David Navratil

This was my 2nd classic book read for Dec. 2018. Had a bit of trouble keeping up with the characters but I can see why it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928. I would have given it a 5 but too religious for me (Others I'm sure would like it)!

I've seen just about all the Movies and TV Specials of “Hound of the Baskervilles” and thought I would try the books out for my 2nd Classic Book this month. As I was reading I had a picture of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce(Homes & Watson in the 1040's Movie Series). The book is great and describes the dreary Moors and landscape very well. Read the book and if not able to get the 1939
film with Rathbone and Bruce or else the 1959 version with Cushing and Lee, both movies follow the book very well!! - David

Made into a movie in 1963 “The Haunting”! On the lists of great horror books and movies. 200 Pages, Small cast of characters! David N.

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1993), National Book Award Finalist for Poetry (1992), William Carlos Williams Award (1992)

This is my 1st book of poetry I've ever read and I may have gotten in a bit over my head.
56 Short Poems dealing with mother nature, seasons, life & death! Will admit that the poems did overwhelm me but glad I did try this out and promise to try another book of poetry soon (Maybe a Beginner's Guide to Poetry).
If you read poetry often you will understand why this book won the Pulitzer Prize, but if you are new to poetry you may want to start with an easier to understand collection! David N.

This started out as a good read but after about 50 pages I just lost interest in the subject matter (Punk music scene)! Book was the 2011 Pulitzer prize winner and winner of many other awards that year! Subject matter is what turned me off! David N.

This is a good one! The story takes place during a snow storm, Good mystery and a bit of suspense.
I can't believe that Hollywood has “Tom Cruise” playing Jack Reacher, Oh well!! DN

This is my 2nd classic book read for the month of Nov. (First being “And Then There Were None”! I have seen both movies of “SHE”, 1935 version with Randolph Scott and the 1965 version with Peter Cushing! I liked both movie version and the book version is just as good. It is a bit slow for the 1st 50 pages but once the expedition starts the suspense and thrills begin. This is a fantasy/adventure novel.
SHE, the main character has found the fountain of youth! I won't tell you anymore, Read the book or rent one of the movies, I think you will enjoy!! David N.

This is the author's 1st novel written and it is a good one. Lots of suspects, good characters and mystery. I would not call this a cozy mystery. I normally read 10% of a book each day but found myself putting in a little extra reading time each day, I liked the book that much.
Liked that there was a lot of dialog between characters, a bit of romance and lots of humor.
Today is Halloween and I think I might try out the next book in this series which is centered around Halloween. If you like light mysteries this book may be for you! David N.

I've always had great luck with Reece's Recommendations but I've run out of Luck!

Constant auguring between Grandmother and her daughter! Very hard to figure out what the plot was.
Too many times Grandmother was so sure of the killer but later had to change her mind.
Author had bad habit of using a person's 1st name only in one part of the book and then would use the person's last name only in other parts of the book. Should have been more consistent!
Characters were just average with no stand outs!

Book won many awards in 2024 and was the main reason I wanted to read it but so far this is July and this has been the worse book Ive read this year!

I read this book thinking this was an adult mystery and very unhappy I didn't check what this was about. I think this could have been sold as a YA fiction book. The F word was used 3 times and all in one sentence, still a YA book.
I enjoy books when there is a lot of dialog between characters, only toward the end did this have the dialog.
Anyway I gave it a 4 rating as a YA book!! David N.

Everything I want in a mystery! Major twists and turns, under 350 pages and a bit of a thriller. Voted GoodReads Mystery/Thriller of the year 2023! David N.

Lots of awards - ( British Book Award for Crime and Thriller and for Audiobook: Fiction (2024), Audie Award Nominee for Audio Drama and Thriller/Suspense (2024), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Mystery/Thriller (2023), Book of the Month Book of the Year Award Nominee (2023)

Enjoyed this!

This is a good one! London female police officer tries to solve a case with an “AI” Android Hologram!

Great Book! Did not know how much is involved getting a book published. Good ending!
330 Pages, Lots of Awards! David N.

If you readers think this is a Cozy Mystery then you may want to be careful, the “F” work is mention thru out the book, just a head ups for some of you folks - It didn't bother me at all. With that being said then this book can be read as a Cozy!
Good mystery, a bit long at 410 pages, good characters and lots of awards! I enjoyed it! David N.

Life of a Gay Afro American porter on a trans-continental Canada train in the 1920's! The characters of the passengers, fellow porters and their bosses are stressed! Good Book, Award Winner - David N.

My 1st Gothic novel from an author who has her own channel on YouTube! I've been watching her videos for the past 3 weeks and this was her 1st novel released in 2023, I had to give it a try!
Cons
Great characters (Not too many or too few)
Lots of dialog between characters
Good descriptions of locations, feelings, thoughts etc. Short and informative
Great mystery with lots of little mysteries thrown in (I normally read mysteries)
A couple of great twists and surprises I didn't see coming
Romance

I'm now a follower of Katie Lumsden both on YT and on GoodReads! Her next book is due out
later in 24 and will be reading that! If you like Gothic or new to the genre - Read this book! David Navratil
PS - Check out her You Tube channel “Books and Things”, she tries to do a video about once a week!

Very slow, dull read! Confusing at the end! This did win a Libby award! I never have luck with SF books! David N.

One of the best Cozies I've read! Good mystery, characters, 220 Pages and book 1 in the series. Small town Herb shop is the theme! 4.25 Avg Rating so try it out! David N.

Too many suspects retelling an event that happened 21 years before. Seemed to be reading the same pages over and over. Good mystery but book could have been shorter! David N.

Anthony Award Nominee for Best Paperback Novel (2024), Edgar Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original (2024) - One of the best books I've read this year, exciting ending. David N.

Romance, Erotic, Novella, 70 Pages! Female cat burglar gets into Billionaire house assuming he is not home. Surprise, he's home! Romance follows! Warning - The romance is explicit and may not suit all readers! David N.

Rating = 3.5, Not enough dialog, very slow at times & could have been shorten by 50 pages!
Lots of awards, Reece's Book of Month & good mystery w some surprises!

53 Page novella. Perfect addition to my yearly book total. Not too much of a mystery but the characters are great, 1st book in a series. Book could be considered a kids or YA book, seemed clean enough (No strong language or gory parts). 2 Day read for most, try it!!! David N.

Goodreads Choice Award for Romance (2022), Swoon Award for Contemporary Romance (2022)!
A great read! A bit long (7 days to read), Great characters, Happy times/Sad times, Best Ending!
David N.