Death on the Green

 This second Dublin Driver mystery by Catie Murphy is set mainly on the golf courses of Bull Island while Megan Malone is driving the pro golfer, Martin Walsh, and his wife.  The sport of golf is central to the story as the victim is Martin's old friend and co-competitor Lou MacDonald.  The plot has plenty of twists and turns and the motive is quite well concealed til the end.  The story mixes some glamourous living in with a bit of romance but all in all it is a well written cozy mystery.  The Irish colloquialisms are well presented and quite amusing to see Megan, an American transplant, stumble over word choices at times.  All in all this is a lighthearted cozy series that is entertaining and easy to read.  

 

Death on the Green by Catie Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This second installment of the Dublin Driver series. Megan finds herself caught up in another murder while driving for a professional golfer. This cozy has a great mix of foreign intrigue and a well written mystery. The characters are both charming and abhorrent. The ones you are to like are quite appealing and tug at your heartstrings the ones who are antagonistic are easy to dislike. The outcome of the story is quite surprising and keeps the reader on edge til the very end

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #104
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  Ireland
3. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021 Dublin Driver #2
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #112
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #126
6. Calendar of Crime  #CalendarOfCrime2021   
7. Cruisin thru Cozies  Free choice #72
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #106
9. Craving for Cozies  Book #90
10. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  Crime
11. Medical Examiner Challenge  2 Toe Tags
12. Beachcomber Challenge  
• Crime Scenes 
• Row 5

Beach or shoreline

• Weapons
• Row 2 
• Rock, brick, blunt object
• 
  
• Row 5t
• Hands or fists
• Detectives- Megan Malone
• Victims- Lou MacDonald/ Nick Collins
13. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #73  Shot #2

Jackpot

 

This is the next installment in the Teddy Fay series co written by Stuart Woods.  I really enjoyed this book with an added bonus of an author starting with a Q so it was a double winner for me.

I am finding I enjoy the Teddy Fay series more than the Stone Barrington books these days probably because they seem to focus more on the clandestine operations and less about the gratuitous sexual encounters.  I am not a prude but it does get old reading about Stone's escapades.  

This book finds Teddy in Asia- Hong Kong and Macau to be exact.  He meets up with a female who challenges him on his skillset and intelligence.  This subplot makes for interesting introspection by Teddy and for a great development of his character.  It makes him more human that's for sure.  

The mystery and intrigue is also well written and full of plot twists.  If you like reading spy novels that feel like a Bond movie then this will be a good fit for you.

Jackpot by Stuart Woods
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Teddy Fay adventures keep your on the edge of your seat

I am finding the Teddy Fay series to be more engaging than the Stone Barrington series these days This story is about the intrigue and action of the spy/intelligence business without the gratuitous sexual exploits of Barrington. The twists and turns and uncertainty of who’s on Teddy’s side is very engaging. The complexity of the characters and what is justified behavior keeps the book moving rapidly.
Great book if you’re looking for a foreign espionage book set in Macau

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #95
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  Macau (China)
3. AtoZ   #2021AtoZReadingChallenge  #AlphabetSoupChallenge  "J"
4. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "Q"
5. Finishing the Series   #FinishingTheSeries2021  Teddy Fay #5 
6. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #102
7. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #116
8. Cloak & Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal  Book #98
9. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  Thriller
10. Six Shooter Challenge  Target #5a  Shot #6

There There

 This debut novel by Tommy Orange has been on my TBR list since 2020.  I am glad I finally read this book and really enjoyed the story told in the work.  My biggest problem was in style and my difficulty  following the storyline as it switched between the different characters narrating the story.  I think some of this struggle was due to the fact I was listening to the book rather than reading.  If I had been reading a written edition, I could have switched back and forth to keep the characters straight in my head.

The other reason I only gave it a 2 1/2 star review was the ending.  I finished the book feeling like I had been dropped off a cliff.  There were so many unanswered questions regarding the fates of the characters.  Maybe this is a reflection of me as a reader and a need to feel like things are resolved and complete.  I left the book feeling like there was parts of the story missing.   I do think this does indicate I had a real interest in the characters and their lives.  I just want to know what happened to them.  

There There by Tommy Orange
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book and would really have given it a 2 1/2 stars if possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their stories and emotions. I liked the entire premise of the different people of Native American descent coming to the PowWow in Oakland each with their own motivations. The characters definitely interested me and drew me into their worlds and I found myself wanting to learn more about them. I just had a hard time with the erratic nature of the story line at times and struggled to keep the characters straight especially their relationships and their histories. I do think the fact I was listening to the book probably exaggerated this confusion. Perhaps in a written copy there is a character chart with their relationships to each other that helps keep the reader on track.
The other aspect of the book I found troubling was the ending. I felt like I was left without any resolution and a lack of knowledge of what became of the characters. I definitely think this feeling of frustration does attest to the degree to which I became invested in the characters and their stories. If I had not been engaged I probably wouldn't care so much about feeling like I was left hanging to know what became of the characters and their lives.

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Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #89
2. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "O"
3. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #50 includes a 2nd person point of view
4. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #96
5. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #110
6. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #16. A book by an indigenous author
7. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #27. SAME FIRST INITIAL AS YOU
8. Pick your Poison #17-4 A book by an author whose name is a color
9. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  yes contemporary fiction
10. Backpacking Bookworm  #bbReadingChallenge2021  Indigenous author/characters
11. Audiobook  #2021AudiobookChallenge  book #10

The Kiss Quotient

I selected this as my Own Voices selection with really  know idea what it was like.  It was a bit different than expected but I did enjoy it.  I feel it resonated with me as we have a family member on the spectrum and it provided some insight into the internal struggles he faces.  

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Steamy and insightful

This is not your mothers rom com. Beware there are some details that might make you blush. It is definitely a steamy romance.

This book provides insight into the socialization struggles a woman on the spectrum can face. Stella is an endearing and complex character. You cannot help but root for her to find love. I admire that she realizes being herself is most important and you hope that others realize that too. Loved this book!

View all my reviews

  

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #74
2. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #47  brings out the geek in you
3. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #81
4. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #94
5. Humor  Book #5
6. The Unofficial Magnus Archives Challenge  #TMARC21  #7. The Spiral: by an ND person/with an ND MC
7. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  Romance
8. Beyond the Bookends  own voices book

The Four Winds

 This is the second book I have read by Kristin Hannah.   She does a wonderful job of capturing historical settings.  This book is set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s.  Her characters, Elsa, Tony, Rosa and Rafe, all represent the strength and frustration of the human spirit during an unbelievably challenging time.  

Character development is a strength of Hannah's talent.   It is easy for the reader to put themselves in the story and to feel attachment to the characters.  As you read, it would be difficult not to feel sorrow and frustration just as Elsa does during the saga.  Hannah develops her as a strong female character who truly does not believe in her own strength and resilience.  Her's is a hard life, but she soldiers on and does what is necessary for her family.

It is easy to envision the scenery and the strife that the farmers and other residents of the Great Plains experienced in this unbelievable period of time.  Hannah's descriptions are vivid representations of the hardships and the terrain the people of the time and region suffered.  Her ability to draw a reader into her story is amazing.

This novel is a very engrossing read and I look forward to reading more of Hannah's works;  I have The Great Alone on my shelf and may prioritize it now that I have read this work. I had previously read The Nightingale and it is also a great demonstration of female strength and resilience.  

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kristin Hannah's ability to draw you into the lives of her characters is an amazing talent. As I read it was easy to visualize myself in the place of the characters. The angst and the heartbreak come through in her writing. Her descriptions of the terrain in Texas and CA is vivid and moving. I truly cannot imagine what it was like to live during the Dust Bowl or to have experienced this level of uncertainty for your own survival. Hannah's ability to tell a story that draws you in continues in this latest work

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes  TX
2. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #61
3. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #73
4. Historic Fiction  #histficreadingchallenge   Book #8
5. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #21 Book By Kristen Hannah
6. BooklistQueen   # 51. Borrowed from a Friend
7. A Pretty Mess Challenge # 4. Borrowed from a friend
8. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #24. BETWEEN 460 - 495 PAGES
9. Bookworm  #51.) Read a book with the word "wind" in the title
10. Pick your Poison #17- 1 A book with a primarily black cover
11. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  May: History & Biography

Dry

 Wow, this is an impactful memoir by Augusten Burroughs.  He manages to write a memoir as though it is a novel.   As the reader, I felt like I was right there going through all his experiences with rehab and sobriety.  He is very honest about the process and his feelings as he goes through this experience. it is not a light read.   This is a very emotional book that has levity interspersed that keeps the book from being too depressing or emotionally wrought.  I found myself rooting for his success and stressing as he was faced with tough life moments.   

 If you have anyone in your circle who has experienced addiction this is a brutally honest insight into what it feels like.  I would imagine if you are an addict or a recovering addict this book will hit upon feelings/emotions you have experienced.  According to his forward it has touched many lives in positive ways and continues to inspire those struggling through this awful affliction.  

Dry by Augusten Burroughs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poignant memoir

A brutally honest memoir about an alcoholic going through rehab and approaching sobriety. Burroughs journaled while in recovery and he shares his experiences forthrightly in this book. Anyone who has a family member or friend who has or does struggle with addiction should read this to gain insight into the honest struggle it takes to push the beast down. There are plenty of emotions in this memoir so be prepared for a roller coaster of a read

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #17
2. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "A"
3. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #17 cover features your favorite color prominently
4. 2021TBR  #2021ReadingChallenge #7  about mental health
5. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #25
6. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #28
7. Memoir  #10. _ Written by a person who identifies as LGBTQIA
8. Around the Year in 52 Books #4. A book with a monochromatic cover
9. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #37 An Educational Read
10. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #17. WRITTEN BY A QUEER AUTHOR
11. Bookworm  #57.) Read a book without a picture on the cover
12. Magic in the Books Book 7 #6 Been on your TBR forever
13. Pick your Poison #21-4  A nonfiction book about alcohol
14. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  Memoir
15. 52 books in 52 weeks  #3 12 things 

Red at the Bone

 I read this book by Jacqueline Woodson for my January read for our book club.  It is a fast read, I basically read it in one sitting.  I found it engaging although I did struggle with the time line hopping around as well as the narrator.  It wasn't always easy to tell who was telling the story and when in the time frame it was occurring.  I did find the  story to be an engaging one and the characters definitely intrigued me.  There were aspects of the story that lead me to look at different aspects of socio economics and cultural differences from a different perspective.  I found it interesting how Aubrey's mother viewed the government Welfare programs and her attitude toward accepting the assistance.  The other very interesting perspective was how Blacks of differing skin tones are perceived even within the Black community.   

The coming out party was and interesting cultural phenomena that I wasn't familiar with but seemed to be a tradition that Melody's somewhat old fashioned grandparents cherished.  They seemed to struggle to hold on to the past traditions and to want to keep a perception of innocence alive.  They seemed to be a bit naive in their approaches and attitudes.  I cannot help but wonder if their naivete/apparent lack of acceptance regarding sexual orientation was common in the Black community as a whole or if  it was an outcome of their traditional religious foundations.   Perhaps I am just overlaying a misconceived timeline to general acceptance of sexual preferences and believing it was later in my life than I remember it being.  Although, while reading another book recently that had a Black LGBTQ character the statement made to them was it must be hard being gay and black so maybe the acceptance is lower within the Black community or took longer to be as acceptable as I perceive it to be on average in the US.  I would hope at this point we could all just come to see each other as humans and judge us on our individual personalities and behaviors rather than lumping people into buckets and making assumptions about each other.

Overall this was an enjoyable read despite the difficulties I had following the storyline at times.  I also have decided I am not a fan of the dialogue not being placed in quotations.  It makes it difficult to ascertain whether it is actual conversation or an internal dialogue in my opinion.  These factors are why I gave the otherwise interesting and engaging story only 3 stars.   

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars 

Wonderful story teller

This is the first book by Jacqueline Woods I’ve read. I enjoyed it but didn’t love it. Her story is a great read about families and the different ways they interact and love each other. This book is full of glimpses of hope loss and sorrow all rolled into one. The reason I didn’t give it 4 stars is I found the story a bit disjointed at times. It was often times difficult to tell who was narrating the section I was reading at the time and also where in time we were in the story. Overall I enjoyed the book and the glimpse into perspective of the different experiences a POC has of events in history and society. I may not totally understand or agree with the depiction of historical events as Ms Woods represented them but I found the correlation to Iris’ history interesting. At the heart of it all we are all human and we experience love and loss during our lives 

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge  Book #3
2. Literary Escapes  #LiteraryEscapes    NY
3. AtoZ   #2021AtoZReadingChallenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge  R
4. Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  W
5. Color Coded #2  Red
6. Beat the Backlist #BTB2021  #  45  book about bones OR “bone” in the title
7. 2021TBR  #2021ReadingChallenge # 6 can read in a day
8. Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2021   Book #3
9. Back List Reader  #Backlistreader  Book #4
10. PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge  #8. A book that has won the Women’s Prize for Fiction
11. Around the Year in 52 Books #5. A book by an author on USA Today's list of 100 Black Novelists You Should Read
12. 52 Book Club  #the52bookclub2021  #3 A Dual Timeline 
13. The Unofficial Magnus Archives Challenge  #TMARC21  #12. The Corruption: about a family
14. BooklistQueen   # 42. Recommended by a Librarian
15. A Pretty Mess Challenge # 1. 2020 Bestseller
16. NJM Book Challenge  #NJMBookChallenge2021  #12 read in a single day
17. Nerd Daily  #NERDREADING2021 #37. BIPOC AUTHOR 
18. Bookworm  #35 by an author of a different ethnicity than you 
19. Magic in the Books Book 4 #3 Includes a rebel character
20. Spells and Spaceships  Standalone Badge:  standalone story
21. Pick your Poison #51 Crossing Boundaries 3- A book about reconciliation
22. Bloggers Bookshelf   #bloggersbookshelf #3 LGBTQ protagonist 
23. Diversify your reading #DYRC21  January: Literary Fiction
24. 52 books in 52 weeks   Row 2-7 skin diving
25. Unruly Reader Bingo  #  Uncoventional

Shakespeare light

 I selected the book, A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories by Angela McAllister to provide a prompt for several of my challenges.  These were a little bent in their intentions but since the year was ending and I am not a huge reader of plays and classics I decided to go this route.  I am resolving myself to read a few classics next year and to not procrastinate til Dec to do so.

The book was an enjoyable refresher for plays I had read and a nice overview of the plots for ones I had not read previously.  It is a great book for sharing Shakespeare with younger readers as well.   Very nice illustrations in the book too.  

A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories by Angela McAllister
My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

great synopsis of Shakespearre's works. perfect for those looking to share with children or just get a personal refresher on what the plays were all about 

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #136
2. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #3-  with a  great first line-  Twelfth Night
3. NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020 #8- pre 1900s
4. Book List Queen #30 A Play
5. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge #22- a classic
6. Monthly Keyword-  #MonthlyKeyWordChallenge- "of"

Diversify your reading challenge #DYRC21

 The Diversify your reading challenge #DYRC21  is hosted by Kelly Mongan, on her Mongan Moments blog.  This is made up of 12 monthly genre prompts and then 4 bonus prompts.  This is a new challenge for me in 2021

• January: Literary Fiction   
• Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
• Blog Post and Good Reads Review 1/15/21

• February: Memoir/Autobiography 
• Dry by Augusten Burroughs 
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 2/23/21
• March: Historical Fiction 
• 
  
• Olive Bright Pigeoneer by Stephanie Graves
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 3/7/21
• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 3/24/21 

• April: Classics IDEA:  The Great Gatsby

• May: History & Biography 
• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 5/9/21
• 
  
• June: Romance 
• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 6/23/21

• July: Contemporary Fiction 
• There There by Tommy Orange
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 7/7/21
• August: Thriller IDEA: His & Hers 

• Jackpot by Stuart Woods and Byron Quertermous 
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 8/4/21
• September: Crime 
• Death on the Green by Catie Murphy
• Blog Post and Goodreads Review 9/4/21

• October: Science Fiction IDEA: SpaceMan (Spaceman Chronicles, #1)

• November: Non-Fiction IDEA:  The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari

• December: Fantasy IDEA: Mirror, Mirror

Our quarterly bonus challenge is a great way to explore some new books, without an emphasis on genre:

• Q1 (Jan-Mar): Award Winner
• Q2 (April-Jun): Translated Text
• Q3 (Jul-Sep): Banned Book
• Q4 (Oct-Dec): 2021 Best Seller

She has a variety of infographics you can use to track it in whatever format you are most interested in, including checklist and bingo cards.  Join me in expanding your genres, check it out here.