, and 3 more like this

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Post by mnmloveli on Jul 18, 2023 21:30:39 GMT

Pretty good reading week for me………

OBSESSED (Michael Bennett #15) (‘23 - 4 STARS) BY JAMES O. BORN & JAMES PATTERSON
DESCRIPTION : A superstitious killer targeting young women in every borough of New York City. Aboard a police boat on the Hudson River, Detective Michael Bennett casts a wary eye into the cold, rough water. NYPD is searching for a murder victim—a young college student. They find her tossed in the dark waves, dressed for a night out in a sparkly black gown. The gruesome sight fills Bennett with the dread only a father could fathom. As the obsessive killer extends his spree, a pattern emerges. One that Bennett’s eldest daughter fits to a disturbing degree. Now NYPD’s top detective must lure the murderer into the light of day before the next deadly strike lands closer to home than Bennett could ever bear—as a parent, or as a protector.

REVIEW :
Previous books by this author were the Michael Bennett and Alex Cross Series and any books written with JD Barker. They’ve all received 4/5 stars. I’ve stopped reading any other James Patterson books since he calls the people who write for him “contributors” and will not call them co-authors. Just irks me. I’ve been reading the Michael Bennett series since 2007. The first 10 years were written by Michael Ledwidge and then James O. Born took over in 2017. I like them all.

I always like the importance of his family in every book and that continues in this book. Lots of family interaction in this one. Enjoyed the twists & turns in this solid murder mystery. Love seeing Detective Bennett solve cases and still have so much involvement with his family. Another great read by Mr. Born.

THE WOMAN INSIDE (‘23 - 4 STARS) BY M.T. Edvardsson
DESCRIPTION : Bill Olsson, recently widowed, is desperate to provide for his daughter, Sally. Struggling to pay rent, he welcomes a lodger into their home: Karla, a law student and aspiring judge, who works as a housekeeper to make ends meet. Her clients are the Rytters, an incredibly wealthy couple who hide behind closed doors. The wife is ill and hasn’t left the house in months. The husband is controlling and obsessive. Is he just a worried husband, concerned for his wife’s health? Or is there something more sinister at play? As Bill’s situation becomes more dire, Karla is forced to make a difficult choice. And when the Rytters wind up dead, and Karla is pulled in for questioning, she’s made to defend some parts of her past she’d rather not revisit.

REVIEW :
U.S. debut book by this author was A Nearly Normal Family (‘19) and I gave 3 stars due to repetitiveness but said I would definitely try next book since I liked the writing.

Like the flow of the writing right away in this book. The untangling of the deaths of the Rytters was original to me. I loved the interspersing of police interviews and newspaper articles throughout the whole
story giving hints to the whole plot. The characters’ voices in each chapter really pulled me in; lies, deceit, theft all get revealed. This book is sooo much more than its description.

THE SUMMER GIRL (‘23 - 3 STARS) BY JENNY BLACKHURST
DESCRIPTION: Claire’s little sister Holly has been working on the millionaire’s playground of Martha’s Vineyard for the summer, all barefoot beach parties and flirting with the local rich kids. But now she’s missing and none of the locals seem to care, including the police. They think a message Claire received is proof she’s safe. But Claire knows for a fact that’s impossible. What will she have to risk to find out the truth? Who are the locals protecting? And what does it have to do with another girl who went missing five years ago? It’s going to be a summer she’ll never forget.

REVIEW:
First 4 books by this author for me were The Hiking Trip (‘23 - 5 Stars), The Girl Who Left (‘22 - 4 Stars), Before I Let You In (‘16 - Read 18 - 4 Stars) and How I Left You (‘14 - Read ‘18 - 5 Stars).

Like the writing and the story is moving quickly. At 40% seems like a cozy beach mystery which isn’t really my thing. Since it is Summer, I’ll read-on! I definitely like her “thriller” plots much more. Even after reading the description of this book I was hoping it would have a twist since I loved her first 4 books. It’s described as “An utterly gripping psychological thriller with shocking twists”. At 70% I haven’t had any thrills or twists. Disappointing.

Happy SUMMER Reading !

Have a GREAT day ! Mary

tanya2
Pearl Clutcher

Refupea #1604

Posts: 4,423

🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 17th Jul 18, 2023 22:02:34 GMT Mystie, gottapeanow, and 4 more like this

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Post by tanya2 on Jul 18, 2023 22:02:34 GMT

I just finished Before I Go by Brian Charles. It starts with a plane crash and then goes on about how the characters deal with it. Have to say it was one of the better ones I've read in awhile, and I totally did not see the twist at the end coming (and I usually pick up on stuff like that). Definitely recommend

Tanya2
Buckethead

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Lexica
VIPea

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🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 17th Jul 18, 2023 22:37:34 GMT Mystie, tamiq, and 2 more like this

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Post by Lexica on Jul 18, 2023 22:37:34 GMT

Jul 18, 2023 20:31:45 GMT JoP said:

Lexica - you know the pea rules - you can’t type all that and not disclose what the book series is called 😃

I do know the peas, which is why I’m not posting the name of the book series. I wouldn’t want anyone contacting this girl and causing any issues for her. I think she has had quite enough of my family by now. And if I had to choose between her and my sister/nephew, I’m picking her.

I may end up reading the rest of the first book just because I found the premise quite unique and want to know where she is taking it. But that won’t be until I can do so without feeling like I’m spying through her bedroom window.

Refugee 260

Bridget in MD
Drama Llama

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🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 17th Jul 19, 2023 0:47:52 GMT Mystie, tamiq, and 2 more like this

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Post by Bridget in MD on Jul 19, 2023 0:47:52 GMT

5 Stars for The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand. quick, easy, entertaining summer beach read! Hollis, a self-made internet sensation, loses her husband unexpectedly. Inspired by another blogger, she invites a best friend from a specific period of her life (Tatum - childhood, Dru-Ann, college, Brooke, married/mother period - Brooke, and Gigi - a supportive internet friend she's actually never met in real life) for a five star weekend of comraderie and friendship. She invites her estranged daughter to come and film them. While Hollis is navigating her own sorrows and drama, what she's not aware is that each of the women she has included have their own as well...!

I also finished 5 Stars for The Whispers by Ashley Audrain (author of The Push). This story is about gut feelings, and listening to those little voices. "She’d once heard them described as the whispers—the moments that are trying to tell you something isn’t right here. The problem is that some women aren’t listening to what their lives are trying to tell them. They don’t hear the whispers until they’re looking back with hindsight. Feeling blindsided. Desperate to see the truth for what it is." Imagine a neighborhood birthday party on Wisteria Lane (Desperate Housewives). All the perfect people are there, with families, when one of the mothers is overheard as she blisteringly screams at her son. The music and chatter stops, and shame-faced, she faces the crowd. Later, that son falls from his bedroom window. His mother sits by his bedside, dilligently, not saying a word, while the neighborhood women try to put together what they think may have happened, and learning how sometimes it's REALLY hard to listen to those little voices, especially when they are revealing things you may not like.

iowahawkeye
Shy Member

Posts: 30

🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 17th Jul 19, 2023 15:23:09 GMT Mystie, tamiq, and 2 more like this

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Post by iowahawkeye on Jul 19, 2023 15:23:09 GMT

I finished Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano that so many here have read - enjoyed it - 4 stars.

Currently reading Carnegie's Maid by Marie Benedict - for book club. The main character, Clara Kelley, assumed someone else's identity when coming to America and wqorking as an Irish maid for Andrew Carnegie. So far, it's good.

auntiepeas
UnstopPeable

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🟣 :::READING THREAD::: Week of July 17th Jul 19, 2023 22:04:41 GMT via mobile mnmloveli likes this

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Post by auntiepeas on Jul 19, 2023 22:04:41 GMT

Jul 18, 2023 14:59:37 GMT clarencelynn said:

I'm still working on Demon Copperhead but having a hard time of it. I need to sit and really concentrate to get going with it. Soon....

I did get Pageboy by Elliot Page from my waitlist at the library. I only gave it 2/5 stars, mostly due to the flow of the book. Each chapter was a standalone story but the way the chapters flows makes it seem like the editor dropped the original paper copy and randomly picked up the chapters from the floor and put them into whatever order they happened to be in. The past and more recent stories were just everywhere in the book, no flow between any of it.

Dang, I'm sorry to hear this. I was just looking at Pageboy in the bookstore yesterday and thinking I might pick it up next. Don't think I'll bother now.