January 1, 2025 BEST BOOKS OF 2024

 

Can't believe I've been writing this blog for 9 years. Time sure flies when you're having fun. Looking back at 2024---I read at least 55 books and got around to reviewing 35.  Not too shabby. Without further ado--these are my favorite books of 2024

1) Fresh Water For Flowers by Valerie Perrin. Reviewed 8/8/24. Blog title--I'm your ice cream man.

2) The Women by Kristin Hannah. Reviewed 3/2/24. Blog title--Where have all the flowers gone.

3) James by Percival Everett. Reviewed 9/2/24. Blog title--Amazing Grace.

4) Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. Reviewed 8/4/24. Blog title--Learn to fly.

5) All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Reviewed 11/23/24. Blog title--Wall of denial.

6) Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson. Reviewed 9/20/24. Blog title--Super freak.

7) Leaving by Roxana Robinson. Reviewed 8/17/24. Blog title--Tattoo.

8). The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Reviewed 10/14/24. Blog title--Going to the chapel.

9) Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson. Reviewed 11/30/24. Blog title--That smell.

10) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pett. Reviewed 4/7/24. Blog title--Octopus's garden.

Looking forward to a new year filled with LOTS of memorable books. Happy Reading. Have a safe and healthy New Year. 

 

December 27, 2024. MARRY YOU

Weddings. Back in the day they were pretty standard.  People had a rehearsal dinner followed by a  wedding/reception the next day. THEN IT WAS OVER.  Remember tossing the bouquet to an eligible female?  OR the groom stripping the garter off  the bride's leg and tossing it to an eligible man? What about  money dances? Well I do and those were GOOD TIMES.  I asked my daughter if she had ever heard of these things and she looked at me like I was crazy.  Pretty much have had to learn a whole new vocabulary for today's weddings.  Did you know that 90% of couples today have a "First Look." They actually get together right before the wedding to see each other and take photos. What happened to seeing the bride AT THE ALTER?? I'M NOT A FAN BUT......And nowadays they have "Welcome Parties"  after rehearsal dinner and  "After Parties"  after the wedding AND Brunch the next day.  I'm NOT making any of this up. It's a marathon of events. Won't be quitting my job for at least another year AND at this point I might have to get a part to job for this craziness. Good thing we only have ONE princess in our family.  Back to the books. Recently finished the sequel to Peter Heller's The River called The Guide. First off, It's not necessary to read The River in order to appreciate The Guide. Jack, the main character, appears in both novels. In the sequel, Jack is grappling with the death of his best friend and decides to take a job as a guide at a private fishing lodge in Colorado. Kingfisher Lodge is a flyfishing mecca and safe space for wealthy, famous people as Jack quickly realizes his charge is a famous singer and accomplished flyfisherman named Alison. Early on, Jack discovers things aren't what them seem at the lodge as he finds several hidden cameras, gates locked from the outside and even a property owner next door who has hired gunmen to keep people off his property. Guests also start to disappear and a strange virus forces a lock down at the lodge. The fishing lodge apparently is more than just for fishing and it's up to Jack to find out what's really happening before someone gets killed. Heller is a great writer who incorporates lovely descriptive writing about the wilderness and flyfishing into this Wilderness Thriller. I enjoy all of Heller's books and this one does not disappoint. It's a quick read with interesting characters. Hopefully there will be another installment of the series as I enjoy reading about Jack and the wilderness. 

December 11, 2024 THE SOUND OF SILENCE

You know the saying--"Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus"--  Well I'm here to tell you that IT'S  TRUE. Case in point. My car has been acting strange for about a month. I thought it was the brakes at first--so I tell my husband--he takes it for a ride and thinks I'm NUTS. I keep driving around town and then I start hearing THE SOUND.  He takes it for another ride--AND thinks I'm NUTS.  Then he says---What's it SOUND like?? How am I supposed to know? Does he want me to imitate it? Explain it?? Describe it?  Seriously--what does that even mean?? Now I think he's NUTS.  The next day I drive to work and listen for THE SOUND-- I'm determined to---IMITATE/EXPLAIN/DESCRIBE IT. After I hear it---I rack my brain to come up with words to describe it.  The closest I can get is---GROANING METAL.  Hey I thought that was quite descriptive. Again--He thinks I'm NUTS--shakes his head--takes the car for  ride AND NOTHING ..................Maybe I can somehow capture THE SOUND on my phone OR take voice lessons and somehow mimic it??????  If you see me on the side of the road next week--you'll know why. Just hope I have a book with me. If you're looking for a quick read check out my review of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. As the story begins, Cam an English teacher, and his wife Jules live a very ordinary life in their rented apartment in Colorado. This is strange considering Cam is actually a multi-millionaire--who has renounced his inheritance from his adopted mother Ruby McTavish. After his uncle dies, Cam  decides it's time to go home to tie up loose ends and make peace with the past. Upon their return to Ashby House in North Carolina, Cam and Jules reacquaint themselves with Cam's horrible family which stirs up many unhappy memories. In the meantime, the reader is introduced to Ruby's letters written right before her death and it seems that nothing is as it seems at Ashby House, which has now fallen into disrepair and fits right in with this thriller/mystery. Find out what secrets each character is hiding from the other and if being a multi-millionaire is worth the headaches when you read this real page turner.  Its full of twists and turns with interesting characters and an ending I didn't see coming. Enjoy. 

November 30, 2024 THAT SMELL

 

Back in the day--people smoked everywhere. Hospitals--airplanes--restaurants--and CARS WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED UP.  We were constantly surrounded by smoke.  Fast forward to the 21st century and were are now  constantly surrounded by the smell of SKUNK. Cigarettes or Pot --it's still SECOND HAND SMOKE.  Not only does it smell horrible but more important---it's bad for MY HEALTH.  I was in NYC a few weeks ago and let me tell you----that SKUNKY smell was everywhere. It was disgusting. Pretty sure it's illegal to SMOKE POT IN PUBLIC PLACES so not sure how that problem is going to be solved. Honestly--as a visitor to the city--that's unacceptable. They need to do something about it because it's ruining the city.  Even in our little corner of the world--I can't tell you how many cars drive by me as early as 8am smoking pot. Smoking pot in a car is just like drinking in a car---I don't understand why people think it's okay because it's NOT. Just because pot is legal in many states--it comes with responsibility--just as drinking alcohol does. IDK what's going on in this world. That's why I NEED BOOKS.  As a huge Kate Atkinson fan, I waited in anticipation for the sixth installment of the Jackson Brodie mystery series called Death at the Sign of the Rook. Atkinson is a clever, funny, great writer who seems to be paying homage to Agatha Christie in this story. Ex-Detective Jackson Brodie is hired to investigate the disappearance of a famous painting. The investigation leads him to  a rundown English Country Estate called Burton Makepeace complete with very odd, often drunk nobility, strange neighbors and a vicar who is out to lunch. While searching for the painting, Brodie and Reggie, now a full on detective, get caught in a blizzard and find themselves stuck at the mansion which is hosting a "Murder Mystery Weekend" unbeknownst to them that an actual killer is on the loose nearby. This tongue in cheek mystery has many twists and turns--interesting very quirky characters that will keep you guessing til the bitter end. I totally enjoyed this novel as I have ALL of her books. My advice for the Brodie series though is to read them in order so that you can enjoy and get to know all of the characters better. 

November 23, 2024. WALL OF DENIAL

I'm a person who lives in DENIAL. It's my coping mechanism of choice. I'm very good at it as I've had years of practice. One thing I am currently in denial about is how late Thanksgiving is this year. I'm pretending I don't know that Christmas is literally right around the corner. I actually refuse to entertain any notions of CHRISTMAS until after Thanksgiving. NO CHRISTMAS SONGS, SHOPPING---NOTHING. This ridiculous thinking will obviously come back and bite me in the BUTT--but I can't possibly go there yet. I'll be the one running around like a nut trying to get it all done after Thanksgiving--but that's okay. It's how I role--one day at a time. Living in denial is much easier when you live in books. Just finished burying my head in an unputdownable book called All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. Set in Monta Clare, a small town in Missouri in 1975, Patch is a poor, thirteen year old boy who thinks he's a pirate. He befriends a misfit named Saint after learning she's a beekeeper. Their friendship is steadfast until one day-- Patch is kidnapped while trying to save a local girl named Misty. After Patch goes missing, other girls are kidnapped and officials realize they have a serial killer on their hands. When Patch is finally rescued, things are never the same. Don't want to say much more other than the novel spans several decades as Saint becomes a detective, the search for the killer continue  and Patch spends several years searching for missing victims. This is a great book--the characters are super interesting, the writing is great, and the plot twists and turns many times. It's a suspenseful, tragic love story that does ends on a hopeful note. 

November 9, 2024 TIME WARP

It's been a rough week. Alternating between a state of disbelief and depression. When I heard the news, I tried to go into hiberation---for the next four years-- BUT had to get up for work.  I actually wore black from head to toe--reflecting my mood. Yup. We are headed  back to TRUMPVILLE.  APPARENTLY--THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. Let the deportations begin--- get rid of all those people from "shit countries." After all--they are a bunch of rapist and criminals who have been eating our pets and stealing our jobs. NO PRICE IS TOO HIGH. Trump will probably use his secret police to round up all the "enemies from within" too. All those crazy Left Wing Kooks that don't agree with his politics. Maybe he'll even open a prison for his political enemies.  Wouldn't surprise me. Let's just sit back---LET THE CIRCUS BEGIN--and watch the RICH GET RICHER because that's what's gonna happen.  As for me--I've decided to retreat into my own world. Compartmentalize. Get lost in books. Pretend the world is normal because that's all I can do. Hopefully our country will survive the next four years of TRUMPISM. I've only got one question --unless you are in the top one percent---WHAT HAS TRUMP EVER DONE FOR YOU?? Got lost in a really good book last week called The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. Set in the near future, a young female civil servant is offered an incredible job as a "Bridge"--that's too good to be true.   Her job, working for a secret government agency, is to help people from history "expats", who have been transported to the present through time travel, adapt in the modern world. The bridge is assigned to Commander Graham Gore, a Naval officer from 1847, who is shocked by modern society and its conveniences.  Other "expats" are brought to the present--Margaret from the 17th century and Arthur, a WWI officer. Each has their own bridge. After one of the bridges is assassinated, the secret government's real plan comes to light and the other bridges and expats fear for their lives. The Bridge and Gore must then decide whether they should follow orders or choose a different future. This book is many things--including a book about time travel, romance and political intrigue that is often laugh out loud funny as Gore and the other expats try to navigate in a world that makes zero sense to them. The only other thing I'm going to say is that there is a MAJOR twist in this book that I didn't see coming. So if you are into a time traveling--romance--give this one a try. 

November 2, 2024. IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME

I'm a huge fan of time travel and often wonder where I would go or whom I would see if the opportunity ever presented itself. It might be fun to go back to the Roaring Twenties or witness some great event in history. BUT the question of whom I would want to see is what interests me the most. If I only had 15 minutes to go back in time---who would I want to see?  I'd love to visit with my grandparents ONE MORE TIME. Just to hear their voices would be such a treat. But--I think at this point in my life-I would probably have to choose my father. He was a simple man--a man of few words. Although he was a kind person--he was a weak father who didn't stand his ground or stick up for his first children the way I would have with my own kids.  I understand that divorce is hard, especially, divorce in the 1968. My mother quickly remarried and we relocated to Georgia for five years. Although we saw our dad when we came back--he was remarried and had a new family. I know he loved us, but he didn't push hard enough to make sure we stayed in his life. I often wonder how he felt about this on his deathbed, I wonder if we were his last regrets in life. So, I'd like to go back--spend 15 minutes with him--apologize for my behavior at times and forgive him, even if it still hurts. Time travel is on my mind because I just finished this little gem called Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot. There is this tiny coffee shop called Funiculi Funicula on a back alley in Tokyo that has been open for over a hundred years. Rumor has it that in addition to great coffee--people can sit in a special chair and travel back in time. Over the course of one summer, Kazu, the barista, meets four people looking to go back in time for various reasons. Before the customers can complete time travel, they have to agree to many rules, one being that they must return before the coffee gets cold. Find out why Fumiko, Kohtake, Hirai and Kei want to go back in time and if they return before the coffee gets cold in this heartwarming, mysterious, lovely tale. It is an International Bestseller, that was originally a play and is now a television show. There are also a few sequels to the original that I look forward to reading too. Enjoy.