Short and Sweet

 Struggling to focus. Reading short books. Under 200 pages. Why don't magazines count? 😭😭😭

Drowned Country by Emily Tesh

Mopey wild man. Mopey vampire. Mopey fairies. 

Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.

Heartbreakingly beautiful. 

Excited for her next book.

157 pages

The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis

Reread, still sad. 

Family history is so important. 

Seniors deserve respect and dignity. 

47 pages

Rage by Stephen King

Controversial, out of print.

Teenage angst, trauma.

Teens also deserve respect and dignity.

Hard to put down, not really scary. 

130 pages

Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur

Real, raw writing. 

Love her spoken word poetry.

Give, grieve, grow. 

99 pages 

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Beautiful Asian fantasy world. 

Fierce queer women. 

I want to try black salt. 

NEED the next book. 

(No, I don't want to wait a month)

Read Harder Task #11

121 pages

Missouri's Mad Doctor McDowell by Victoria Cosner

Why rob graves? For science!

Who doesn't want to preserve their family members? 

He could view his wife across the river, how sweet.

Now I have to visit Hannibal.

142 pages

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

The Story of Arthur Truluv
by Elizabeth Berg

240 pages

A moving novel about three people who find their way back from loss and loneliness to a different kind of happiness. Arthur, a widow, meets Maddy, a troubled teenage girl who is avoiding school by hiding out at the cemetery, where Arthur goes every day for lunch to have imaginary conversations with his late wife, and think about the lives of others. The two strike up a friendship that draws them out of isolation. Maddy gives Arthur the name Truluv, for his loving and positive responses to every outrageous thing she says or does. With Arthur’s nosy neighbor Lucille, they create a loving and unconventional family, proving that life’s most precious moments are sweeter when shared.

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Born to a survivalist family in the Idaho mountains, Tara had never set foot in a normal classroom or been to a doctor. The family spent their time preparing for the End of Days by working in their father's junkyard or stewing herbs with their mother, a midwife and healer. When an older brother decides to go to college, Tara can't help but become curious about the outside world. She taught herself enough to get the score necessary to gain a scholarship to BYU. Once in college, she begins to question her family's way of life, eventually questioning the meaning of family itself.

While I normally avoid mentioning my personal feelings toward a book in a post so that people can reach their own conclusions about whether or not they want to read the book, I cannot recommend this book enough. Tara's struggle to understand her family and her quest for self-invention is astonishing and beyond admirable. I've had many fiction books take me on an emotional journey, but I've never found a nonfiction book that resonates quite like this one.

352 pages.

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is everything. It's such a rich and honest portrayal of family, and it ripped my heart open and stitched it back together a thousand times.

It's the story of 3 siblings, who all grew up in different homes, under different circumstances, not even knowing the others exist. It's told from 3 POVs that are so different and yet also achingly similar.

I love this one. It hurts in all the right ways, and my only complaint is that I'm an idiot and should have read this book last year, during one of the 9 different times I checked it out and then didn't follow through with reading it. I'm slow on the uptake folks, but I do eventually get there.

Book 4 read in 2018

Pages: 374

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Summary: "The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming....

This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor. It wants the truth." -Amazon

First of all, we all need to bow down to Mr. Patrick Ness.  He is a wordsmith of the ages.

This story is beautiful in it's complicated simplicity.  Conor's mother is dying of cancer, and he must learn how to face not only this monster killing her but also his feelings and future without her.  The characters have depth and imperfections and there are definitely some tearjerker scenes, especially between Conor and his mother.  I'll leave you with a quote that resonated with me in a deep way: 

“Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.”

4.5/5

224 pages

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Summary: "Isabel Spellman may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism -- but she's good at her job as a licensed P.I. with her family's firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people's privacy comes naturally to Izzy and all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. Izzy walks an indistinguishable line between Spellman family member and Spellman employee. But when Izzy decides to get out of the family business in search of normalcy, she ends up taking on the most important case of her life. The Spellman Files is an unforgettable introduction to the Spellman family in all its lovable chaos." - Amazon

I must admit - I started this novel solely because of the cover.  I love the art.  This is a book about a family of private investigators, and whoever designed this artwork nailed the whimsical, over-the-top feel of these characters.

As private investigators, the Spellman's main income comes from background checks and surveillance, which each of the children helped with from a young age, and that the family now liberally utilizes against each other.  There are some seriously funny bits to this novel.  I chuckled more than once at Izzy's descriptions and commentary of her 'perfect' older brother.  The central mystery, however, is not that great.  The twist outcome for said mystery is odd and not well developed.  I will forgive that, however, for the sheer cheekiness of the characters.  I'm not sure I will read the rest of the series, but I am glad I spent time in Izzy's strange world.

4/5

384 pages

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Summary: This novel is "the shattering story of Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he’s placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires". - Amazon

I'm not sure I can write an adequate review of this novel.  The language is sparse but powerful.  The characters are simple, trope even, yet somehow captivating.  The plot pulls you along slowly, but then jerks you in a new direction more than once.

This is a middle school level book that hit me hard, demanding my full attention and my emotions until the bitter end.

“You’re not alone.”
He shook his head.
“You’re not.”
“I’m alone,” he said.
“You’ve got me,” I said.
He laughed, but not a happy laugh.
“Jackie, I’m a whole lifetime ahead of you,” he said.

Worth it.

5/5

192 pages

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

Summary:  "He is a brilliant math Professor with a peculiar problem - ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory.  She is an astute young Housekeeper - with a ten-year-old son - who is hired to care for the Professor.  The Housekeeper and the Professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family." -Amazon

Written in simple language with unnamed characters, this is a beautiful, peaceful novel about kindness and the unique bonds between humans.  Because the professor is a math genius, math is elegantly utilized throughout the book to emphasize the wonder of the natural world and our place in it.

Don't let the length of this book fool you.  It is one of the most moving novels I've read in a while.

192 pages

5/5

You Deserve a Drink by Mamrie Hart

You Deserve a Drink: Boozy Misadventures and Tales of Debauchery by Mamrie Hart

Mamrie Hart describes herself as “a drinking star with a YouTube problem,” and this does indeed appear to be true. Hart is the founder of the YouTube series You Deserve a Drink, and she has compiled her best drinking stories into a novel. The book is set up to be a drinking game and a cocktail recipe starts off each chapter. Every time she references an old TV show, mentions a food product that can be found at 7-Eleven, or refers to a reproductive organ by a slang term, the reader is meant to take a swig. With stories ranging from a spring break spent at a gay nudist resort to celebrating Day of the Dead in Mexico with her friend Maegan, where a group of swingers mistake them for a lesbian couple, boozy misadventures abound. As Grace Helbig notes in the forward, “None of what you’re about to read is exaggerated, fabricated, or G-rated.”

288 pages.

"Us" by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

In this sequel to "Him," Ryan Wesley is in his rookie season with the Toronto Maple Leaves and lives with his boyfriend, Jamie Canning.  However, they have to keep their relationship secret to avoid any distractions to Wes and his team.  He's promised Jamie that they'll come out once his rookie season has ended, but the deception is taking a toll on them both especially after one of Wesley's teammates moves into their building and constantly bugs them.  This was a wonderful follow up to the first book, which I loved.  Wes and Jamie still have great chemistry together, and their texts to each other are hilarious.  The angst in the story is just right, and Blake, the nosy teammate, adds a lot of humor with his irrational fear of sheep.  Another winner from Bowen and Kennedy that I couldn't put down.  328 pages (Kindle edition).

"Healing Jacob" by Nicole Stewart

This angsty romance between a homeless musician and a bakery owner fell flat for me.  Neither main character was three dimensional, and I couldn't invest myself in their story.  The misuse of commas was distracting.  I think the writer has potential, and a good editor could have helped with the flow of the story and fleshing out the characters.  166 pages (Kindle edition).

"If the Seas Catch Fire" by L.A. Witt

This excellent book about two hit men in the Mafia controlled town of Cape Swan, CA, is one of the best I have ever read.  Domenico “Dom” Maisano is the nephew of Corrado Maisano, the head of one of the Mafia families.  He's a "made man" and has few choices in his life as his uncle's hit man, which he has always hated.  When Sergei Andronikov saves him during a beating, Dom pursues a temporary, no-strings relationship with the man before Dom is forced to marry a woman to keep up appearances and appease his uncle.  He thinks Sergei is a stripper but he's actually a contract killer whose goal in life is to wipe out the Mafia families who destroyed his own family when he was a boy.

I cannot praise the writing, story line, and character development enough.  Dom and Sergei have tragic and emotional back stories which allow the reader to understand their motivations for doing what they do.  Full of action, tenderness, suspense, despair, eroticism, fear, thrills, and more, this story will stick with me for a long, long time.  Highly recommended.  451 pages (Kindle edition).

"Lover on Top: A Firefighter Romance" by Kristine Cayne

Another "later in life" coming out story, this one features "Hollywood" Wright, a firefighter who seems to love the ladies.  When he accidentally sets his kitchen on fire, he moves in with his best friend's younger brother, Chad, an out and proud paramedic.  Confusion, denial, and misunderstandings ensue along with a dangerous situation.  It doesn't help that Hollywood's father is a rabid homophobe who holds a high ranking position in the fire department.  Even though the two main characters acted like brats sometimes, I still liked the story.  292 pages (Kindle edition).

"Salvation" by Sloane Kennedy

Book two in The Protectors Series features Seth Nichols, whose parents were murdered and he was tortured when he was 14.  Now 21, he's trying to run his father's shipping company and deal with his PTSD and self-doubt.  He once had an older brother, but he died while serving in the military.  Out of the blue, his brother's fiance, Ronan Grisham, appears and throws Seth's life into even more turmoil because he's had a crush on the man since he was a teen.  Now someone is after Seth, and Ronan will do everything he can to protect him even if it breaks both of their hearts.  Like the previous book in this series, there was a ton of angst, terrible traumas in both men's lives, guilt, and suspense.  I was annoyed at how often Seth and Ronan pushed each other away then changed their minds, but it was still an interesting story.  367 pages (Kindle edition.)

"Absolution" by Sloane Kennedy

This is book one in The Protectors Series and deals with three men who've all suffered some form of trauma.  Jonas was kicked out of his home at age 14 for being gay and spent several years as a teenage prostitute before having even more tragedy befall him.  Mace's son was kidnapped and murdered by a killer.  Cole faced the traumas of war before losing his sister, who was Jonah's best friend.  Now someone has hired Mace to kill Jonah for bogus reasons, and Cole gets involved.  This novel was full of angst and heavy and was not quite believable at times, but it was a compelling story.  356 pages (Kindle edition.)

"Out of Nowhere" by Roan Parrish

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, called "In the Middle of Somewhere," and this story focused on Colin Mulligan, one of the brothers of Daniel (the hero in the first book).  In the first book, Colin was a mean, homophobic jerk to his brother.  This story is told from Colin's point of view and explains why he was that way.  We learned at the end of book one that Colin is deeply in the closet; this book shows how that happened.  While Colin isn't nearly as likable as Daniel, the author clearly shows his mental anguish at hiding such a large part of himself from his family and friends.  Although not as good as the first book, mostly because the main characters weren't as sweet as Daniel and his boyfriend, Rex, it was still a compelling story.  300 pages (Kindle edition).

Long Lost by David Morrell

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

His younger brother was kidnapped  by a cult family, raised for decade.  His life was bad, he did bad things.  He’s back and now he wants his brother's family and will kill to get it.

Audio:  7 hrs. 9 min.
Print:  384 pages

"In the Middle of Somewhere" by Roan Parrish

Daniel Mulligan has just moved to Holiday, Michigan, to teach at a small college after finishing his PhD in English.  Originally from Philadelphia, Daniel is a tough and tattooed outcast who's never really fit in with his family or classmates.  His mother died when he was young, and his father and three older brothers (all mechanics) never much cared for him, especially after he told them he was gay.  So Daniel feels especially out of place in the small town until Rex Vale comes back into his life.  The two men met six months earlier when Daniel was in town for an interview with the college and was literally rescued by Rex when he wrecked his rental car in a snowstorm.  They soon begin a relationship, but Daniel has never really dated and Rex doesn't want to get too attached to Daniel due to others in his life leaving him.  But as they grow closer, they discover that being vulnerable and letting someone help you is not the same as being weak.

This was a great book with two memorable and very likable main characters who seem to have little in common but complement each other well.  Rex doesn't talk much but can fix or build just about anything, while Daniel loves his books and overthinks everything.  Secondary characters, especially Daniel's best friend, Ginger, help move the story forward to a satisfying conclusion.  I have already started reading the next in the series.  350 pages (Kindle edition).

"The Game Changer" by Kay Simone

This is the second Kay Simone book that I have read, and although it felt very different from the first ("The Company We Keep," which was great), I really enjoyed it.  Malcolm Rodgers is a professional quarterback who's having a very bad week.  First, he's injured in a game that will require him to undergo weeks of intensive physical therapy causing him to miss at least six games in the season.  Second, his fiancee calls off their wedding and breaks up with him for reasons he can't quite comprehend.  Malcolm ends up spending most of his time with Vance Coberly, his team's head physical therapist, just trying to get his leg back in shape as fast as he can. Although different in the way they approach life, the two men become friends.  However, when the seemingly straight Malcolm kisses the out-and-proud Vance, the two will never be the same.

This novel was about a lot of things: self-discovery, family obligations, friendship, homophobia, professional football, and love.  The author takes time to flesh out the two main characters, why they are the way they are, their fears, and their faults, which doesn't always happen in character driven novels.  This was another winner from Simone that had me hooked from beginning to end.  403 pages (Kindle edition).

"Fish Stick Fridays" by Rhys Ford

Opposites attract in this romantic suspense novel about a biker dude trying to do right by his eight-year-old niece and a wealthy bookstore owner in small town California.  Deacon Reid is trying to raise his dead sister's foul mouthed daughter away from the chaos they were both born into.  He buys a garage in Half Moon Bay and rents a house from Lang Harris, who owns a bookstore just down the street.  They both feel attraction when they meet but are wary of getting too close to each other due to mistrust in past relationships.  Then things blow up, people get shot, and craziness ensues.  But who is the target?  Unusual characters and a whodunit make this an above average read, but the little girl cussed so much that it was a distraction for me.  204 pages (Kindle edition).