Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

  Fundamentally was a look at a topic that I knew virtually nothing about.  Nadia leaves London, after losing her best friend and sometimes lover, to rehabilitate ISIS brides through an agency at the UN.  She travels to Iraq and learns that there is a lot of political red tape to be able to make a difference.  She connects with one of the women, Sara, who reminds her of her younger self.  After trying everything in her power, Nadia puts it all on the line to make a difference for Sara.   I'll be honest that this is not a book that I would typically read.  Nadia is not a character that I would normally identify with but I liked the voice that she had.  I enjoyed reading about her back story and what brought her to Iraq.  I did not like reading about all of the political drama that surrounded the women held in the camps.  I completely understand how awful it is and it is important to write about this so people understand what is reall...

  This book was part mystery, part thriller, with a dash of romance. Nura is a matchmaker in Atlanta Georgia but someone is extremely upset with her and is determined to ruin her business and her life. On top of that, she herself has no love life as she is in love with her best friend but he is not interested in her that way. Things go from bad to worse when angry podcasts start airing, weddings disintegrate, her friends, and family are threatened, and then Nura's own life is in danger. This book was a little slow for me. I enjoyed reading about the Indian culture and some of the wedding ceremonies but at times I felt a little lost. I also had trouble understanding the amount of hatred that someone had for Nura. It felt extreme considering she was just a matchmaking service. I enjoyed the ending of the book and the action however the romance felt off for me. I don't want to spoil it but it just seemed a little implausible. Overall, this was only an ok read for me.

  This was an excellent mystery set in the Yukon.  Detective Casey Duncan and her husband  Sheriff Eric Dalton created a secret town so they could provide sanctuary for people who need it.  In this third installment Casey is eight months pregnant but that does not slow her down when a local resident is abducted.  The resident gets away but the abductor strikes again and this time the victim is not as lucky. With the weather against them and premature labor a possibility, the reader is left guessing as to what will happen next.  I love all of Kelley Armstrong's books no matter what genre she is writing in and this one did not disappoint.  What I loved most about this mystery is that I thought I had it figured out but I was completely wrong. An action packed mystery set against really bad weather that will have you on the edge of your seat.  I look forward to reading more in this series! 

  This was excellent!  I really enjoyed the entire premise behind this book.  Elinor comes from a wealthy family with self made money. She thinks she finds her dream man in Frederick Storton the future lord of Winterton Hall.  However things are not what they seem and her life quickly turns into a nightmare.  When a chance to go on the Titanic comes, she thinks it will be a nice diversion and a way to spend time with her son and father.  What she did not expect was that the ship would sink and she would have a terrible choice to make, go back to Winterton Hall and lose her son or try to start a new life in New York City.  What follows is an incredible tale of a strong woman who will do whatever it takes to take control of her life.   This novel was filled with incredible detail.  Set in England and New York City in the early 1900s, I really felt like I was there with Elinor.  I enjoyed reading about everything she went through and h...

The Language of the Birds is like the teenage version of National Treasure.  There were ciphers, riddles, codes, and puzzles based on history that had to be solved in order for 17 year old Arizona to rescue her mom from kidnappers.  Arizona is autistic and does not do well with people.  She is homeschooled and really only relates to her dog.  Her father has recently passed away from a tragic accident and she is trying to deal with her grief by finishing their family trip.  Arizona is supposed to meet her mom but she never shows.  After finding their camper ransacked, Arizona discovers that she has to solve puzzles and other clues in order to get her mother back because the kidnappers believe her father knew a secret that they want to find.  The novel delves into a lot of history and puzzle solving but it is also a story of Arizona growing and learning how to deal with the outside world.   There were parts of this story that I enjoyed such as ...

I love a great time travel book and this one had a great premise.  In this novel, archaeologists go back to the past to find artifacts that have been lost and save them for the present.  The novel did a great job explaining how time travel works and what happens if you try and change a significant event.  It was a great take on parallel worlds.   Rabbit is a Smithsonian archaeologist who has been very successful for twenty years except for a gold menorah that he couldn't recover.  While trying to get the menorah he also lost his mentee to the past.  It has eaten him up and strained his relationships in the present.  With his career about to be washed up, he decides to travel to 6th century Constantinople to try one more time for the menorah.  When he gets there he makes friends with a Roman soldier named, Andor.  Andor was one of my favorite characters and I would love to know more about him if there is a sequel.  While Rabbit tries...

  actually finished reading this book in church before the service began because I could not stop reading it.  I know it's pretty ironic considering the premise.   When I first read the title I did not know what to expect and I certainly did not think I was going to like it as much as I did.  The  title actually does a great job explaining what the book is about Hazel, who is married with a small child.  She also happens to be a serial killer.  Her husband, Fox, is a serial killer as well.  They work as a team to exert vigilante justice but only on men who really deserve it.  When Hazel gets pregnant they both agree to put their killing ways aside only having a small child and changing their lifestyle has a big impact on their marriage.  Both of them try to make a go at their new life.  Fox, tries therapy, and Hazel makes a new mom friend.  Both do their best but old habits are hard to break.  This was such a fun boo...

  This is a wonderful romance that will speak to anyone who has lost a loved one. Lenny has lost her best friend and is a mess floating from one nanny job to another, not able to sleep or eat, and losing touch with her family.  She goes on a nanny job and ends up meeting Miles, the uncle of Ainsley, the adorable child she is watching.   Miles is also very familiar with grief and the two of them strike up a deal.  Miles will help her with learning how to live again and Lenny will help him get to know his niece and half sister better. What follows is a wonderful story about overcoming grief and falling in love.  I highly recommend this book.  I read it in a day because I didn't want to leave the characters behind.  There were laugh out loud moments as well as touching heartbreaking moments.  This was a touching story that anyone will love.  I especially think that people who have dealt with grief will be able to relate as well.  A mus...

If you love cats you will love this book.  Actually it doesn't matter if you love cats or not, this is a wonderful read!  A heartwarming story about how a cat brings together 5 different people each struggling with their own personal challenges.  The novel is set in Brooklyn and told from 6 different perspectives including the cat.   Nuria is a barista who is feeling pressure from her mom to settle down but all Nuria really cares about is making coffee and cats.  Lily is he half sister and has moved to NY to meet Nuria.  However Nuria has no idea that Lily even exists.  Omar is the mailman but he is struggling with what he is going to do with his life. Bong is a widower who owns the local Bodega and even though his wife died almost a year ago, he still can't move forward.  There is also Collin, a best selling author, who has writer's block and also looks forward to seeing Nuria as she comes by to feed stray cats.  However Collin has seve...