Death of Bees - Lisa O'Donnell
                            "O" Author

#2019AtoZChallenge - "D"

Where do I start?  This book has dark humor, vulgar language, sexual situations, teenage angst, drugs, and a very dysfunctional family.  And nothing to do with bees.

Marnie and Nelly bury their parents in the backyard garden after finding them dead; the dad in his bed and the mom in the garden shed. The girls know what happened to them but they are not telling.  They do this so they will be able to stay together until Marnie turns 16.

Each chapter is told in an alternating voices:
                 15 year old Marnie, who has a foul mouth, loose morals, helps out a drug dealer for money and most of all, must keep the family secret of buried parents so she can take care of her little sister.

                   12 year old Nelly, talented violinist, trusting, and scared someone will learn of their secret.

                 70 year old Lennie, the gay neighbor, who knows something is going on and takes the girls in to help them.  Lennie is lonely and the 3 of them form of family, of sorts.

Weird book, but I found I liked the characters and even after finishing the book, I find myself wondering about how they are all doing. 

 

     Hotel on Shadow Lake - Daniela Tully
                 Historical Fiction

#2019AtoZchallenge - H

If you like a little mystery, a little romance, mixed in with some historical fiction , then this book is for you. 

Maya's grandmother's body is found 25 years after she disappeared. Maya then goes on a journey from Munich, Germany to Lake Montgomery, New York, to find out what happened to her very beloved grandmother. 

The story travels between Maya, in present day,  and her grandmother, Martha, in Germany during the rise of Hitler in 1938.  The book was inspired by the author's own grandmother and notes & journals she found that her grandmother had written.  A very enjoyable read. 

                       Eragon - Christopher Paolini
                                    New Author

#2019AtoZchallenge - E
Monthly Motif Challenge - March - Kingdom

Eragon, a farm boy, goes on a fantastic journey when he finds a blue stone that turns out to be a dragon's egg. 

So we have dragon's, elves, dwarfs,, bad monsters, a ruthless king ruling his kingdom, and magic.   Everything you would want in a mystical fantasy.   Even though this is not a genre I would usually read,  I was impress with the fact that the author was a young teen when he wrote this book.  A little long but an easy read. 

So saddle up your dragon and start your magical journey with Eragon and Saphira.   

Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo

2019 A to Z Challenge - "C"
Series

Well, the Thailand Tourism Authority won't be contacting Nesbo any time soon, that's for sure!  I don't know if he was just trying to paint a seedier Thailand to go with the plot or if he really dislikes Thailand, but I know people who have visited there and it's not nearly as bad as Nesbo describes it.

In this one, a Norwegian ambassador is found murdered in a Bangkok motel and Harry is sent to "solve" the case. The whole thing takes place over the course of about 3 weeks.

As is often the case with 1) translated books from another language, in this instance Norwegian and 2) books set in foreign lands, I got lost in some of the names, places, etc.  And then I got lost with the plot.  I believe Nesbo tries to put in quite a few red herrings so the reader cannot figure out the who-dun-it quickly and easily, but I found myself very distracted, yet unsurprised by the reveal of the murderer.  There are some confusing financial motives tossed around and a lot of characters to keep track of throughout.  Let's just say, I hope the series improves because there are 10 more to go!!

Quotes:  "Just that powerful men have a tendency to bend laws in their favor."

"This is pretty hard to follow, Harry."  My thoughts exactly!!!

      The Night Olivia Fell - Christina McDonald
                       Debut

I thought this was a good but a little  predictable at times.    The chapters go between Abi, in the present  and  Olivia,  in the past.

Abi's daughter, Olivia, is pronounced brain-dead after a fall from a bridge. But there were bruises on her wrists and her charm bracelet was gone.  So why weren't the police investigating this as more than an accident??   Then at the hospital, Abi found out that her daughter was also pregnant!!!!!   What????

This book certainly kept me intrigued even though some things seemed obvious to me.   It even  had me ugly-crying at one part!!!!    I will watch for the next book by this author which doesn't come out until 2020. 
Hopefully I will remember that I want to read it by then.  Lol

The Lost Queen - Signe Pike

New Author

Once Upon A Book Club - November 2018

Color Coded Challenge - Red
2019 March Motif Challenge - Royalty, Kingdoms, Empires, Governments

This was a tome at 515 pages and didn't get exciting until after the first 300 or so pages.  That's not a criticism of the book.  There is a lot of back story and build up necessary, its just that this is not my genre of choice so the story development was slow for me.  Funny because I've enjoyed the myth of King Arthur (I read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in college), the movies Camelot, Robin Hood, Braveheart, etc. but I just can't get into reading things like Outlander, Court of Thorns & Roses series, etc.

I appreciate the research Ms. Pike did for this story, much of it based on the Celtic Briton history and the myth of the wizard Merlin.  And I value the chance as a reader to explore new genres and discover new worlds even if they don't inspire me to follow that reading path.

So, if you enjoy books about kingdoms, warriors, magic healers, some romance, etc. this book may be for you.  Tis' the story primarily about the twin sister of Merlin, her coming of age story and of sacrificing her dreams for her family and finding her strength in a life she was forced to choose.  FYI - its the 1st in a trilogy - book 2 is coming out in 2020.  This may explain the ending, which I felt was a bit incomplete, but regardless I'm pretty sure this is a series I won't be reading.

Quotes:  "Laws do not simply dictate right from wrong.  They provide measures of balance.... They help men and women keep the course between right and wrong when they cannot do so themselves.  A law broken results in a punishment, most often payment - the aim of which is to encourage correct action in the future."

"...we may not always have the choice we would like.  But we always have a choice."

"You come to understand that all gods, and all stories, are different names for the same thing.  Beneath it all, there is one god with many faces, but always one god.  There is one story with many variations, but always the same ending."

"There is a place within pain that exists beyond tears."

               Devil's Star - Jo Nesbo
                     
                        Series

Well,  Harry just might have done it this time.  He is in another mess and his boss can not cover for him any longer.  So he has  turned in Harry's resignation papers.  (Since there is more to this series, we know that those papers did not get signed.  Lol)

Possibly his last case, to track down a serial killer.  This killer leaves a red diamond jewel and a drawn pentagram called a "devil's star" somewhere at each crime scene.    To make matters worse for Harry,  he has to work with Tom Waaler.  The cop who Harry is pretty sure is dirty.

Another good mystery with a lot of twists and turns and red herrings.  Maybe too many red herrings and unnecessary back information about some of the minor characters.  At times,  I felt bogged down with some of that.   Certainly not enough to stop from reading the next in this series.!!!
Where will Harry take me next?   And what trouble will we get into???

The Girl They Left Behind  _  Roxanne Veletzos         
                  Historical Fiction

January 1941, Bucharest, Romania.
Little Natalia is found sitting on a doorstep when she is just 4 years old.  She is soon adopted by a wealthy and loving couple.   But as the war rages on, Romania is caught between the Nazi's and the Russians which has a huge effect on Natalia's family and their life.

The secrets about why she was left on that doorstep and how the war affects her family are both heart-breaking and fascinating.

A good read for historical fiction lovers.   The novel is based on facts about the author's family.