Golden Prey by John Sandford

May 15, 20183 Comments

Golden Prey. Finished 5-6-18, rating 4/5, thriller, 393 pages, pub. 2017

Lucas Davenport series #27 (1- Rules of Prey, 2- Shadow Prey, 3- Eyes of Prey, 4- Silent Prey, 5- Winter Prey, 6- Night Prey, 7- Mind Prey, 8- Sudden Prey, 9- Secret Prey, 10- Certain Prey, 11-Easy Prey, 12- Chosen Prey, 13- Mortal Prey, 14- Naken Prey, 15- Hidden Prey, 16- Broken Prey, 17- Invisible Prey, 18- Phantom Prey, 19- Wicked Prey, 20– Storm Prey, 21- Buried Prey, 22-Stolen Prey, 23-Silken Prey, 24-Field of Prey, 25-Gathering Prey, 26-Extreme Prey)

Thanks to some very influential people whose lives he saved, Lucas is no longer working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but for the U.S. Marshals Service, and with unusual scope. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, wherever they lead him.
And where they’ve led him this time is into real trouble. A Biloxi, Mississippi, drug-cartel counting house gets robbed, and suitcases full of cash disappear, leaving behind five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport takes the case, which quickly spirals out of control, as cartel assassins, including a torturer known as the “Queen of home-improvement tools” compete with Davenport to find the Dixie Hicks shooters who knocked over the counting house. Things get ugly real fast, and neither the cartel killers nor the holdup men give a damn about whose lives Davenport might have saved; to them, he’s just another large target. from Goodreads

The Lucas Davenport series is one that continues to hold up well, not just because of the writing and well executed chase stories, but because Lucas ages and evolves. Too many long running series seem to recycle the same stories and characters over and over.

Lucas is no longer stuck in Minnesota, so the country is his playground and it takes him south to track an old favorite on the FBIs most wanted list that’s never been caught. There are a multitude of very scary bad guys and they are equal opportunity killers since the women may be even more scary than the men.

I missed some of Lucas’s old friends in Minnesota, but he has two new marshal pals that I’m sure we’ll see again. This was another solid thriller in the series, perfect for plane rides or vacations because it reads so fast. These do not have to be read in order to enjoy the series.

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

May 14, 2018May 13, 20184 Comments

Small Great Things. Finished April 28, 2018, rating 3.75/5, fiction, 458 pages, pub. 2016.

Jodi Picoult has a good thing going with a huge number of people who devour her books and always want more. I am not one of them and I’m not sure why. The first one I read was My Sister’s Keeper and I LOVED it. It’s still on my top 100 favorite list. I read two more (Vanishing Acts and The Pact) and thought they were okay. After reading this I still feel the same way. Picoult is a great writer and knows how to tell a story. The biggest difference with this one is that the subject matter is so on point for what is going on in our country right now, so I read it hoping for raw honesty and got it – up until a point. I will reveal no details but feel free to discuss in the comments.

Ruth is a labor and delivery nurse, the only one of color at her hospital, and when a white supremacist couple comes in to deliver they reject her and her superiors agree to switch nurses. Something bad goes down and Ruth is suspended and needs a lawyer, enter Kennedy, a young white lawyer who wants to take race out of the case right away. This book alternates between their three voices.

Turk’s chapters were difficult to read. It was hard for me to come to terms with that kind of hate. I feel like a got a firsthand look at the white power movement and it was beyond disturbing. Kennedy bore an almost too familiar feeling for this white mom. So many things we think we understand about racism are really only surface deep and it takes someone like Ruth to come along to give us a small glimpse into her world. The chapters between the women were what kept me reading. Honestly, I just wanted to stop every time I saw Turk’s name come up.

We read this for our book group and there were many positives and a general good feeling about the book. A few (me included) felt it was a little heavy handed. But we all agreed that it did open our eyes about what is going on all around us that we may not have noticed before, and really, what more could you want in a book club discussion?

What’s your favorite Jodi Picoult novel?

Classics Club Question

May 12, 2018May 12, 201818 Comments

Here’s the question for May 2018:

What is your favorite classic book? Why?

This isn’t really a difficult question. To Kill A Mockingbird, which I read in adulthood, is one that moved and inspired me. We adopted a cat around the time I read this book and promptly named her Scout.

scout5 I also have a love for Jane Eyre, since it was the first classic I read on my own when I was a sophomore in high school. Although I haven’t read it recently I spent a few years watching all of the movie adaptations of the book. So much fun!

So what’s your favorite classic?

Freebie Friday

May 11, 2018May 22, 20187 Comments

The first few years of this blog I culled my personal library by giving away books. Well, the time has come to cull again so on Fridays for as long as I can I’ll be offering to mail these books to you free of charge. Please request no more than two.

This week they have all been read but are in great shape.

~~Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman,~~ headed to Shannon

~~Half a Life by Darin Strauss,~~ headed to another Stacy’s house

Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti,

~~So Much Pretty by Cara Hoffman,~~ headed to Brendan

Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time.

The first one to request each title will ‘win’. Thanks for helping keep my book hoarding in check!

Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time

May 10, 20184 Comments

Title: Kathy Smith's Getting Better All the Time, Author: Kathy Smith Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time. Finished 4-29-18, rating 2.5/5, health, 277 pages, pub. 1998

Reveals seven keys to success with a step-by-step program.

When I was younger I would turn to Kathy Smith videos and audios to help me lose weight. And I was always successful! I’m not sure when I acquired this book, but probably when it came out and I was still working at a bookstore. It’s part bio, part self-help and some recipes and plans to get you started.

The seven steps for getting started were good. One-Make it a priority (my #1 problem since becoming a mother for sure). Two-Be consistent. Three-Shift Your Mindset. Four-Find a passion. Five-Manage stress (another problem area for me). Six-Keep a diary. Seven-One step at a time.

The next section on the complexities of food were nothing new. I do plan on trying some of the recipes, but I’m more concerned about using real food as opposed to shortcuts. I did like her section on where the reader is at on the optimal eating scale. (hint-I’m not does so well)

The last section was about exercise and had some pictures, but it only made me want to track down her videos again.

Overall it was fine but nothing special in the diet/exercise genre. I do think it’s always worthwhile to be reminded of healthy practices so I’m glad I finally read through it.

April’s movies and $ for charity

May 1, 2018May 13, 20188 Comments

I picked my first movie for my March Madness win 🙂

Add your 5 words (or less!) to mine in a comment and earn $1 for charity. Once we get to $100 the person with the most reviews will choose the charity. Click here to see the past winners, the charities they chose and the other reviews you can add to. Anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

We’re at $79 right now.

The Quiet Place, 2018 (Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds) Grade B+

Shhh. Silence when birthing babies.

Signs without Mel and better. (Heather)

Nerve, 2016 (Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Juliette Lewis, Michael Heizer) Grade B

A social media cautionary tale.

Hunger Games for our day. (Heather)

Logan Lucky, 2017 (Tatum Channing, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Katie Holmes, Seth MacFarlane, Hilary Swank) Grade B-

Good old boys steal money.

Fun money caper, twists, turns. (Heather)

Was a fun surprise. What an interesting cast! (Care)

The Ninth Gate, 1999 (Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner) Grade C

Books – yay! Devil worship – yuck 😦

Z – Top Ten Zany People

April 30, 2018April 30, 20182 Comments

#AtoZchallenge 2018 friendly new badge logo Blogging from A-Z

Zany – one who acts the buffoon to amuse others. I’m coming in with 10 people who make me laugh, lol. Z is hard y’all!

That wild and crazy guy Steve Martin.
Melissa McCarthy
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Carol Burnett
Nick Offerman
Martin Short
Dave Chapelle
Kate McKinnon
John Oliver
Ben Stiller

What about you? When you need a good laugh who do you turn to?

And with that this A-Z Challenge is in the books! Thanks for visiting.

Y- Top Ten Yearly Mt. TBR facts

April 29, 2018May 21, 20185 Comments

Blogging from A-Z

My yearly mountain of owned and unread books started small, got completely out of hand and is slowly taking a turn for the better. Every year around this time I recreate my unread book stacks adding in new books. For many years I brought in more than I read and that became a problem. A big book problem.

My first Mt TRB (To Be Read) looked like this and I didn’t even bother to count the books.
I compared that pic to this year’s and found 97 books that have been on my shelves, unread, for 10 years. Yikes!
My biggest wall was in 2015 with 876 books.
Since 2015 I’ve slowly been bringing that number down my reading more of what I own and donating.
This year I read 25 and donated or gave away 92.
I brought in 55 new books.
The past few years I’ve used some of Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon time to recreate the wall, exactly the same every year minus the books read or donated. I listen to audio books while I work.
I prep the stacks during the week using the lists I have for every pile.
Getting the wall made and then put away takes many hours and is a good workout for read-a-thon time.
This year’s Mt. TBR clocks in at a robust, but not totally unmanageable

678 books.

Last year I read 74 book so if I kept that pace I could get all of these books read in less than 10 years. #goals

What about you? How many unread books do you have in your house?

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon

April 28, 2018April 29, 20187 Comments

Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon

Next Morning Wrap Up (noon)

Okay peeps, I made it until 5:15 am – 21.5 hours – reading and listening and building my Mt. TBR. I love read-a-thon time! It’s so much fun to indulge my bookish self for a day and push the limits of the this middle aged body. Here’s what I finished and what Mt. TBR looked like this year (another post on that later today).

Closing Survey!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hours 21-22 always seem to be the witching hour for me and I’m okay with that 🙂
2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! I finished Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (only had 100 pages left), The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood, The Art of Friendship by Roger Horchow and Sally Horchow, Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (10 hour audio), Water Tales by Alice Hoffman, & Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time. Four of those were from my own shelves.
3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? I liked Charlie St. Cloud and Water Tales, both were short and easy to read 🙂
4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile? Well, I loved your new mini-challenge set up and next time I’d like to host one.
5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? I always love to participate when our schedule allows. October is always tricky, but April usually works.

This will be my post for all things Read-a-Thon Today.

Update 2:15 am

I just finished Kathy Smith’s Getting Better All the Time. It’s 20 years old, but it was okay.

Tine for another mini-challenge…Pen Pals, What fictional character would you like to have as a pen pal, and why?

I think having Louisa Clark from the Me Before You books would be a hoot.

Update 11:47 pm

I’ve finished my Mt. TBR and will do a separate post tomorrow, but I’ll let you in on a secret, I am very pleased.

I also finished The Art of Friendship by Roger Horchow and Sally Horchow and it was okay.

Time for another mini-challenge…Artful Covers, Find an artsy image that you think would make a great cover for your current read.

I’m listening to Devil in Spring about a very well to do English family. I think their yard could look like this. (I took this picture at Versailles, France). France 228

Update 5:21 pm

I finished The Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood and am now anxious to see the movie.

Time for another mini-challenge…Tell Me a Story, tell me how you heard about Dewey’s Readathon and how many times you’ve participated.

I’m sure I learned about Dewey’s Readathon from another blogger, but I couldn’t say which one. At the time I was much more tuned into the blogging community and this event was everywhere 🙂 It sounded like a great challenge. This is my 9th year participating and I’ve actually read the whole 24 TWICE! I love hosting mini-challenges but didn’t get signed up this time around. If I read in April I always use the time to recreate my once a year book wall while I’m listening to audio books. I started working on it after my snack and here’s a sneak peek 🙂

See you in a few hours when I’m done! I’m listening to Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas on audio while I work.

Update 1:15 pm

Fixed lunch for my guys and am reading Charlie St. Cloud and the Art of Friendship. I participated in one mini-challenge…

Anthology of Interest – What topic would you love to see as the central theme of an anthology?

my answer was – I love to walk around old cemeteries and am reading Charlie St. Cloud right now, where Charlie works at a cemetery and can see some of the deceased for a time. An anthology about cemeteries would be cool.

Update 9:45am

I finished my first book, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. I only had 120 pages left so I’m glad to be done. I also cooked breakfast for my guys and gave Gage his spelling test (he got 12/15).

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Cleveland, Ohio area
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Probably Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Chocolate peanut butter pie 🙂
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I love all things books, obviously since I’m participating in a 24 hour read-a-thon 🙂 I’ll be married 20 years this fall and have a 7 year old son who will demand some of my time today.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? This is not my first rodeo. I’ve lost track of how many I’ve participated in, but have made it the whole 24 only twice. I usually throw in the towel during hours 21 or 22 which I consider a win. I’ve got a varied selection of books ready to go and some super short ones too.