The Pharaoh's Secret by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

NUMA team’s misfortune starts with Africa and the lack of water in many African countries. Where’s the water going?

Audio:  10 hrs. 57 min.

Print:  432 pages

After the Prophet - Lesley Hazleton

After the Prophet: the epic story of the Shia-Sunni split. (Doubleday, 2009) 256p.


"In this gripping narrative history, Lesley Hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam, a rift that dominates the news now more than ever. Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would take control of the new Islamic nation had begun, beginning a succession crisis marked by power grabs, assassination, political intrigue, and passionate faith. Soon Islam was embroiled in civil war, pitting its founder's controversial wife Aisha against his son-in-law Ali, and shattering Muhammad's ideal of unity. Combining meticulous research with compelling storytelling, After the Prophet explores the volatile intersection of religion and politics, psychology and culture, and history and current events. It is an indispensable guide to the depth and power of the Shia-Sunni split."(Amazon blurb)

I checked out this book after reading a review.  Because of the timeliness of the topic, I thought it might give some background information for trying to understand the Shia-Sunni split.  If it was dry and boring, I could always return it.  I didn't.

As the blurb states, Ms. Hazleton has written a "gripping narrative".  The book is well researched, compellingly written, and very engrossing.  I can't say it was a book I couldn't put down...but it was a book I enjoyed reading.  And I didn't skip to the end to see what happened.  (Yes, I do that on occasion. Besides I already knew there would be no happy ending.)  The power struggle began even before Muhammad died.  And I found myself musing at the beginning..."If only Muhammad had selected a successor...all this could have been avoided."  But after reading the whole book, I have revised my thinking on that.  This was/is a political power grab and would have happened eventually, regardless (or because) of who was anointed as successor.  The Shia-Sunnit split is a clan struggle cloaked in religious fervor.  Barring a second coming of Muhammad, I don't see a ready reconciliation.  

Lesley Hazleton is a journalist and has written several books on Islam.  I plan on reading them all.

End of Days by Susan Ee

End of Days by Susan Ee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The final book in this YA fantasy series was by far my favorite. I really love a series that grows so much you hate to leave it behind. This book has a big, slam-bang finish that will knock your socks off.

Pages: 344

World After by Susan Ee

World After by Susan Ee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an excellent 2nd installment in a strange but interesting YA fantasy series about post-apocalyptic angels and demons, and an accidental, everyday hero, named Penryn.

Pages: 320

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting, fast-paced, and unexpected take on a post-apocalyptic world overrun with both angels and demons. Penryn is refreshingly different, and her troubled family (mom is schizophrenic and little sister is a paraplegic) adds an interesting element to the story. This is book 1 in a trilogy, and I have already started book 2.

Pages: 288

The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson

Arthur and Jake Dunn are the sons of a farmer in the small town of Struan, Ontario in the mid-1930s. From childhood, Arthur is burdened by his size and his character; he has his father’s character, reticent, solid, and dutiful.  He is set to inherit the farm.

 

Jake is younger, attractive, mercurial and dangerous to know – the family misfit. He is a devious bully, but has a sunny personality. He is his mother’s child; articulate and charismatic and the world is his oyster.

 

A terrible accident befalls Jake and the blame falls on Arthur. Thereafter a spirit of enmity grows between Jake and Arthur, one that will poison their relationship and inextricably tie them to the past. When a beautiful young woman comes into the community, the fragile balance of sibling rivalry tips over the edge.

296 pages

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

On a cold winter's night in Lexington, KY, Norah Henry goes into labor. It is 1964, and Lexington is in the midst of a blinding blizzard. Norah's husband, Dr. David Henry, administers drugs and delivers twins; a healthy baby boy and a girl with Down syndrome. Deciding that his wife cannot handle having a 'handicapped' child, he instructs his nurse, Caroline Gill, to take the child to an institution and never reveal its existence.

However, Caroline cannot bring herself to leave the child when she sees what life is like in the institution, so she takes the child and disappears. She moves to another city and raises the little girl as her own. Norah is told that her son Paul's twin died at birth.

Norah and David's life deteriorates under the burden of guilt (David's), grief (Norah's), and the longing for a lost sibling (Paul's).  Meanwhile, Caroline and baby Phoebe build a warm, satisfying life, albeit one also built on a lie, as is David and Norah's. A compelling read.

434 pages

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is brilliant. My brain almost exploded while reading.

I am totally in love with this dangerous fantasy world, and I want nothing more than to live inside it with all the incredible, unique, and deadly characters. Every book is better than the last. I actually hope this series never ends. It’s not possible that I will ever get enough of it.

This is book four, so make sure you start with book one: Throne of Glass. Also, the novellas are fantastic and can be read as a complete set before you start book one, if you want. I recommend that, because they provide excellent background information.

Pages: 648

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Teenage Darrow believes mining will help improve the planet's future; his wife thinks they are slaves to the upper classes.  He becomes warrior, winner, leader for the lower classes while competing in the upper class games.

Audio:  13 hrs. 49 min.

Print:  382 pages

Feed by M.T. Anderson

Feed by M.T. Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novel has excellent characterization, but whatever you do, don't read it. It has incredible voice, but you have to listen to this one. It’s a whole different experience, because all the advertisements and reports that come through the Feed were created for the audiobook, with background music, announcer voices, sound effects, and more.

I felt like I was actually experiencing the feed, and I can’t imagine that reading the book would have the same effect. Also, the main character, Titus, has a style of telling the story that sounds fantastic and strangely charming when read aloud by David Aaron Baker, but I think it might have driven me crazy if I’d have read it myself. It’s hard to explain, but go listen to the sample to see what I mean.

Here’s the first line, which drew me in right away: “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.”

Audio Length: 5 hours and 1 minute
Narrator: David Aaron Baker

Pages: 299 (paperback)

All the Bright Places

By Jennifer Niven

400 pages

A very interesting, moving, sad, and absorbing book!  And soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning! ;)

Here's the Amazon snippet:

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Gayle Forman, Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

Looking for Alaska

By John Green

221 pages

I'm working through John Green's books slowly.  Looking for Alaska wasn't my favorite of his works, but it was still moving and funny and oh-so-human. 

Here's the Amazon snippet:

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .

After. Nothing is ever the same.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Willowdean is a fabulous character with a lot of authentic voice. She's honest, makes mistakes, falters, and grows, and her sidekicks in the story are equally delightful. 5 stars and a crown for everyone.

Pages: 375

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Madeline hasn't left the house in 17 years, due to Sever Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). Being allergic to the world is lousy, but this story is perfection. I read this book straight through and couldn't stop.

Pages: 320

"A Deadly Secret" by Matt Birkbeck

The subtitle of this true crime book is "The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst."  I recently viewed "The Jinx", a documentary about Durst and the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathie, and I wanted to know more about the case.  This book seemed to be the most in-depth and was first published in 2002; the edition that I read was updated in March of 2015, after "The Jinx" had aired on HBO.

However, this is not just about Kathie's disappearance but also about the murder of Morris Black, a Texas drifter killed and dismembered by Durst in 2001.  The author interviewed the major players in both cases, including the police, private detectives, Kathie's family and friends, prosecutors, and witnesses.  He does a thorough job of going through details and using them to show that Durst is a sociopath.  The only quibble I have is with the way the author uses quotations of conversations for which he wasn't present nor were recorded.  Durst is currently being held in Louisiana on an illegal firearms violation but has been charged in California with the 2000 death of his friend Susan Berman.  That case is also covered in the book.  299 pages.

Corridors of the night by Anne Perry

Hester, Monk, and Scruff their adopted street urchin are back on the case in this latest installment of the William Monk series.  Hester has agreed to take over the night nursing duties of a friend called away on a family emergency. On her first night, she encounters a young girl calling for someone to help her dying brother.  What are children doing in the Royal Naval Hospital? Why does Hester fail to return home after a shift at the hospital? Monk and Scruff call on all their friends to help find out what has happened to Hester.

The first part of the book is a fast paced search for Hester against the backdrop of medical care in post-Crimean War England.  Imagine a time when patients routinely bled to death because doctors didn't know how to give blood transfusions. Perry makes the reader question just how far medical research should go in search of life-saving treatments. As is always the case in the series, the solving of the crime is followed by the court case.  I found this part of the book less interesting and the ending a bit abrupt, as if Perry didn't know how to end the story.  If you like the series, you will enjoy reading about the continuing development of Hester and Monk's family and friends in the Corridors of the Night. 271 pages.

Another Day by David Levithan

Another Day by David Levithan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After having read and loved Every Day (every day A wakes up in a different body, with a different life), this wasn't the companion novel I wanted. It can be read as a stand alone novel, but I don't recommend it. Instead, go read Every Day and skip this. It doesn't add much new and isn't nearly as interesting as the first novel.

Pages: 338

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys: Edited by April Genevieve Tucholke

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a strange, creepy, and disturbing collection of short stories by a group of excellent YA authors: Stefan Bachmann, Leigh Bardugo, Kendare Blake, A. G. Howard, Jay Kristoff, Marie Lu, Jonathan Maberry, Danielle Paige, Carrie Ryan, Megan Shepherd, Nova Ren Suma, McCormick Templeman, April Genevieve Tucholke, Cat Winters.

There’s something here that will interest or traumatize almost anyone who likes a good horror story. Some of these stories, I really loved. Others, kept me up at night, and some were merely likable or bizarre. However, the collection as a whole is enjoyable and a worthwhile read.

All of the selections were inspired by other works, which are listed after each short story. As I read, I started to guess what the inspirations for each short story were. I was wrong more often than I was right, but it was still fun to try to match these short stories up with possible inspirations.

Pages: 392

Wanted Woman by Eric Jerome Dickey

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

She was trained by her father to be a professional hit person.  They say she messed up so they left her out there.  They treated her poorly . . . not a good thing to do.

Audio:  14 hrs. 28 min.
Print:  480 pages

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova is a brutally honest look at Alzheimers Disease and the havoc in can wreak on both the individual who is diagnosed and the family and caregivers around her. Alice Howland is a professor of psychology at Harvard University when she is diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease at the age of 50. The story is told from her point of view and shows how she views her world during the course of the disease. At once fascinating, heartbreaking, and frightening, this novel takes an in-depth look at the disease from early onset forward. Genova's storytelling makes this a quick read. I read the entire thing in a few hours and could barely put it down. But don't let the speed of the read fool you--this is a meaty narrative with lots to take in. Genova masterfully weaves the sensory perceptions Alice experiences throughout her illness and their changes. There is a lot to consider. For example, if you could be genetically tested to find out if you would develop Alzheimer's in the future, would you want to know? I heartily recommend this book to EVERYONE. We all need to know more about this terrifying disease and the people who take care of its victims. 289 pp.

The White Rose by Amy Ewing

Summary: The White Rose picks up right after the dramatic cliffhanger of The Jewel. I didn't enjoy this book as much as The Jewel, it was kind of a chore to slog through it. It's a bit predictable, has a stale love story, and another unsatisfying cliffhanger ending. I missed the intrigue and scandal of the royals, as that was what was so interesting about the first book.

The covers of the books in this series are gorgeous; I couldn't take my eyes off them.

Despite everything I've just complained about, I still plan on reading the next book. Hopefully it will be an improvement!

308 pages

You Know Who Killed Me by Loren D. Estleman

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

She had an affair, he was murdered.  There are foreign bad guys and local suspects.  Amos Walker was hired to find out who the killer was.

Audio:  5 hrs. 36 min.

Print:  240 pages