Dear Bob and Sue

4 stars! I really enjoyed this one; I wasn't bored at all. It is written as emails from Matt Smith, but a few are from his wife, Karen to their friends named, of course, Bob and Sue, about their year plus trip to all 58 of the country's national parks. I was chuckling to myself at some of the comments. I highly recommend this fun read . Humorous and you learn something about the United States as well in the process.

Tumble

Neely returns to Tennessee after being looked over for a promotion that should have been hers from the get-go. There she reunites with old friends and an old flame that broke her heart. For most of the book, I was wavering between 2 stars (ok) and 3 stars (good), but the last few chapters is what cinched it for into being a 4 star book.

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land

3 Stars. During the winter of 2011 to 2012 for about 5 months in Accomack County, Virginia was inundated with over 60 arson fires, This is the story of those fires and the couple that set them. This is a good, but not great true crime novel. I originally was going to give this 2 stars, but as I thought more about it over the 2 days since I read it, I feel 3 stars is more deserving. Interesting and well-researched, but not a favorite that will stay in my memory for very long

Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back

The deaths at Jonestown is the first real news story that I remember happening in my lifetime. It occurred on my 10th birthday, so between me being 10 and being all over the news on my birthday that is probably why I remember it so clearly. Before that time, nothing in the news sticks with me except the occasion of President Ford falling down the stairs of Air Force One or whatever plane they used and him hitting people with golf balls when his golf shots went into the crowds.

This book only covers one, maybe two chapters on Jonestown, so don't be looking for much on that, but this memoir is an account of Jackie Speier's life up through modern times, including mentions of President Trump.

I listened to this on audio and it is narrated by the author. Sometimes, when the author narrates his or her own book, it adds to the experience, but in this case, I think a different narrator would have been better. I found the book very interesting and everything Jackie Speirs has had to endure and the tragedies, etc. that she has had to deal with was remarkable. I give the book 3.5 stars and raise it up to 4 stars for Goodreads.

A Curve in the Road

3 stars. The beginning of this book really sucked me in right from the start, but unfortunately it did not stay that way throughout.  Although most of the book was relatively good and I never harbored thoughts of DNF'ing it, I was disappointed in the ending.  It was wrapped up to neatly for me with everything turning out good.  What I did love in the book was Abby's devotion to her dog.  After the car (this happens in the first chapter, I believe, so it is not a spoiler; her first thoughts are of her dog, Winston, who was in the car with her and through out the story, he plays a role. 

The Beantown Girls

4 stars The first half of this book, I thought this was interesting but in between ok and good, but by the end I really did enjoy this and found it more than just good. I never heard about the Red Cross Clubmobile girls from WWII and found this rather interesting. At first, I wasn't crazy about the characters, but I liked how they ended up growing as individuals in the book. I am giving this 4 stars and although I don't think this book will be as memorable, long term, as some books that I have read. It was quite entertaining and I learned about an aspect of the war/war effort that I never knew about and through the female perspective

It Had to Be Love

Like the first book, It Had to Be You, the beginning was all right, but the further I got into this book, the more I liked it. Tara Carter is the new town dentist in Anderson Butte; Ryan Anderson, who is the sheriff of the town and son of the mayor of the town feels there is something that Tara is hiding, And yes, she is hiding her something, but for a very good reason. Will Ryan uncover it without getting Tara, himself or anyone else killed? I got this book through Kindle Unlimited and listened to the audio version through Audible. It is narrated by Kate Rudd, who is a very good narrator and makes whatever book she is narrating very enjoyable. I do feel, the first part of the book is missing something and therefore rating this overall a 3.5 stars, but raising it to 4 stars on Goodreads.

Daughter of Moloka'i

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I loved the 1st book, Molokai, so I hoped this sequel written over a decade and a half later would be just as great. Well, it turns out this book is just as wonderful as its predecessor. The first book is the story of Rachel Umagawa, who was sent to live on Molokai at the age of 6, when it was discovered she had leprosy, while this book is about her daughter, Ruth, who was taken away soon after her birth and then adopted to a Japanese couple, who moved later to California. The book covers about 50 years and covers in more detail the reunion of Ruth and Rachel


I'm not sure which book I enjoyed more. The 1st book covered much that I did not know of at all, while this book covers the time period of the 1920s through 1970. Both were very informative and well-written and I recommend both books highly. Although you do not have to read Molokai to enjoy Daughter of Molokai, I'd recommend reading the first one for a better understanding of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) and the history of Rachel. 5 stars!

Never Stop Walking: A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World

This is the memoir of a woman who as a child lived in extreme poverty in Brazil both in a cave with her mother and as a street child during the 80s and early 90s. She and her younger brother ended up in an orphanage and then were adopted together to a family in Sweden. Much of the book takes place in Brazil first as a child and then in her early 30s, she made a trip to Brazil to find out the facts surrounding her adoption and reunion with her biological family. I got this book through Kindle Unlimited and was able to listen to this on audio through Audible. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. This book is translated from Sweden, since Cristina speaks exclusively Swedish, since she was raised in Sweden from 8 years old and lost all her knowledge of Portuguese. 5 stars

The HighTide Club

I was expecting a light, beachy, chick-lit book. Instead it is both a contemporary and historical with a mystery mixed in. I loved this book; it's full of secrets, friendships, and family. It's not at all what I thought it would be, but it's exactly what I wanted. This is my first book, by Mary Kay Andrews, but if this one is any indication of her other books, it will definitely not be my last. This is a long book, but it kept my attention throughout and I just loved all of the secrets and surprises along the way. I ended up listening to it on audio, but thank you to NetGalley, the publisher-St. Martin's Press, and the author for providing me with an ARC.  I may not have got to experience this book and I have found another author that I want to read more by.  Excellent! 5 stars..
Highly Recommended!

Whisper Me This

This book surprised me in how much I liked it. I got this book through Kindle Unlimited and listened to it since the audio was available for free as well. This book kept my interest from the beginning and really did not let go. I'd consider this book more a mystery rather than a thriller. I am giving this 4 stars, but I'm debating to increase it to 5 stars. I'm going to be on the look out for other books by Kerry Anne King.

Beneath A Scarlet Sky

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This book is rated quite highly on Goodreads, 4.4 stars, as of the date of this review. In my opinion, I personally feel that it is a 2 star book, maybe a 2.25 or 2.5, just an okay book. What I did like was this was a WWII historical novel, which centers more on Italy during the war, while most other books of this genre seem to focus on Poland or Germany or even France or England. But overall, the story which is based on truth, how much I don't exactly know, (there was a Pino Lella) is not all that engaging. It is also a very long book at over 500 pages and 17+ hours of listening tome if listened to at 1.0 speed. I feel that it is definitely overrated ; there are much better books out there that deal with WWII in an interesting manner, but this is the only one that I know of from an Italian perspective.

Summer in Good Hope

I'm rating this 3 stars on Goodreads, but it is more 2.75 or 2.5 stars. The story is basically good, but there was something that I was not crazy about in this book. I felt similar with the 1st book. I'm not quite sure what I don't care for, but I think I'll give this series another chance to win me over. I really like that this takes in northeastern Wisconsin, near Green Bay.