"Waiting, Hoping, Wishing" by Nic Starr

This story takes place mostly in Sydney, Australia, where Dean and Matt have been best friends since high school when they came out of the closet together.  Now in their mid-20s, Dean is a plumber hoping to start his own business, and Matt works for a big company.  Dean has secretly loved Matt for years but never let him know for fear of rejection and loss of his friendship.  Unfortunately, Matt moved to Melbourne with his boyfriend a year ago, and Dean thinks he's lost his chance with him forever.  Then Matt and his boyfriend break up, and he tells Dean that he wants to move back to Sydney.  Will Dean ever tell Matt how he feels or will he go on being miserable without the man he loves?

This was a cute novella with two likable main characters and just enough miscommunication and angst to make me keep reading.  I really felt for Dean and his inability to get over Matt.  His family was supportive and pushed him to find happiness, but no one measured up to his best friend.  61 pages (Kindle edition).

Spring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews

Summary:  "Annajane Hudgens truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason Bayless. They've been divorced for four years, she's engaged to a new, terrific guy, and she's ready to leave the small town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding to the beautiful, intelligent, delightful Celia. But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is literally walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe she's been given a second chance. Maybe everything happens for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back. But there are secrets afoot in this small southern town. On the peaceful surface of Hideaway Lake, Annajane discovers that the past is never really gone. Even if there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness might be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy lake town might be in her future."

My favorite part of this book is the Bayless family drama surrounding their family-owned business, Quixie, a struggling cherry soft-drink company. The soda drama is one I've never read before, and I enjoyed it more than I anticipated. Mason's sister Pokey, also Annajane's best friend, is the best character, and I wish she would get her own book: she's smart, honest and fights for her family. 

402 pages

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

This is the third volume in the Game of Thrones series.  Mayhem, war, and plot twists abound; several main characters meet their demise and others take unusual detours in their journeys.  This is a fascinating story, but Martin's method of telling the story from several viewpoints simultaneously is somewhat disruptive, as I would become engrossed in following one character only to be switched to another part of the country in the next chapter.  Overall, the villains are still winning, but other dark forces have risen in the north, and the wars are now not just between men, but with other undead enemies and demons as well.  1177 pages.

Out of My Head: Coon Dogs That Lie to You, Killer Pancakes, and Other Lunacies by LeRoy Powell

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

A book of many interesting problems, facts and solutions. How Moon Pies must be washed down with Royal Crown Cola, why the rich eat the heels of their loaves of bread.

Audio:  3 hrs. 45 min.

Print:  179 pages

"Darling Beast" by Elizabeth Hoyt

This is book seven in the Maiden Lane series and centers on Apollo Greaves, Viscount Kilbourne, who escaped a four year nightmare in Bedlam nine months ago and is now living as "Mr. Smith," a gardener at a burned out pleasure garden called Harte's Folly.  He is friends with Harte, who is actually Asa Makepeace, the brother of the main characters of previous entries in the series.  Unbeknownst to Apollo, Makepeace had hired a famous actress, Lily Stumpe, to perform plays at the garden before it burned downed.  Angry that she left his theatre, Lily's previous employer blacklisted her in the London theatre community.  So when Harte's Folly burned, she could find no work but talked Makepeace into letting her, her son, and her maid live in the two small rooms of the theatre that hadn't burned.  Apollo frightens Lily when they first meet due to his size and his inability to speak as his voice was damaged in a vicious beating in Bedlam.  But as Lily's son, Indio, becomes enamored with the silent gardener, Lily eventually realizes that he is not the hulking oaf he pretends to be.  Apollo is really searching for the killer of his friends, a crime for which he was framed and sentenced to Bedlam.  But how can he do that if he's lost his voice and must not divulge his real name and station in life?

Hoyt writes another winner that brings back other characters from the series, including Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, and her husband, the Duke of Wakefield, the two people responsible for his escape from Bedlam in book six.  Lily and Apollo make a classically great historical romance couple; both are strong, likeable, and moral.  I'm leaving out a lot because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but fans of the genre will love this entertaining addition to the series.  Oh, and there's a cute, red, Italian greyhound who steals a few scenes!  328 pages.

Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews

Summary: Grace Stanton is a famous design and lifestyle blogger who seems to have it all: the perfect house, the perfect husband and the perfect job. But her life falls apart in one hellish night, and she is left with nothing but her wits and gumption to pick herself up again.

Deep Dish was the first Mary Kay Andrews book I ever read, and I enjoyed Ladies' Night just as much. Her stories and characters are rich and detailed, making them a great way to lose yourself and escape reality. You'll be rooting for Grace from the very beginning.

458 pages 

Burn by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Robbery in the diamond district of New York. Eighteen months of planning is actually the plan of a Wall Street hedge fund manager, a cannibal/murderer.

Audio:  7 hrs. 55 min.
Print:   368 pages

"County Almshouses and Jails of Missouri" by William T. Cross and Charlotte B. Forrester

Published in 1912, this sad little book is the text of a speech given by Cross, the secretary of the Missouri State Board of Charities and Corrections, at the state Nurses' Association's annual meeting on Oct. 16, 1912.  It describes what Forrester saw throughout the state when she visited county jails and almshouses (which housed the poor) and includes a few badly reproduced photographs of their inhabitants.  Some of the places were praised but most were poorly run and the people housed there terribly mistreated, especially the mentally ill.  Women and children were not always separated from the men, and rapes were not unusual.  Cross's racism is also in evidence by his insistence that non-whites be kept away from whites.  What a sad and depressing time in history.  23 pages, copyright 1912.

My Soul to Keep from African Immortals Series (Book 1) by Tananarive Due

This is the intriguing story of a young Miami newspaper reporter, Jessica and her mysterious husband, David.  David is handsome, intelligent, accomplished, and it becomes evident, has lived for over 500 years.  He belongs to a secret society of men called "the immortals," who have undergone a ritual that gives them everlasting life.  But David has fallen deeply in love with Jessica; they share a five-year-old child, Kira, so he devises a scheme to keep them with him forever.  Once begun, this book is incredibly hard to put down.  Tananarive Due is an extremely talented writer with a gifted imagination and the ability to weave unusual stories.
352 pages    

White Cargo by Stuart Woods

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Off the coast of Colombia, his ship was sunk, his daughter kidnapped, and they thought he was killed, too. Revenge was for this very determined man.

Audio:  10 hrs. 3 min.
Print:  448 pages

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This book was recommended to me by some fellow librarians. And it is a good one, trust me, I’m a librarian. Here’s how I would assign subject headings in KLAS:

Science Fiction

Science Fiction, Futuristic

Science Fiction, Technology

Science Fiction, Suspense

Adventure, Fiction

Friendship, Fiction

Coming of Age, Fiction

Strong Language

Male Narrator

Don’t be dissuaded by the genre if you’re not a SciFi fan. I’m not either. I don’t even care for most coming-of-age fiction. I’m not going to give you a synopsis of the book. If I had read the book jacket first, I probably wouldn’t have read the book. I highly recommend the audio version since that’s how I read it. You’ve just got to get it and jump in, but strap on your seat belt first because it’s non-stop adventure. (384 pages; audiobook 15 hours and 46 minutes).

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I believe I was in 4th or 5th grade when I read 'Little Women'. I loved it then. I related to Jo, who was a tomboy, as was I, and read voraciously, as did I.  Last year, I 'took one for the team' by reading Neil Gaiman books, even though I don't care for fantasy. This year, I decided to do my share by reading books written over a hundred years ago by going back and re-reading some classics. I started with 'Little Women'.

I confess, I  wasn't as enthralled by it as I was when I was 10, but I still enjoyed it. It was like visiting an  old friend, one that I was happy to re-connect to. The March sisters, Meg, Jo,  Beth and Amy have been beloved by girls everywhere for many generations.

It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869.  It follows the four girls from childhood to womanhood, and may been based on the author and her three sisters. The story begins during the Civil War with the girls and their Mother trying to keep the home fires burning while their Father is away acting as a chaplain with the Union army.  The family used to be wealthy, but Father had lost his money several years before, and the girls now consider themselves poor, as do their neighbors and friends. They do have a servant, Hannah, though, so the term is relative, and Mother tries to teach them that  money is not what makes a person wealthy. 

This is truly 'gentle and nostalgic fiction', reflecting a simpler life which I'm sure many of us yearn for at times. Entertainment consisted of writing and acting out plays, going on outings with friends, reading, and the occasional party. The girls fight, make up, befriend their neighbors, sew, garden, go for walks and do other 'old-fashioned' activities. I'm sure it would seem tame to today's girls, but I bet they would really like the book if they gave it a chance.


Published in 1868-69
560 pages

Celia, A Slave by Melton A. McLaurin

On June 23, 1855 a 19-year-old slave named Celia was raped several times by her owner, Robert Newsom. Newsom lived in Callaway County, Missouri, and had bought Celia from a slave  owner in Audrain County in 1850. She was 14 years old, and according to some accounts, he raped her on the way back to his own farm. In the following 5 years, he moved her into a cabin not far from his house, and called her his 'concubine'. She gave birth to 2 children, at least one of them the son of Robert Newsom.

At some point, Celia became involved with another of Newsom's slaves, a man named George. In the spring of 1855, Celia discovered she was pregnant again. George insisted she put an end to the sexual exploitation she was being subjected to by her owner. She went to the Newsom's daughters to beg them to get him to stop. She also begged Newsom himself to leave her alone, at least while she was 'sick'. The result was his visit to her cabin on June 23. She tried to escape, but when he cornered her and forced himself on her, she clubbed him over the head with a large stick, killing him. She then burned his body in her fireplace.

She was eventually found out and taken to Fulton to be tried for murder. She was found guilty by an all-male jury,  and  hanged. McLaurin uses her story to focus on the role of gender, exploring how female slaves were sexually exploited as slaves, why white women couldn't stop the abuse, and male slaves couldn't defend slave women. He also looks at the way the legal system was used to justify slavery.  In the end, this is a compelling narrative of one women pushed beyond the limits of her endurance by an inhumane system.

195 pages

The Science of Skinny by Dee McCaffrey, CDC

Like many other books on good nutrition, the author encourages eating whole foods, organic if possible, including plenty of fruits and veggies.  Most of the book details the damage done to the human body by sugar, flour, food additives and pesticides. Unfortunately the author often takes a preachy tone, and also cites outdated studies.  If the author, who is a registered food and environmental scientist, is to be believed, this is a truly scary title to read just before Halloween.  Be sure to wash your apples before eating to remove the pesticides.  450 pages.

Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson

This is a short novella, featuring Sheriff Walt Longmire, from the Longmire series now on TV.  The book was featured in One Book Wyoming, and given to the state librarians who attended the conference last week.
This short piece recounts an incident early in the Sheriff Longmire chronicle in which the newly elected Sheriff and his predecessor risk flying a child injured in an auto accident through a blizzard to get treatment at a hospital in Denver.  The story is pretty tight, and brings out the colorful characteristics of its characters.  It takes place at Christmas, for extra plucks on the heartstrings.  A short fun read.  146 pages.

"Rules for a Proper Governess" by Jennifer Ashley

Book seven in the Mackenzies & McBrides series centers on Sinclair McBride, a tough, Scottish barrister working and living in London with his two motherless children.  Sinclair's wife, Daisy, died seven years ago, and his daughter and son have run off every governess he has ever hired.  But when East Ender Bertie Frasier picks his pocket of the watch his late wife had given him, Sinclair meets the woman who will change his life forever.  Bertie becomes the children's governess even though she hasn't had much formal education; the kids like and mind her, which is what Sinclair needs immediately.  There is also the mystery of the sinister letters that he continues to receive from an unknown enemy threatening to expose Daisy's past and put his kids' futures in jeopardy.  Is the author someone he has successfully prosecuted or Daisy's own brother, who hates Sinclair and wants to take away the children?  Or could Bertie's abusive father be behind the threats?

This was another winner from Ashley, whose descriptions of London, Scotland, and the book's many characters were vivid and realistic.  Sinclair is a broken, depressed man who continues to mourn his late wife at the expense of everyone and everything else in his life except his work.  Bertie is a strong, forthright, and honest heroine even though she has been forced into crime by her awful father and his cronies.  The mystery added a nice touch, and it was great to see the many Mackenzies and McBrides from the previous books.  306 pages.

Hellhound on His Trail

Author: Hampton Sides
Audio Hours: 15.2 hours
Pages: 480


Cover blurb:
On April 4, 1968, James Earl Ray shot Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Motel. The nation was shocked, enraged, and saddened. As chaos erupted across the country and mourners gathered at King's funeral, investigators launched a sixty-five day search for King’s assassin that would lead them across two continents. With a blistering, cross-cutting narrative that draws on a wealth of dramatic unpublished documents, Hampton Sides, bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers, delivers a non-fiction thriller in the tradition of William Manchester's The Death of a President and Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. With Hellhound On His Trail, Sides shines a light on the largest manhunt in American history and brings it to life for all to see.


My take:
This is a great book. Vibrant and detailed without being too boring. I listened to the book and wasn't bored at any point. The author is thorough, he does a great job intertwining all the accounts and information without it being too cumbersome for the reader. Anyone will like this book, especially those with an affinity for history.

The Good House: A Novel by Tananarive Due

Angela Toussaint's late grandmother owned a wonderful old house on a hill in Sacajawea, Washington, which is so treasured that the locals call it the Good House. Family troubles lead Angela to move her husband and son there during the summer of 2001, hopeful that the house’s magic might save her failing marriage.  Unfortunately, an unexpected tragedy tears them apart instead.  Two years later, Angela has reinvented herself by becoming a talent agent in Los Angeles, and she is ready to move on, which entails selling the old house. When she returns to Sacajawea, Angela discovers there have been more senseless tragedies, and she speculates on their connection to the house and an entity her grandmother battled in 1929.  Assisted by Myles Fisher, her high school boyfriend, and clues from beyond the grave, Angela races to solve a deadly puzzle that has followed her family for generations and end the legacy of tragedy.  This is a page-turner by the talented Tananarive Due, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

496 pages

21 hours, 27 minutes

Not My Father's Son

Author: Alan Cumming
Audio: 6 hours and 28 minutes
Pages: 304


Cover blurb:
Dark, painful memories can be like a cage. Or, in the case of Alan Cumming, they can be packed away in a box, stuck in the attic to be forgotten. Until one day the box explodes and all the memories flood back in horrible detail. Alan Cumming grew up in the grip of a man who held his family hostage, someone who meted out violence with a frightening ease, who waged a silent war with himself that sometimes spilled over onto everyone around him. That man was Alex Cumming, Alan's father.


My take:
I have always admired Alan Cumming, he is not afraid to try roles and put himself "out there". Always entertaining and funny.
I experienced this book through audio, Alan narrates it himself. His voice is lovely to listen to and he puts emotion into the reading. I enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it.

Robert B. Parker’s Bull River by Robert Knott

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch return a murderer and bandito to Mexico City for trial.  In this novel there is not a woman to rescue.

Audio:  7 hrs. 37 min.
Print:  352 pages