The Next Best Book Club discussion

Who doesn't love a ladybug? Tales From Nature: Ladybug is another cute book for toddlers.
Link to my review with illustrations

A Few Right Thinking Men by Sulari Gentill is historical fiction with murder, sly grog shops, and the deadly politics of 1930s Sydney.
Link to my review

I've just started . I won it from Goodreads

Deviant – Harold Schechter – 3***
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original “Psycho”. I’ve always like “true crime” books, and this is a pretty good, though not great, example of the genre. Schechter writes a detailed account of Gein’s upbringing (as best as he could re-create it), the events and suspicions of the townspeople, his trial and his life in a mental institution.
LINK to my review

It seems time travel is all the rage ATM, here's my review of The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've returned to a series of cozy mysteries that I've read a a few of over the years but never in any order.

Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman

A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park – 4****
This middle-grade novel is a beautiful introduction to the Korean culture, as well as to the art of pottery. Park gives us a wonderful cast of characters. I love the relationship between Tree-Ear and Crane-man, how they care for one another, and give to one another so selflessly. I learned much about celadon pottery, and particularly the uniqueness of the inlay process. The novel was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in Children’s Literature.
LINK to my review

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Zamba: The True Story of the Greatest Lion That Ever Lived – Ralph Helfer– 3***
I’m not a great animal lover, but I was interested and engaged in most of Ralph Helfer’s memoir of raising and working with the lion he rescued as a young cub. I did find Helfer a bit preachy at times. Still, I applaud the way that he changed the minds of many animal “trainers” about the best techniques to use.
LINK to my review

I'm just a few pages into Transcription by Kate Atkinson. She's one of my favourite authors.

A fictional, yet insightful look into the world of reality television, here's my review of The One by Kaneana May

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Another excellent thriller in the Stillhouse Lake series, here's my review of Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review of Blood River by Tony Cavanaugh, a crime thriller set in Brisbane, Australia.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A wonderful look at the lives of the women divers of South Korea, here's my review of The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just started and am liking it so far.....not too far in though.

A handsome, young, American hit-man leaps from the frying pan of the Mob in Philly into the fire of a murder investigation in coastal Australia in Aussie author Dave Warner's River of Salt.
Link to my review

The Soldier's Curse shows 1825 Australia and the British penal colony in Port Macquarie, NSW, warts and all. It's the first of a series that Meg Keneally and her father, Tom Keneally, have planned to bring history to life. I've got to say, I'm sure glad I didn't live then!
3.5★ Link to my review

A Plague of Angels by P.F. Chisholm (aka Patricia Finney) is another entertaining adventure with Sir Robert Carey through 16th century London. Plague, jealousy, swordfights - what's not to love?
4.5★ Link to my review

A quick and easy to read crime novella set in South Africa, The Woman in the Blue Cloak by Deon Meyer

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read The House on Half Moon Street

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Another wonderful crime thriller from Harlan Coben, here's my review of Run Away

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

November Road – Lou Berney – 4****
Frank Guidry is on the run from the mob because he’s figured out his boss’s role in the JFK assassination. Charlotte Roy is running from an unhappy marriage, taking her two girls to a new life. When they meet in New Mexico, Guidry sees the perfect disguise and turns on the charm to convince Charlotte that he can help her. It’s a fast-paced thriller with an unlikely romance thrown in, and it kept me enthralled from beginning to end.
LINK to my review

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A Broth Of Betrayal – Connie Archer – 2.5**
Book two in the Soup Lover’s Mystery series. There’s a lot going on this summer in Snowflake, Vermont. Residents are protesting a developer’s plans for a car wash in historic downtown; a skeleton is found at the construction site; the mayor goes missing; and there are a couple of murders. Yet, with all that going on, the book felt slow to me.
LINK to my review

An explosive crime thriller, here's my 4.5 star review of 55 by James Delargy

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A fun kids adventure novel, here's my review of Kidnap in the Caribbean by Lauren St. John

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas – 4****
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is the narrator of this contemporary novel that deals with some major social issues facing America. I love the way that Thomas writes these characters. The realities of living in an urban neighborhood that is stressed by unemployment, gangs, poverty, drug use and broken families are all present. Thomas gives Starr a relatively stable home environment: a family-owned house, neighbors who look out for one another, and, most importantly, two parents who love one another, work hard, and set a good example for their children. The novel raises more questions than it gives solutions. But these are issues than need examining, and this is a great way to start the conversation.
LINK to my review

Local kids form a group called The Gunners. Author Rebecca Kauffman shows us how they grow up, still feeling guilty about how they failed a friend.
Link to my review

Good book for young people about an inspiring woman. Kids who never knew Oprah can find out what all the fuss is about in Work it, Girl: Run the Show Like CEO Oprah Winfrey by Caroline Moss. Biography, illustrations, and photos!
Link to my review with plenty of pictures

I'm reading . Wish I had more time to read it, it's good so far.

Out of Sight, by Elmore Leonard, is a popular cops and robbers escapade that was made into a film with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Guess which was which.
Link to my review

Pachinko – Min Jin Lee – 4****
This is an epic work of historical fiction that follows four generations of one Korean family living in Japan, beginning in 1910 and ending in 1989. I was quickly drawn into the story and eagerly followed Sunja’s story, but I did get a little bored with the repetition towards the end. Still, I was engaged and invested in these characters’ stories, and the setting and timeframe gave me some insight into a culture about which I know little.
LINK to my review

I'm almost halfway through My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent. It's really been quite dark & disturbing so far..

My 3 star review of The Debt by Glenn Cooper

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My most recent reads are:
All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani
The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
FKA USA by Reed King (my current read)

Just enjoyed Jo Spain's entertaining mystery about a murder and a gated neighbourhood of suspects, all with Dirty Little Secrets. A good read!
Link to my review

Mango Elephants In the Sun – Susana Herrera – 3.5***
Subtitle: How Life in an African Village Let Me Be in My Skin. This is a memoir of the time the author spent as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in Cameroon. I was interested and engaged in the experiences Herrera related, but somewhat appalled by how she lacked even basic understanding of the differences in culture before she arrived at her assignment. She relays some very interesting insights she gained from the women she befriended in the village.
LINK to my review

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The Swiss Family Robinson – Johann David Wyss – 3***
Originally published in 1812, this is a classic adventure tale of a mother, father and four sons who are shipwrecked on an unnamed (and apparently uncharted) tropical island in the South Seas. I had never read the book, though I had seen the Disney movie back in the ‘60s. My adult self recognizes the glaringly implausible (and, frankly, impossible) scenarios but the adventure still captures the imagination.
LINK to my review

A solid police procedural, here's my review of Tick Tock by Mel Sherratt

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My 4 star review of Life Before by Carmel Reilly

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Dog Who Saved Me – Susan Wilson – 3***
Though I am not really an animal lover or a “dog person,” I have read a few of Wilson’s books and found them interesting and engaging. This is somewhat formulaic, but the lead characters are likeable and their back stories interesting enough to hold my attention.
LINK to my review

This one is a fun cosy, Changing of the Guard Dog by Lane Stone

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This one's a real tearjerker, The Wonder of Lost Causes by Nick Trout

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Alice Network – Kate Quinn – 3***
Based on the real stories of women who served as spies during World War I, Quinn has crafted an interesting, engaging story of wartime heroines and the price they paid for their service. She uses a dual timeline, moving back and forth between 1947 and 1915. I was much more interested in Eve’s story; I found Charlie irritatingly immature. I thought the ending, especially that final confrontation, was somewhat rushed and implausible. Still, it held my attention and I was glad to learn something about the brave women who served.
LINK to my review

An Appetite for Murder – Lucy Burdette – 2**
Number one in a new series starring Hayley Snow, food critic wannabe in Key West, Florida. The premise sounds promising, and it seems to have all the elements for success, but Hayley is irritatingly immature and just plain too stupid to live. I’m not ready to give up on the series, but this isn’t a great beginning.
LINK to my review

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Coyote Cowboy Poetry – Baxter Black – 1*
This is a compilation of previously published works by Black, who is a trained veterinarian and a syndicated humorist / columnist. I thought it was mediocre to bad poetry that I’m sure some people find humorous but that did nothing for me. I did appreciate one or two of the sentiments (though the poetry was still bad).
LINK to my review

A fun cosy, here's my review of A Twist in the Tail by Leighann Dobbs

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A riveting crime thriller, here's my review of Spin Move by David Lender

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My Brilliant Friend – Elena Ferrara – 3.5***
This is the first of four books in the “Neapolitan Series” by Ferrante. I loved the way this friendship between Elena and Lila was portrayed, and the strength of these two girls as they faced the challenges of growing up. I also really appreciated how the landscape and culture were practically a character in the novel. I felt immersed in 1950s Naples. I could not help but be reminded of my BFF when I was growing up. Like these characters, we hardly breathed without consulting one another, and shared every secret, every joy, every heartache, every dream, every disappointment, every triumph.
LINK to my review

I just loved these early adventures of the exuberant child (who grew up to become the dashing Sir Robert Carey in his mystery series) in a couple of wonderful introductory works (free!) by P.F. Chisholm aka Patricia Finney.
A Pest of a Boy and A Boy in Trouble.

4.5★ Link to my review of A Pest of a Boy

5★ Link to my review of A Boy in Trouble

Beautiful! More than a picture book, it's a poignant story of a little girl in wartime. Captain Rosalie by Timothée de Fombelle and Isabelle Arsenault (illustrator) is out in June and still available on NetGalley.
5★ Link to my review with pictures

If you have not yet read Night, the 60-year old autobiographical account of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel's time in Auschwitz (followed by a lifetime of teaching and the Nobel Peace Prize), it's time.

Ignorance and silence are still responsible for killing people.
5★ (of course) Link to my comments

A fantastic crime thriller, here's my review of Blood on the Tracks by Barbara Nickless

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've finished Christmas in Vermont which was a sweet little romance. I went to scifi with the dystopian novel The Warehouse which I totally loved. Then I read one that I've been meaning to read for years The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Neil Gaiman was the narrator in the audio book I downloaded. Great voice and great book! And finally I am doing a re-read of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan for ftf bc.

I too listened to The Ocean at the End of the Lane --having Gaiman read it made me a fan. I listened to about half of Neverwhere on a recent road trip and have the book to finish, soon.

A blend of Historical Fiction and Rural Romance, here's my review of The Cinema at Starlight Creek by Alli Sinclair

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...