Chris Lee

To me, The Expanse played out like a good, but not great Star Trek episode. The characters are fairly surface-level, but the story has some interesting twists and turns. 

a fantastic murder mystery with a twist that will question your morals.

Beyond the Deep is to diving and caving as Into Thin Air is to climbing and mountaineering.

The authors drop us in the Western Hemisphere, specifically the Huautla cave in Mexico, where a team of explorers gears up to find the deepest cave system in the world.

I found the book extremely difficult to “enjoy”. I marveled at the explanations of the cryptographic functions but was at a loss in the overwhelming history details. It was like reading a collection of thoughts or ideas. The narrative was an easy one to follow but not all that interesting in the end. It is not the point of the book I know, but I could have had a bit more story to go with my meanderings.

Amelia Peabody, who recently received a sizable fortune, is looking for a travel companion to join her on a magnificent adventure to Egypt. (Pick me, plz!

What I enjoy most about Timothy Zahn Star Wars books are the well-executed plots. They are the perfect mix of nostalgia, intrigue, and action. If you are wanting something a bit deeper or that covers a wide, fleshed-out world, this is not the plot you are looking for.

// The New Republic is in shambles and is hanging on by a thread after a revelation from the past. Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of the crew must try and thwart the threat of an uprising while simultaneously facing off against a few old foes. //

So, apparently, I was supposed to read the Jedi Academy Trilogy, Dark Empire, the first four X-Wings, and I, Jedi before reading this, so call me confused. If someone gave me a power converter for every time I Googled something to fill in a blank in the story, I'd be able to sell them to Tosche Station for an excellent sum.

// “The one truism in all politics is that loud voices will be raised against any decision that is made.” //

The story was great from the get go. Even though the series name might have given me an insight into what the plot could be, I didn't know “that” was going to happen. The “that” reveal was so incredibly ingenious and filled my mind with possibilities of where the story might go. But, and it hurts me to say, is also its downfall. I feel like “that” reveal was kinda squandered. I know this is a two-part series, and I will gladly eat crow if it turns out to be great by the end, but I had a bad feeling about this as the third act came into view.

───∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗─── We're doomed!

Usually with Star Wars novels, the plot can get convoluted because of the sheer scale of the universe. I would say I am a moderate SW fan, but for the life of me, I was confused on more than one occasion. There are some slow parts, specifically between some members of the Empire, dealings with Lando, and the weird interactions between Mara and Luke (get a room, will ya!

Wow! This book was a great experience from start to finish. It has a wide berth and captures so many emotions and grand ideals.

It is a technical look at the inner workings of an airline and the problems that arise.

Come one, come all, and read a festive Halloween tale about a group of kids who travel the globe learning about the many mysteries behind death itself. Your spooky ticket includes trips to Pre-Christian Europe, Egypt, Paris in the 16th century, and Mexico. You'll be in awe as the master storyteller uses his poetic pen to explain and describe how death originated in these cultures. Will all the passengers survive? Turn the pages to find out.

|| “They thought of All Hallows' Night and the billion ghosts awandering the lonely lanes in cold winds and strange smokes.”

This book is just pure excitement and joy. I'm sure this is not an original idea, but the story feels like a Halloween version of A Christmas Carol. Bradbury has a way with words, and this story whisks you away on a fun adventure through time. Even though this is probably aimed at kids, there were so many cultural references that I had to hit Wikipedia to learn more. If you are looking for a book that will bring a sparkle to the eye and a shudder to the heart this fine, spooky season, this one will do the trick.

|| “Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows' Eve”

⭐ | Rating | ⭐
❖ 5 out of 5

Audition by Ryū Murakami is an oddity. It's a dark revenge story starring a pair of despicable characters who target the wrong person to play a part in their fantasy world. Let's set the stage for a second.

Aoyama is a documentary film producer who lost his wife a few years back. His colleagues and his son have been pushing him to remarry, but Aoyama has just not been able to find love again. So what would a normal person do in this instance, you say? That's right. Set up an audition for a fake movie so that you can interview your future wife. Sound creepy? Well, it is. Very, very creepy.

Yamasaki Asami tried out for the part, and Aoyama instantly fell for her. She's beautiful, young, and a pleasure to be around. The only thing that Yamasaki asks of Aoyama is that he never lie to her. So when the movie inevitably falls through and he must tell her the truth about the bogus movie deal, sinister things start to happen.

Okay, so that's kind of the quick outline of the story. It's a decent little setup, but it has some issues. Minor spoilers ahead

One: the first half is extremely misogynistic. I know this theme is present to depict the main characters in a certain light, but it was incredibly hard to get through.

Two: red flags. C'mon, Aoyama. I mean, I know love makes you put on blinders, but this relationship was clearly going to be a car crash in slow motion.

Three: The inevitable sex scene was described in the most unsexy way imaginable. The length and technicality of it were about as interesting as me describing how a fuel injection system works on a car. It was kind of weird and off-putting. Maybe that was the point.

So, the book does very little in the thrill department, and it kind of meanders its way to the conclusion. It's something you could see pitched as a story in a horror anthology but passed up because it was a bit too ordinary.

❖ Category: Horror
❖Rating: 2.5/5

“Mooncalled” reads like a firecracker that's gone off in the urban fantasy genre section. The book is a mish-mash of clever bits you know and love, but it is presented in a ‘nice' way. 

Mercedes, or Mercy for short, is a mechanic who is a skinwalker, which means she can transform into a coyote at will. When an inexperienced werewolf shows up on her doorstep, she must find out who's pack he belongs to. This path sees her become embroiled with her past once more and stirs up quite a fizz among werewolves and other creatures that go bump in the night. 

Mercy is incredibly smart, cunning, and giving. These traits are pretty unique to the genre, and I was surprised at how much the author focuses on the character and the history of werewolves in general.

Overall, it's entertaining, and you can tell the author is having a great time writing it. For every bit of action and circumstance, there are equal parts building on the werewolf lore as well as enhancing the small side characters. 

I wish there would have been a bit more to the location descriptions, but there was just enough variety to set the mood. The novel length was just right, and it all seems like a grand setup for future books in the series that I, for one, will be checking out in the future. 

⭐ | Rating | ⭐

❖ 4 out of 5 ❖

This novella was great! It's a short, gritty look at someone who is slowly losing grasp of reality and falling into a hole of self-deprecating horror. Amanda is smart, pretty, has a great job, and a stable marriage—until she starts to see an invisible friend. This invisible friend starts to haunt her dreams and make her do things she doesn't want to do—or does she?

It is a hard book to talk about without spoilers, but early on, I think you get an inkling that this is much more than an otherworldly possession tale. The manifestations, the odd behavior, the perpetual habits, and the forbidden desires point to something hidden deep in her persona. Try as she might, she visits spiritualists, doctors, and therapists to help put her mind at ease.

What is being unlocked in her psyche to make her do these awful things? Some people try to hide these urges day in and day out, but for Amanda, it might be a little too late.

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── 3.5 ★'s ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

When I went to a local used bookstore to look for The Winter King, I was pleased to find quite a few copies in varying disarray on the shelf. In typical fashion, I picked up the dingiest of the three. These usually have fun scribblings, underlined passages, and, most important of all, they are broken in.

To my surprise as I finished the book, there was a written review on the last page that was just incredible. It's so great, in fact, I'll just post it here. Take it away, Karen.

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──  ⚔️ ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

This was EPIC, and when I say EPIC, I mean Every Page Is Classic! It's like one part lesson and two parts action. Do you remember sitting in history class and the teacher was like, blah, blah, blah, this is medieval history, and times were tough? Total eye-glazer. Well, if they just had us read this, it would have made much more of an impact! I mean, who doesn't like King Arthur? He's ubertalented with a sword and even keeled while leading his men. I can't tell you how many times I welled up while reading this story. I hope you felt the same-way after the last page.

I'm turning this into a used book store so someone else can stumble across it and take in its beauty.

Your fellow book-lover,
Karen Womack ‘01

──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──

I'd like to believe that being a king or an emperor is simple. To be fit for kingship, all you have to do is draw a sword from a stone or demonstrate your ability as an emperor by marching across a three-mile bridge wearing Alexander the Great's armor. In Brandon Sanderson's “The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2),” Elvis (I'm changing the character's name as to not spoil anything from the first book) is a new king. And it is anything but easy. He'll have to have ‘a little less conversation' with his enemies, put up with a ‘hound dog' that watches over his beloved, and be a voice of reason for his people, most of whom are ‘living in the ghetto'. He must do all this without getting ‘all shook up' with his other duties. Basically, ‘it's now or never!' (I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it with the name.)

|| “A good king is one who is trusted by his people—and one who deserves that trust.”

Okay, so the book is more Attack of the Clones and less Empire Strikes Back, if you get my drift. (I told myself I would not mention Star Wars in this review, but here we are.) It is strong in its politics, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. For me, at least. Basically, Elvis is trying to be a shining light to Lutadel by setting up a new government that is run by the people, for the people. The land is stricken by the events of the last book, and it's up to Elvis to quell the ‘suspicious minds' of the people and its enemies. (I swear that's the last one.) Along the way, a few armies appear on the kingdom's doorstop looking to conquer, but Vin, our favorite allomancer, might have something to say about that.

|| “Those who take lightly promises they make to those they love are people who find little lasting satisfaction in life.”

I thought this was a strong book in the series. It checks all the fantasy boxes you come to enjoy from the author while tossing in a bit of extra lore and some exciting twists. The new metals (more on that later) and the semi-interesting love triangle hamper it a bit, but in the end, it's a satisfying tale.

One of my favorite characters is OreSeur. He is part of a race of people called Kandra who can imitate a being by eating them after they pass on. (Gross, I know, but fun!) After the bones and flesh are consumed, they eat, smell, act, and talk just like their predecessors. It's sort of like a conglomeration of ideas from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Thing. The Kandra are subservient to their contracted master and are very protective of their special abilities and their past. Vin has a contract in place at the beginning of the book, and she makes her Kandra take on the appearance of a wolfhound. (I don't know why, but I pictured it looking like some sort of weird beast-folk being from Dr. Moreau's island.) The banter between Vin and Onseur is top-tier! Remember the wit, jest, and meaningful convo's with Kaladin and Slyphrena in The Stormlight Archive? Yeah, it's sort of like that.

|| “Perhaps it is also time to learn of other truths, other ways”

Let's do the checkmark thing again. (Work with me here, there is ALOT to unpack in this book.)

I think you will dig this book if you like......

✔ Politics – Quite a bit of base-line politics. King's rulings are in question; King questions if he is right for the position; King is often challenged because of his inexperience. (It's a fun and clever dynamic.)
✔ A teeny tiny bit of romance – I mean a MINUSCULE amount. The slightest of slight, itsy bitsy, infinitesimal, mini, etc. Girl likes boy(s), Boy likes Girl, Girl snuggles with Boy, Boy thinks Girl is attractive in a unique way, Girl wants to be held by Boy, Girl questions relationship with Boy. Girl straddles Boy at one point. (Oh là là, spicy!) I'm making fun, but it's pretty standard fare. Nothing too heavy-handed, just the right amount to keep you interested.
✔ Familiar-y fantasy lore - A hierarchy of magic users, an ancient power, a hero's quest. Basically, all the good stuff.
✔ Magic System - The new metals do not make a whole lot of sense, to be honest, but their action/reactionary visuals are just pure eye candy.
✔ Fantastical Creatures Koloss and Mistwraiths. Say no more.

|| “If you perpetuate the dreams of the past, you stifle your own dreams of the future.”

** Okay, this is where the nitpicks section begins, so advert your eyes if you would rather not read me rant a bit about some of my personal misgivings and/or wants.**

Remember when you watched The Matrix for the first time and you were like, “Whoa! The fight scenes were just mind-blowing. When you started the sequel, you said to yourself, “How could the fight scenes get any better?”, Then the scene where Neo fights 100's of agents scrambled your brain. Well, the battle sequences in this book never really reached those heights for me. They were serviceable, but I just thought there would be a little extra oomph (scientific book term) added to the allomancy system. A few coins are thrown; there are some reactionary moments that were intriguing, but it was really hard for me not to be sort of bored. (The last battle not withstanding) At one point, as I was reading a fight sequence and my eyes started to glaze a bit, I pictured Vin as Trinity and started to develop some of my own battle sequences. I know, “What a mind job.”

Let's talk about the bite-sized attempts at democracy. Just give me an all-out, detailed take on the kingship. Human rights, fundamental freedoms, separation of powers, accountability, etc. I know this is an extreme nitpick, but the stakes seemed to warrant a more detailed sense of the divisionary process. The pieces fit well, but did the recurring issues with the crown make me care as much as Elvis did? Not so much.

This book was a fun and enchanting sequel. It was easy to read, easy to get attached to certain characters, and it had enough twists to make you want to keep learning more about the world. Was it as good as the first? I think so. I also champion a book that dives knee-deep into the overarching story as the climax looms. It's so much better than just having a battle to “find out who wins.” This happens all too often in the last third of both books and movies.

Last note: I nominate this book series to add to your reading repertoire.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm eyeing the third book with as much anticipation as Indy eyes an idol. I must get to it.

Brandon Sanderson's “The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)” is insanely good, but you do not need me to tell you that. I flipped a coin (picture Watto saying, “Let's let fate decide.”) when deciding to start either the Stormlight Archive or the Mistborn series, and well, Stormlight won out, but I eventually made my way back to Mistborn, and I am SO glad I did.

Oh, boy. I sopped up and devoured the political intrigue, the world-building, and the battle sequences while feasting on my favorite snack, hummus and naan, each day during lunch. Which allomantic metal do I have to burn to get an endless supply?

Hmmm. What is the best way to describe the book? Basically, a thief by the name of Kelsier (do names get any cooler than that?) is setting up an ultimate heist to bring back stability and peace among the lands. He must conquer someone by the name of the Lord Ruler, with whom he has a checkered past. However, he cannot complete his quest alone. He channels his inner Danny Ocean and puts together a rag-tag group of ‘magic' users, thugs, miscreants, scholars, and impersonators. Can he trust this group to help him secure the land and overthrow pure evil? Kelsier has a leg up on some of his foes. He can use allomancy. A special power that allows him to consume and burn metals. These metals give short bursts of power. But we all know what comes with great power. No, not great responsibility; these guys are thieves. It comes with great caution. Because if an allomancer burns a metal that is not pure, they can get sick and even die!

This book has a little bit for everyone. Do you like political upheaval? Check! Do you like a good revenge story? Check! Do you like a teeny tiny bit of romance with your exploratory magic system? Check, check! Do you like descriptive action sequences as much as you like spending time masquerading at balls? Check! Okay, enough of the check marks. You basically want to root for each and every character. Most are flawed, but it's easy to pick a few that you can relate to. You will undoubtedly become embroiled in the plot, and when you do, it will spark a fun sense of creative adventure, page after page.

|| “While I may wonder about my stature as the hero, there is one thing that I have never questioned: the ultimate good of our quest.”

In my opinion, the book is less epic fantasy and more urban fantasy. It's not quite YA, either. Well, I guess you could consider it that; let's just say it has a YA underpinning but can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone! I love how the book focuses most of its energy on the ‘fish out of water' character named Vin. She is strong, fierce, caring, and a down-right bad-to-the-bone character. Without giving too much away, she's the Linus Caldwell of the group (if we are still running with the Ocean's Eleven analogy. You know, Matt Damon's character). She must keep up appearances in a noble setting to gain information as well as train her inherent abilities so that she is ready for the long fight ahead. It's enduring to see how the character changes throughout. Her fawning over a certain someone was a bit trying at times, but I kind of warmed up to it after a while.

**Note: – have tried the “Oh, I am just here in the library at the same table as you” reading move back in the day; it does not work. Not in the slightest. Come to think of it, maybe it's because I was reading a horror novel. Oh, well, I digress.|| “Our belief is often strongest when it is weakest; that is the nature of hope.”So, okay, the story is great, and the character development is superb. What about the action? Right. Well, it's sort of a conglomeration of all your favorite hero and villain tropes. We have rooftop running and jumping, ala TMNT and Batman; aerial battles similar to any Marvel comic; restorative and regenerative powers not unlike any good video game; but what this has that sets it apart from all those things is time to explain its fun and exciting alloy-based ‘magic' system.Now please, advert your eyes, because now I would like to focus on a few nit-picks I have with my somewhat limited Sanderson scope. For all the minutia put behind the power systems he creates (generalizing here), I feel like his take on battles can be a bit too long. Do not get me wrong, though. The beginning of Way of Kings has one of the most eye-opening and exciting battle sequences I have read, but, more often than not, the battles are simply *cough ordinary. The initial training stages between Vin and Kelsier are great, but, for me, most of the fight sequences kind of run together. It's not that my eyes were glazing over or anything; it's just that the stakes are not well defined. As nuanced as the alomancy system is, there are a few too many “If it bleeds, we can kill it!” moments and not enough cause-and-effect cerebral fist-a-cuffs.

|| “Plots behind plots, plans behind plans. There was always another secret.”

What makes this novel so great is that even though Vin has these incredible powers at her disposal and can inflict much pain on her foes, she is ultimately vulnerable emotionally. There is an underlying sadness that she carries with her, and it endures you to her plight. Conjuring those heavy emotions and using them to help defeat evil like Skywalker (too many Star Wars references, I know!), Wonder Woman, or Bruce Wayne hits you harder in the gut than any exciting action sequence can. It's a glorious tale that anyone can appreciate and sink their teeth into.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm writing this review while hanging from a cliff I fell off after reading the last few pages. I really need to make it back up so I can start book two.

We have had plenty of warnings about gargoyles over the years. Tales From The Darkside, Gremlins 2, and even The Hunchback of Notre Dame, to name a few. While these gothic-style architectural elements might speak to your personal design aesthetic, just make sure they were placed on the building to ward off the right folks. The second these stoic water spewing stone creatures were seen by Ana and Reid (a young family who moved into a historical Manhattan apartment that adorned them.) I knew something sinister was on the horizon.

First things first. The book's selling point mentions similarities between Salem's Lot and Rosemary's Baby. I'd caution anyone using the blurb to pick this one up. With that being said, it does offer a more “modern” take on the sensibilities found in the inspired books, but IMHO, I'd recommend reading those two masterpieces before tackling this one.

What's it about? Well, a young family wins a placement lottery for an old, historic apartment on the upper west side of New York. The couple has a newborn and must juggle creative jobs, friends, strange inhabitants, and other things that go bump in the night. It basically follows the plot of Ghostbusters 2. Replace Vigo with a similar antagonist, replace the ghost in the window with a different kind of baby snatcher, replace bathtub monsters with other similar entities, and replace Yanoish with another creepy “human” type helper, etc.

The book delves into themes such as postpartum depression, identity crisis, anxiety, recovering from a disability, relationship woes, and being overworked.

The characterizations grafted onto these themes, while traumatic, never really picked up steam for me. They were sort of used as fade-to-black moments at the end of each chapter. The problem is, those curtain closing moments, if explored, would have been much more fun and engaging. The flow just seemed a bit off to me. Also, it's really hard to root for either of the MC's. They both have personalities that go from zero to a hundred in a split second and neither of them have any meaningful conversations, which left me scratching my head quite a bit. When the going gets tough, and certain elements are revealed, it's just sort of accepted and the chapters fade. I wish more care would have been put into the characters and not steam rolled ahead with the plot. Clarity is not needed, but a little bit of heart goes a long way.

I guess this sounds like I did not enjoy it, but I did like some elements. It's just getting harder for “modern” horror tales to appease my inner horror spirit these days. I enjoy a good nature vs. nurture story just like the next person, but this tale just does not add much to the convo. However, even though some elements may be plucked from your favorite horror stories or movies, it still manages to send a shiver or two down the spine. I'm looking at you, relator.

The last third is sort of “info-dumpy” and pretty much aligns with your preconceived notions. It's not a stretch to say the ending was inspired by The Shining.

John W. Campbell's “Who Goes There?” is an ingenious piece of sci-fi horror written in the late 1930s. There is an updated version entitled Frozen Hell, which expands on the original and has a few added illustrations, but from what I read, the original has less setup and really tosses you into the nightmarish fray early on. Game on!

Hmmm. What is the best way to describe the book? An Antarctic research team stumbles upon a spaceship along the frosty tundra, and to the crew's surprise, they find an ancient, frozen creature. So, what does any enterprising research team do? Yep! That's right. They exhume what they can and bring the body back to the lab. Most of the team is gung-ho on defrosting the creature so that it may learn its secrets. The cook, funny enough, wants nothing to do with it and makes his voice heard. Also, speaking of cooks, I might have been devouring a naan with pesto at this point. Not recommended when it gets to the grislier bits.

Many people try to hike all 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, each and every year. This route spans from Mexico to Canada on the west coast and includes some of the most beautiful places on Earth. See the dry valleys of California, the serene Crater Lake, and breathe in the cool, clean air of Mount Rainier. (my personal favorite) But what happens to those poor souls who wander off the trail and are lost? Andrea Lankford, a retired parks search and rescue officer, and her pack of amateur sleuths try to put clues together to try and find three lost hikers who attempted the 5-month journey and give the family the peace they have been searching for years.

Whether you're following along with the vivid depictions of trail stops, sights, and or search parameters set forth, the book never fails to be thrilling. The search team dips their toes into many avenues to try and find these missing hikers. This includes contacting mediums, DNA specialists, psychics, crackpot inventors, exploitative adventure seekers, cult followers, and so much more. It gets pretty wild, and the devotion of the family's search attempts is heartwarming, to say the least.

The core of the book follows the search of the main three hikers, but deviates to some other well-known people who have lost their way along the trail and reports on a variety of peskies in the more secluded areas. The story-telling is concise and it does a great job explaining some of the most common hiking terms such as zero-days, HYOH, trail angels, and more. For those seeking to take on a long thru-hike, it is important to read some of these stories and add their knowledge to your trail rolodex. You never know when it might come in handy.

I recommended this to all hikers and arm-chair adventurers!

  Initial Thoughts   Brilliant this story is! No doubt one of my favorite stories from the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie! I'll try to make this review as unbiased as possible, but there are simply not enough superlatives one can tack on to the ingenious writer.   Plot Overview   Oh no! Emily Inglethorp, owner of a sprawling estate and a good sum of money, is poisoned in her room! She has a few family members, an orphan she graciously took in, and a new young husband. With wills being written and changed faster than Usain Bolt can run a 100-metre, us readers get a front-row seat to this exciting affair that unfolds in many logical layers. Who benefits the most from her murder?   The Murder   Now we get down to the nitty-gritty! We have locked doors, we have poison, we have impersonators, we have several witnesses, and we have implicated gardeners. For once, the butler did not do it!

An unlikely meeting, coupled with an unlikely attraction, makes this gothic romance a very likeable reading experience.

A young lady gets swept away to live with Maxim de Winter at his enormous ancestral home named Manderley. Maxim's previous wife, Rebecca, passed away, and the new shy, inexperienced, yet loving wife tries her best to fill Rebecca's shoes. But what happens when she tries to learn more about the family's past?

The answer to that question leads the reader down a rabbit hole filled with mystery, jealousy, scandal, and trepidation. Daphne du Maurier attacks all the senses and ratchets the tension of this ‘fish-out-water' story in many interesting ways.

One of the more sadistic angles is the psychological turmoil inflicted by the infamous Mrs. Danvers. I actually quite liked her character from start to finish. Hopefully I am not alone on this.

The Art Thief is a book about obsession, hoarding, and the insatiable desire to steal precious artifacts. The one aspect that makes this story a bit unique is the fact that the main thief does not take the antiquities to sell; he displays them to admire them in an attic imbedded in a typical suburban neighborhood.

Stéphane Breitwieser and his girlfriend stole over 200 items from museums, fairs, auctions, and cathedrals across Europe for nearly a decade. They circumvented authorities by picking up less-known items using only a standard Swiss army knife and a bit of luck.

The art they steal is varied. An ivory sculpture in Belgium, a tobacco holder, a bugle, some paintings, and a few large sculptures, to name a few. Most of their work is spontaneous and only takes a few minutes. Sometimes they steal several items per day!

But as Breitwieser gets older and the scores get larger in scope, Anne-Catherine eventually wants more stability in their relationship. If he gets caught, she is an accomplice and will be brought to justice as well.

It eventually all comes crashing down, and the authorities start putting the pieces together. Will the couple make it off Scott-free? What happens to the art room if they get caught? The story ends at a fairly recent date, and if the track record of Breitwieser stands, I am sure there will be more to the tale in the near future.

I read an interview with the author about the book, and although admiration is not the word I would choose, the quote is fairly spot on:

“Every reader can have a different opinion at the end between admiration and disgust, and nobody's wrong.”

*Read with the witty, cunning, and intrepid, Helga. Thank you for talking thievery and art! :)

What a brilliant psychological story this is—an emotional tale filled with unique characters and a lively Irish community. “Strange Sally Diamond” is a book that conjures up a range of emotions from start to finish. You become actively involved in a two-part story that weaves its way together towards a satisfying conclusion.

I'll give the same warning a friend on Goodreads gave me. It's best not to know anything going into the book, so I'll just be very vague with the story elements. In fact, this might be quite a boring review because I'll probably not say much at all.

The book has a quite literal, fiery introduction. Sally, a homeschooled individual with very little contact with the outside world, burns her adopted father's remains in a bin behind their home after he passes on. As local investigators look into the matter, Sally must cope with the loss in her own unique fashion. Without going into details, Sally does not quite understand why what she did raised eyebrows. She is very matter-of-fact when it comes to her emotions, and to me, Sally is not strange at all; in fact, Sally is a diamond in the rough.

We are then introduced to Peter, a young boy who experiences some grim and disturbing family matters. These sequences take place in the past, and as the book goes on, we flip back and forth between this story and Sally's in the present. Sparks fly as the two stories converge.

This is not your typical true-crime format. During most of the character moments and twists, the book remains consistently interesting, not just because of the mystery elements but also because of the character evolutions. The book will toy with your emotions, make you sit up straight in your reading chair, raise the hairs on the back of your neck, and leave you emotionally distraught. With that said, I would still recommend it. It gave me insight into certain traits that I can definitely relate to, and it also has a satisfying conclusion.

A big thank you to the GR community! I have read more books this year than I have in the past, and I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you who has commented, recommended, or downright pressured me into reading outside my typical genres. It has been a true reading pleasure, and again, I cannot thank you all enough.

Here are some of my top picks! (I'm almost positive I forgot a few.

I am unable to come to grips with how I feel about this one. On one hand, I find it utterly fascinating and, on the other hand, I find it very tragic.

The Titanic was something built to show off, to bolster, and to take passengers on an unforgettable journey. It was inadequate to begin with and was touted as being unsinkable. We found out that it had a class problem and, unfortunately, did not have enough space on the lifeboats for each and every passenger. 

The book itself is pretty hard to put down. I found myself getting absorbed in its scale, how the steam boat functioned, and some interesting tidbits of the aftermath. It is fairly procedural, but I did not mind one bit. I would say if you were interested in the Titanic, this book does a great job of putting you in the shoes on board with the passengers. 

❖ Review Quickie

One of my favorite pastimes is cozying up to a not-so-great horror film and laughing along with its questionable acting, special effects, and non-conformity to norms. The 30s through the 50s are top tier, but I also have a definite sweet spot for 80s classics. So, what if I told you that The Last Word by Taylor Adams is an amalgamation of some of the classic horror tropes but with a slight meta-lean? In a nutshell, I had fun with it. It was thrilling and pressed the right buttons.

I felt kind of inadequate with my choice of book on the plane, though. The person to my left was reading Jane Austen, and the person on my right was reading Tolkien. This being my first trip to different parts of Europe, I packed some books with local ties as well, but decided to kick the trip off with something light, exciting, and recommended by my trusty GR friends. I'll do my best to catch up and update over the next few days.

It's good to be back and to see what everyone has been up to.