June - 2022

Terrie

Jun 30, 2022

Five Mini Reviews for June

The Judge's List #2 by John Grisham Genre: Legal Thriller Published October 2021, 357 pages I didn't read #1, but doubt it made any difference to the enjoyment of this book. It reads perfectly fine as a standalone. The plot is that a female lawyer has worked for years for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. An anonymous tip comes in that a sitting judge is guilty of murder, not just one, but several murders. As you can imagine, that is not the usual type of allegation made

My Fave Reads for the First Half of the Year

Terrie

Jun 30, 2022

My Fave Reads for the First Half of the Year

I thought I'd do a mid-year check in and share the books I've loved so far. Here's a month by month recap, including review links if I've reviewed the book. As you scan this list, make a note of any that sound different, appealing, or intriguing. Go ahead and read them. Then let me know what you think! Here goes - my favorite reads of the 2022 so far...... January I started the year off with a BANG! I read 16 books and four of them are outstanding. The reviews for the first

The Island of Missing Trees is a MUST READ!

Terrie

Jun 29, 2022

The Island of Missing Trees is a MUST READ!

The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak Genre: General Fiction Award: Women's Prize nominee short list Published August 2021, 368 pages This book. Wow. It is so beautifully written, lyrical but not stuffy or self-indulgent. Full of gorgeous, not overly flowery descriptions of the natural world as well as difficult emotions. It's a master class in setting a tone, grabbing a reader by the heart, and encouraging them into the book. WARNING - this is a bit longer than usual ..

The Cartographers - a mystery with a touch of magical realism

Terrie

Jun 28, 2022

The Cartographers - a mystery with a touch of magical realism

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd Genre: Mystery (Fantasy?) Published March 2022, 392 pages When I read the blurb about this book somewhere, I immediately thought of a friend of mine who might enjoy it and we could read it as a "buddy read". She agreed and we set off to find the book. Mine came in first and here's my thoughts. "Cartography, at its heart, was about defining one's place in the world by creating charts and measurements. Nell had lived her life by that idea, tha

Top 10 Tuesday - What's on my Summer Reading List???

Terrie

Jun 27, 2022

Top 10 Tuesday - What's on my Summer Reading List???

Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl is hosting another week of Top Ten Tuesday. I enjoy participating each week for a couple reasons. I'm a compulsive list maker and love a good list. And, I love a connection with other readers as I wander their book blogs. This week's prompt is to share books that I plan to read this summer. Here goes. I have a few ARCs to finish: A couple books about books which are always something to look forward to! And then I plan to focus on whittling down m

Stacking the Shelves #4 - Sunday Post #4 - Sunday Salon #4

Terrie

Jun 25, 2022

Stacking the Shelves #4 - Sunday Post #4 - Sunday Salon #4

It's the weekend, so it must be time to enjoy a few of my favorite book memes. Stacking the Shelves is hosted every Saturday by Marlene @ Reading Reality and promotes sharing books you actually received during the week - library, purchase, ARC, gift, etc. as well as what you think you might read in the upcoming week. The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer and is a place to share posts, reviews, personal updates, etc. The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb

The Catch by Alison Fairbrother Isn't About Baseball!

Terrie

Jun 23, 2022

The Catch by Alison Fairbrother Isn't About Baseball!

The Catch by Alison Fairbrother Genre: General Fiction Publish date June 21, 2022, 288 pages I want to thank #netgalley and #randomhouse for this ARC of #thecatch - the opinions are my own. Though the blurb talks about this special baseball as being the key to the story, you would be forgiven for assuming the story revolves around baseball. IF NOT BASEBALL, WHAT IS THE STORY ABOUT? The Catch is NOT about baseball - it's about blended family dynamics, love and hurt, death and

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne is action packed!

Terrie

Jun 21, 2022

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne is action packed!

The Gatekeeper #1 by James Byrne Genre: Thriller Published June 7, 2022, 336 pages This was a good, readable book with LOTS of action. I could see it becoming an action movie starring Denzel Washington (like in The Equalizer), you know, good guy with deadly skills helping the beautiful damsel in distress, though this damsel seemed pretty capable of taking care of herself. THE PLOT BASICS Dez is a mercenary and the story opens right in the middle of a job. Immediate action, im

TEN Books I Wish I Owned (for Top Ten Tuesday)

Terrie

Jun 20, 2022

TEN Books I Wish I Owned (for Top Ten Tuesday)

Welcome to another week of Top Ten Tuesay - Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl is hosting again, and I'm joining again. I enjoy participating each week for a couple reasons. I'm a compulsive list maker and love a good list. And, I love a connection with other readers as I wander their book blogs. This week's prompt is to share 10 books I wish I owned. My personal library is constantly revolving/evolving because I don't keep books after I've read them, so my shelves are full only

Stacking the Shelves #3, Sunday Salon #3, Sunday Post #3

Terrie

Jun 18, 2022

Stacking the Shelves #3, Sunday Salon #3, Sunday Post #3

The Berlin Girl: A Plucky Girl in Prewar Berlin

Terrie

Jun 17, 2022

The Berlin Girl: A Plucky Girl in Prewar Berlin

The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham Genre: Historical Fiction Published December 2020, 400 pages Another WWII historical fiction to add to the giant pile of books with this setting. While this one didn't quite grip me like some of the others I've read, it was an entertaining effort. THE GENERAL PLOT Georgie, our indomitable heroine, is a young, newly minted foreign correspondent from London, looking to make her mark in Berlin in prewar Germany. As she arrives, she is drawn into

Terrie

Jun 13, 2022

Ariadne: a mythological retelling

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint Genre: Fantasy (retelling) Published March 2021, 308 pages “I had been a fool to trust in a hero: a man who could only love the mighty echo of his own name throughout the centuries.” I don't know my Greek mythology at all - just the main gods like Zeus and Aphrodite, Apollo, etc. But I can never keep straight who is married to whom or who anyone's parents are. And yet I keep picking up these retellings about gods I don't know. Then, I keep enjoying t

Stacking the Shelves #2, Sunday Post #2, Sunday Salon #2

Terrie

Jun 11, 2022

Stacking the Shelves #2, Sunday Post #2, Sunday Salon #2

It's the weekend, so it must be time to enjoy a few of my favorite book memes. Stacking the Shelves is hosted every Saturday by Marlene @ Reading Reality and promotes sharing books you actually received during the week - library, purchase, ARC, gift, etc. The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Book Reviewer and is a place to share posts, reviews, personal updates, etc. The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb @ ReaderBuzz is a similar format. Join me in visiting the wide

Terrie

Jun 9, 2022

The Lost #3 in the Mace Reid K-9 series

I thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to read advance copy books but there's also a certain amount of self-imposed pressure to read them prior to publication and to be prepared to comment on them. So far I haven't received any that I disliked enough that I didn't review them and I hope that continues! Whether you read the blurb online or on a book flap in a bookstore, every book is a bit of a risk, right? I hope to guess right - and mostly I do. The Lost #3 Mace Reid by J

The Women of Chateau Lafayette - masterful story of 3 incredible women

Terrie

Jun 7, 2022

The Women of Chateau Lafayette - masterful story of 3 incredible women

The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray Genre: Historical Fiction Published March 2021, 576 pages This is the second buddy read for my sister, Donna, and me for May. And what a way to end the month! We won't have any buddy reads for June as we work to select our books for the upcoming year (July to June 2023). I'll let you know what books we settle on...... This epic historical novel is a very ambitious undertaking. It features 3 main female characters who are endles

TEN Books With a Unit of Time in the Title

Terrie

Jun 6, 2022

TEN Books With a Unit of Time in the Title

Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl is hosting another week of Top Ten Tuesday. I enjoy participating each week for a couple reasons. I'm a compulsive list maker and love a good list. And, I love a connection with other readers as I wander their book blogs. This week's prompt is to find books with a unit of time in the title. Here goes. Thank goodness I keep my list of books read and TBR list in an Excel spreadsheet! It was an easy matter to search for the unit of time keywords and

Terrie

Jun 5, 2022

Sunday Post #1 and Sunday Salon #1

I don't usually post on Sundays, but in my book blog wandering this week I discovered these two related memes and thought I'd participate. It's an opportunity to add a personal note to the blog and give a peek into what's going on in my life as well as whatever bookish things I want to share. The Sunday Post is hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon is hosted by ReaderBuzz. Wander over and see what other bloggers have to share. PERSONAL UPDATE I live in Seattle,

My Virtual Bookshelf Additions (Stacking the Shelves #1)

Terrie

Jun 4, 2022

My Virtual Bookshelf Additions (Stacking the Shelves #1)

Every so often I share the most recent additions to my TBR list with the thought that you might find something new for yourself. Or, if you've already read something here and have input to keep it on the list or remove it, please share. I'm all ears! I spent a couple hours this afternoon wandering down the rabbit hole of book blogs. My goodness there a LOT of them - something to fit just about any aesthetic. There are book link-up parties, challenges galore, give-aways, blog

Terrie

Jun 3, 2022

Razorblade Tears: Two Dads Want Revenge

Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby Genre: General Fiction Published 2021, 319 pages The premise of this gritty novel is simple. Two dads, one black, one white, seek revenge for the murder of their sons. However, there's so much more depth than just a thriller based on revenge. "Folks like to talk about revenge like it's a righteous thing but it's just hate in a nicer suit." Both dads have criminal pasts and have served time, but have lived honest lives since their releases. Ike

How to Start a Virtual Book Club: 9 helpful tips

Terrie

Jun 1, 2022

How to Start a Virtual Book Club: 9 helpful tips

We all have so many calendar commitments - kids sports, work events, household maintenance, etc. How about adding something fun to look forward to? Maybe you live in a small town; maybe your friends/family are scattered over the country; or you might just be hungry for a group of like-minded people to talk books with you. In these days of the proliferation of options to connect remotely, it's easier than ever to start your own virtual book club. Here are a few suggestions an

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