The Bat  -  Jo Nesbo

                                      Series

I chose this book because I heard a lot about the book "The Snowman" by Jo Nesbo and since it was part of a series,  I had to start with the first book of the series.   Unfortunately,  I was a little disappointed but I am intrigued with Harry Hole and will continue with the series.

Anyway,  we first meet Harry Hole, a detective from Norway, in Australia.  He was sent there to help solve the murders of several young blond girls.  It is a good mystery "who-done-it" with maybe too much Australian folk-lore used as fill-in.   And maybe because I don't know much about Australia, I was lost quite a few times.  There was also a lot of back information on Harry,  sort of like we needed to get to know Harry real quick.  But like I said,  I am intrigued by Harry and will read the next in this series called,  "The Cockroaches". 

                               

And......we have a DRAGON!!!

Bookworm successfully completed the 2018 A to Z Challenge!!  Reading all 26 books in 9 months!!!!

Way to go!!!!  Couscous is right behind her.

Stay tuned as we gear up to tackle next year's challenge!!!

UPDATE:  Couscous finished the Challenge!!  With a couple weeks to spare!!!

            The Virgin Blue - Tracy Chevalier
                      Historical Fiction

This was Tracy Chevalier's first novel.  It is considered historical fiction because it mentions the religious wars in France in the 1600's.

 The story is told in 2 voices,  one of Isabelle Tournier who is suspected of witchcraft because of her red hair and her belief in the Virgin Mary during those 1600's religious wars.

The second voice is Ella Turner, who goes to France with her husband and discovers her family ancestors and a connection to the Tourniers of the 1600's.

To me, this novel was more of  literary fiction than historical .  I enjoyed the first half to two-thirds of the book,  but was put off by the way the book wrapped up at the end.

This was also my last book to read in the "A to Z Reading Challenge by GingerMom..   This was a fun way to read book off of my bookshelves.   Thanks to GingerMom and the #2018atozchallenge

        Last Girl Seen  -  Nina Laurin
                            DEBUT

This was not the shocking, psychological thriller that I was hoping for.
It was a good book and kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next.

Lainey was kidnapped 13 years ago at the age of 10.   Now another girl has disappeared.  The girl's parents reach out to Lainey because they think it is the same man who took Lainey 13 years ago.

 Lainey is a broken soul and takes pills just to get thru the day and to help ease the nightmares. So is she helping or hurting the missing girl's case. 

I did figure out one part of the story but there were several twists and turns that I did not see coming.   All in all, it was a good read.
           

A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn

Series

Another Chet and Bernie; another tail of mystery told through Chet's eyes and nose.  Chet's not as funny the 5th time around with his surprising tail wagging and forgetfulness.

The redundancy of Chet often makes me zone out and actually miss some of the mystery plot line.  Basically I'll just be glad when I've finished this series (though #9 is being published next year (2019) after a 4 year hiatus - UGH!)

Red Sky in Morning by Paul Lynch

Debut Novel

2018 A to Z Challenge - R

This book took a little bit of getting used to at first.  Because of the prose, the lyrical writing style of Lynch, it is not a fast moving book and because I have lists and lists of books that I need to get to I probably jumped into this with an expectation of a quick read.  Once I settled down, Huppidy hah!, I found myself really enjoying Lynch's writing.

I found myself comparing it to what I remembered of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, but with the addition in Red Sky of a nasty villain that provides some suspense in the book.

It is worth reading the author's interview (found in the edition I read - 2013 ISBN9780316230261) as he explains the idea behind the book and some real life facts that I will not divulge as I do not want to give away the ending.

The book may not be for everyone, with the prose style it feels like the plot ambles along, there is some foul language and there are no quotation marks to set off speaking parts.  But for me, while it wasn't my favorite book, Lynch does have 2 other novels that I will considering reading in the future.

Quote:  "...he was auditioning ideas of talk man to man that would settle things."

"Evening loitered then draped itself upon the sky."

                Zorro  -  Isabel Allende

                   "Z" book  - #2018atozchallenge

Indians, Pirates, Gypsies,  Sword fights!! Oh, my!!!

Well, some of these did happen in this book,  but this is a story about Diego de la Vega as a young man.  We learn how his parents met, when Diego was born and what he was like as a child. We come to know why he was a warrior for the underdog and the helpless and how the persona  of Zorro came about.

We also visit Spain during the time the French were invading the country and where Diego sees more brutal injustices.

All in all, this was an enjoyable, but not adventuress, book. Isabel Allende is a talented author and I was able to travel back in time with her writing.                                   

                                                                     #2018atozchallenge                                                            (one more letter and I will have completed this challenge.  One book  title for each letter of the alphabet)                                                     

Now or Never by Elizabeth Adler

New Author

2018 A to Z Challenge - N

A classic hardened detective story, with the addition of a troubled and beautiful news crime journalist (think a less abrasive Nancy Grace).

Adler did a good job of keeping basically 3 plot lines flowing smoothly:  the hunt for a killer, the budding romance of our lead detective and the secretive past story of our news journalist.  The romance got a little more play than I would have liked, but overall they were nicely balanced.  Jumping from one plot line to another kept the reader turning the pages to see how each story would end and come together with the others.

While I may not seek out all 30+ of her novels, I do have 2 more on my shelf that I will read sooner rather than later.

The Underground River by Martha Conway

Historical Fiction

2018 A to Z Challenge - U

Like a calm river that can quickly turn rough, this book started slow but flowed along a strong current and the last 150 pages...what a ride!

I could relate to the main character, May; who learned of the horrors of slavery as she traveled the Ohio River (the dividing line between the North/South a/k/a Free/Slave states) who had empathy but like many now and then who acknowledge a societal problem but feel it is too large for their actions to make a difference so they do nothing; yet when forced to, would/could/should we act?

The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Guilty Pleasure

2018 A to Z Challenge - Q

I got away from reading James Patterson when he became such a prolific writer.  While he still writes a readable thriller, its more due to the formula of short chapters with cliffhangers that propels the reader to keep going versus a tightly wound plot or indepth characters.

This book was no different.  I only picked it up because I needed a "Q" title and I happened to have this.  There were parts I definitely saw coming and a few that I didn't and a few more that just didn't add up in a realistic fashion.  BUT...it was a Quick read and it accomplished my alphabet goal!

I'll be hard pressed to read any more of Patterson when there are so many other suspense thrillers that offer more in the way of character development while still providing heart-pounding thrills.
#2018AtoZChallenge

           Unorthodox -   Deborah Feldman

                      "U" - Author

I really wanted to like this book.  Two of my friends raved about it but unfortunately I did not end up liking it.

Deborah was a member of a sect of the Hasidic Jews in New York.   It was interesting to learn of their traditions and many of their rituals, of how Deborah was controlled by those traditions and the rules women had to follow.

Deborah questioned many of the rules of her faith . Why couldn't she learn English, why couldn't she read books and go to college.?  And why did she have to get married at the age of 17? Just to name a few.

For me, the writing style was immature and whiny at times.  She also left many unanswered questions of my own.  Maybe she should have waited a few more years before telling her story, as interesting as it was.

                                     #2018atozchallenge

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

New Author

2018 A to Z Challenge - O

What a neat quirky book!  Reminiscent of fairy tales and Greek myths.  A mystical tale told through the eyes of a young boy trying his best to get through childhood and its nightmares with the help of his much loved books and a strange girl named Lettie.

Quotes:  "That's the trouble with living things.  Don't last very long.  Kittens one day, old cats the net.  And then just memories. And the memories fade and blend and smudge together..."

"Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are things people are scared of.  Some of them are things that look like things people used to be scared of a long time ago  Sometimes monsters are things people should be scared of, but they aren't."

"I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled.  I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I found joy in the things that made me happy."

Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran

"M" Author

2018 A to Z Challenge - P

Another book that languished on my shelves despite how curious I was to read it.  I thoroughly enjoyed this immigrant tale of Iranian sisters living in Ireland.  The story told in the midst of a brand new cafe, describing the traditional Iranian dishes had my mouth watering.  While we do not have a specific Iranian restaurant in Pittsburgh, we do have a variety of Middle Eastern eateries and I will definitely be stopping in to partake in a lunch of falafel, tabbouleh and a piece of baklava to go!

Mehran writes beautifully, lyrically; the reading was bittersweet knowing that she died in 2014 at the young age of 36.

While the book did not make an overt political statement, it is hard not to read it under the current (2018) ugly battle of immigration policies in the US.  This book (as others with an immigration theme) showed how those seeking refuge do not hate their country of birth, far from it - they love the beauty, customs, history and foods of their homelands, but are often forced to leave due to unspeakable violence and complete lack of civil rights.  Their adopted homeland can benefit from the sharing of new foods and differing views, making the citizens and the land richer.

Quote:  "The Cat spent a good three hours on the rectory's roof, lamenting lost loves and wailing into an unmarked bottle of misery,..."

#2018AtoZChallenge

XO by Jeffery Deaver

Guilty Pleasure

2018 A to Z Challenge - X

Can't say this was my favorite Jeffery Deaver.  Sure there were red herrings, some "leave you hanging" chapter endings, but much was predictable and much more was unrealistic.  A country singer is stalked, but who is perpetrating the killings based on her song lyrics??  Some items were taken right out of mainstream media, which seems a poor fallback for a creative mind like Deaver.

I basically only read this because I needed an "X" title for my challenge and those are hard to come by.  So, I doubt I'll pick up anymore in the Kathryn Dance series.  I've enjoyed the Lincoln Rhyme books and his stand alone novels much better.

#2018atozchallenge

Keeping Watch  -  Laurie R. King

      "K" author

Allen Carmichael rescues children and mothers from abusive fathers and husbands.  He relies on skills he learn as a soldier in Vietnam to do this.   We learn of his time in Vietnam at the beginning of this story and that gave me a better feeling of what our service men went through during that time.

Allen turns to the rescuing of children to help quiet the beast that began to grow inside of him during the time in Vietnam. For 26 years he lives on the outskirts of the law and saves many lives.  Now he wants to retire,  but has been asked to help one more child,  Jamie.   Jamie believes his father is going to kill him so of course, Allen must help him.

Jamie's father's plane crashes but no body is found.  Then somehow, someone, discovers where Jamie is and is hunting him down.  Allen must save Jamie again, or are they really after Allen.??

As always, Laurie King's writing puts you right into the thick of things and makes for a very riveting read. 

  #2018atozchallenge