The Elite (The Selection #2)

The Elite by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Continuing from book 1, but now with 50% more love triangle. Seriously...glad I'm interested in the journey here, folks. The constant waffling about the two boys just about made me lose my mind.

America is still in the Selection. Maxon is convinced she is the girl for him. I'm not entirely sure why. She is a bit ridiculous at times and strings him along. Anyway. I won't spoil anything but a lot of political drama happens and we are mainly as in the dark about it as America. But we get more insights into Maxon and his way of thinking, and that is enough for me to read the next book. 2 1/2 stars for the selfish love triangle nonsense, but I'm in it until the end now.

I need more time with the Queen. Crossing my fingers that happens in book 3.



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Eyes on You

Eyes on You by Kate White

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I read this as part of the "Big Library Read". I wanted to like this book--I typically enjoy psychological thrillers and thought this would be a good one. I was left underwhelmed, to say the least.

I split my reading between the eBook and the audio. I do NOT recommend the audio. The narrator was the worst. Over-pronounciations, emphasis on strange words. The voices she attempted to do--I'm still laughing about her interpretation of Potts. But beyond the narration, the book just wasn't good. Endless descriptions of what people are wearing--like anyone cares or it adds anything to the plot. We get it, you like expensive things. The main character wasn't likable. Actually, now that I think about it, none of the characters were likable, or particularly smart. And the author made every. single. person seem like the prime suspect, and not in a clever way, yet I knew who it was very early on. Agatha Christie, she's not. Then we get to the end, and we have the briefest of climaxes, and it ends. Abruptly. Like this review.

TLDR: This book is dumb. Don't waste your time.



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The Selection (The Selection #1)

The Selection by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Dystopian future meets The Bachelor, and it's not all bad.

Flash forward to Illéa, the America of the future. A world where you are born into a caste, and your number determines your life. The higher your number, the lower your caste. America Singer is a 5, the caste of artists and performers. She sings (get it, America SINGER?), and has the misfortune of falling in love with a 6. Her secret love is interrupted by her invitation to the selection, the contest hosted by the royal family to determine Prince Maxon's bride.

Will America make it to the finals? Well, it's a series, so you can do the math for yourself. But the path to getting there is fun, and I like both her and the Prince. And most especially I like the Queen, and I hope we see more of her in the next books. Light romance, catty women, and a strong female lead. Not particularly life-changing or swoon-worthy, but an interesting take on YA dystopia. 3 stars.



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The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2)

The Likeness by Tana French

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Second book in the series. I liked it better than book 1.

We get to see the world through Detective Cassie Maddox's eyes, set a few months past the events in In the Woods. Cassie has moved on and is now a part of the domestic violence division--new partner, new cases--when she is pulled back into a complicated undercover assignment with her former boss.

The plot unfolds slowly but the pieces fall into place. Every time I though I knew the answer another clue led me in a different direction. I can't imagine how it is to drop into a new identity, a new life, and not slip up in some way. Anyone who is trying to impersonate me will have their hands full with my idiosyncrasies and weird food rules--something like that will trip you up. It's an interesting mystery and you get a better idea of Cassie's character and a little of her past as well. I'll definitely read the next book.



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How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain

How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Like most of you, I often wonder what my dogs are thinking. They are mysteries to me. I talk to them like people because I like to pretend they understand what I'm saying. Sometimes I think they might.

Gregory Berns and his team did some interesting research into the inner workings of a dog's brain. Largely anecdotal, those looking for hard science, data, and graphs should look up the papers he's published. For me, the layman's terms and personal stories of his family and dogs made the book a win. I find it amazing that they could train dogs to lie still in an MRI when I can't even get my dogs to stop bickering over the food dishes. Dogs, seriously, they are exactly the same. Knock it off.

I found the various experiments interesting and love how they are dedicated to better understanding dogs, the brain, and how emotions may or may not be universal. I know my dogs love me--I certainly didn't need a brain scan to see it--but I still think it would be cool to watch.

Dog lovers will enjoy it. If you aren't a dog person, you probably wouldn't pick it up to begin with.



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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot #4)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Oh, Agatha, you sly minx. Once again, Poirot solves the case before I have even narrowed down the suspects.

Really well done in a classic Christie style. Poirot is now retired and growing "the vegetable marrows" without success. He gets pulled into the case--not exactly reluctantly, as it is Poirot--but realizing the quiet village life is not for him. The case takes twists and turns, and you may find yourself switching your prime suspect by the minute. When you hear the clues you missed along they way, you will just shake your head and say, "Agatha, you sly minx. You've done it again." A unique mystery and one of my favorites. I would rank this one up with "And Then There Were None". 4 stars.



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The Cat Who Played Brahms (Cat Who...#5)

The Cat Who Played Brahms by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It's vacation time for Qwill and the cats as they head up to Moose County, 400 miles from anywhere, to stay in Aunt Fanny's cabin for some R&R. Qwill's apartment building has been sold and it is the perfect time to take a few months off, relax, and start writing that novel. But things don't go as planned. Of course they don't, otherwise we wouldn't have a cozy to read, would we?

I think this book is where the series takes a fun turn. We get Qwill out of the city and away from the crazy newspaper beat, and we see a different side of him here. The first three books in the series were written by Braun in the late 60s, and she returned to it in the book before this one in the mid 80s. Her decision to change things up is apparent starting with this book. With age comes wisdom, I guess, and it works here.

Koko is still in charge and solving crimes, while Yum Yum sits there and looks pretty. Qwill makes several comments in this book about his penchant for young career women in their 30s while creepily stroking his mustache like a villain. He has never been written as an appealing character to me so this made me chuckle. And the ending gives the series new direction and completely new ways to grow and change the characters. Here's to new beginnings!



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The Nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A beautifully written, heartbreaking piece of historical fiction. Set in World War II France during the Nazi occupation, we follow the lives of two sisters who both deal with the war in very different ways. Young, impulsive Isabelle rushes headlong into the Resistance, while her older sister Vianne is just trying to keep her daughter alive until her husband returns from the Front.

This book will leave you emotionally shredded, for sure. So much sadness and senseless death. War is never an easy read and especially when it involves the atrocities committed by the Nazis in WWII, but Hannah does a wonderful job weaving the lives and stories together in a way that might just leave you curled up in a ball crying. It's that good. Do yourself a favor and read it while you are alone so you can absorb yourself in the storyline and then take a little time to decompress. I suggest having something light-hearted on hand to immediately read as a tonic afterwards.



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Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1)

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Supernatural Chicago, the Windy City, city of my heart, and where my love affair with Harry Dresden begins. This is one of my favorite series of all time. Harry has it all, tall, dark and lanky with so much snark, bravery, and chivalry that I can hardly bear it.

The plot is a little weak in places but it introduces all of the characters well and sets us up for so many future plot lines. Gentleman Johnny Marcone and his seedy criminal underworld. We get to enjoy steak and ale at McAnally's with the ever reticent Mac, and we get a glimpse of the partnership between Murphy and Dresden that sustains the series over many books. And while we hardly get enough Bob, it's an introduction to his shenanigans and he is always good for a laugh. So much goodness here that I will choose to ignore my hatred of Susan.

Read it. Butcher is the best.



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Death of a Gossip (Hamish MacBeth #1)

Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Another one to add to my "quick read cozy" shelves. First book in the series, and nothing too objectionable here.

Hamish MacBeth is a constable in the Scottish village of Lochdubh. He seems slow, dim, and lazy, but that helps him to solve crimes when others underestimate him. In this first book, murder comes to Lochdubh, and it happens on Hamish's watch. A fly fishing school. A group of strangers. And a dead body. Hamish is pushed aside by the city cops who come in to solve the murder. As it is a cozy, and Hamish is the star, you know he will get his man, or woman, in the end.

Humorous and old fashioned (it was written in 1985), it is interesting to see how much things have changed over 30 years. You might find yourself laughing at some of the outdated ideas and silly character choices, but the mystery is fun and I didn't guess the killer until the very end. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie but not as smartly done, you might enjoy the plotting, setting, and Hamish himself. He grew on me enough by the end to move on to book 2.



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