Review: Two Reasons to Run

Two Reasons to Run by Colleen Coble
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it, if you ask me

I really enjoyed how the story pulled you in from the beginning. I wish I'd known that it was the second book in a series before I started listening, as the continuation gives away surprises that were revealed through the first book. Even without reading the first book, I was able to follow the story line and figure out what had already happened.

Jane Hardy is the Chief of Police in Pelican Harbor, AL. There appears to be some sort of conspiracy happening on an off-shore oil rig, and a missing man who knew something was going on. The mother of the missing man comes to see Jane with emails from her son stating that if he were ever to go missing, she should visit the Chief and share what little he knew and shared.

As the story unfolds, there are chapters told from the perspective of "the man" who is behind some of the mysterious happenings -- including break ins and threats against Jane's son, Will.

I really enjoyed that I wasn't able to figure out who was behind everything until it was revealed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for this Advanced Listening Copy.

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Struggle Bus - Derecho Edition

 It's been tough lately to get into anything.  It seems that when I get home from work each day, it's all I can do to just get some food in me and sit on the couch watching mindless TV.  Between Covid-19 and the Derecho that hit my parents' house in Iowa, it's been a rough month or so.

Derecho was a weather word I definitely hadn't heard before August 10, when straight line winds estimated at 140mph hit my hometown in Iowa.  When it was over, after more than half an hour, my city looked like a disaster zone.  It's estimated that over 50% of the tree cover in the city is gone.  My parents had a tree in the house and garage for nearly 2 weeks before they were removed this past Sunday.  One hundred year old oaks that had survived countless storms and tornadoes were completely uprooted, and thousands lost their homes, cars, and businesses.

Apparently the word derecho, in reference to a weather event, was first used in 1888 by Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs in reference to an Iowa storm in 1877.  It is a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms.  It is commonly referred to as an inland hurricane, and I can see why after watching videos posted from cameras people had recording during the event.

When I first arrived in my hometown on August 14, I cried as I drove down streets that were as familiar to me as my family, but were so changed I wouldn't know where I was if dropped there out of context.  Trees were uprooted, snapped in half, or crushing houses.  A few friends joined my family that weekend, and we cleaned up the downed trees as best we could.  I had an amazing friend from work, Lisa, who spent the majority of her time using a chainsaw and cutting the trees and limbs into manageable sizes.  The rest of us struggled to keep up as we hauled them to the side of the street for the city to eventually come and pick up.  (As of this writing, I don't believe even a first pass has happened on my parents' street.)  Another friend drove down with a car-load of supplies that her friends and connections had donated money for.  She has no connection to Cedar Rapids, other than the fact that her daughter attended college there.  She spent a full day with us hauling debris and cleaning as best we could without power.  We are forever in their debt.

Now, on a daily basis, I call my parents and ask for an update on the status of their home.  Insurance has been out to review it, we have a contractor to repair and replace things, but everyone has to agree on timetables and prices of things.

Review: Murder in the East End

Murder in the East End by Jennifer Ashley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

I really enjoyed meeting Kat Holloway and Daniel McAdams in book 4 of this series. I will definitely go back and read the other 3 already published.

In this story, Kat, the cook at a nice home in London, is brought into a mystery involving missing children from a Foundling Hospital (orphanage). Daniel's "brother" is on the board of trustees and fears that children have gone missing, as well as one of the nurses in their charge. Daniel wants Kat to help him investigate, as she has the ability to go and talk to people he might not (such as the orphanage cooks and maids). They do not want to go to the police until they know there's truly something sinister happening with the missing children.

In the end, as always happens in this book, the mystery is solved (but not everything always turns out positively).

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced copy!

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Review: Dear Girl

Dear Girl by Aija Mayrock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 out of 5 - It was ok.

Poetry has never been my thing, but the story being told and narrator were both powerful.

The theme throughout about lives of women and their journey through life was one that did hit close to home with me.

There were times the music was louder than the narrator, which was distracting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for this advanced copy.

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Review: The Photographer of Mauthausen

The Photographer of Mauthausen by Salva Rubio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 - I'll tell you to read this without you asking.

The Photographer of Mauthausen was a story I had yet to learn about WWII history. I didn't know about the Spanish who had gone to fight with the French and were sent to concentration camps. Mauthausen was a work camp that no one was supposed to survive. Francisco Boix was one of the Spaniards who was sent to Mauthausen. In his previous life, he'd been a photographer. This allowed him to get a "job" at the camp working with one of the Nazi leaders who was attempting to turn death into an art form, taking photos of men who were killed during the time at Mauthausen.

Francisco uses his place within the camp to steal the photo negatives and works with others to find a way to smuggle them out to a woman in the village nearby. After he is liberated from the camp by the Americans, he is able to recover the negatives that were smuggled out. He attempts to publish them, but other photos have already been published from Auschwitz and Berkenau, so his photos weren't wanted or needed for publication.

He was able to utilize the photos to testify against some of the Nazis in the Nuremberg Trials, but he wasn't able to tell the full stories of what he had witnessed and endured.

You could see the research that had gone into the telling of this story. I also was impressed by the illustrations and coloring of this graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dead Reckoning from the U.S. Naval Institute for this advanced copy.

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Review: The Switch

The Switch by Beth O'Leary
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask, I'll tell you to read it.

Lena Cotton is a high powered woman in London. She's had a lot of upheaval in her life, as she's only a year removed from losing her sister to cancer. As we meet her, she's having a panic attack before and during a client meeting. Lena's boss determines that she needs a sabbatical and tells her she's being pulled from all projects for two months. As she sits at home in her apartment, she calls her grandmother and agrees to come visit for the weekend.

Eileen Cotton is Lena's grandmother, living in a small village in the country. Eileen is very involved in the activities of the village, including the neighborhood watch, the May Day committee, and walking the dog of one of the men in the village once a week. What she misses most, though, is companionship. Her husband, Wade, had walked out on her with their (younger) dance instructor.

While visiting, Lena finds Eileen's "project list", which happens to include a pro/con list of all the eligible men in the village. It's a pretty disappointing list! Lena introduces her grandmother to online dating and they learn that there are none in the "over 70" group within 100 miles of the village. There are, however, over 400 to choose from in London. Then the idea hatches. Lena needs to get away during her sabbatical, and Eileen wants to have an adventure. They decide to switch places for those two months. Eileen's one condition is that Lena has to hand over her laptop and smartphone. She can use the old "dumb" phone and desktop of her grandmother's.

Over the next two months, there are all sorts of adventures for both women. Eileen meets a nice man who wants "no strings attached". She also meets all of the neighbor's in Lena's building and finds a way to give back to her generation in the neighborhood. Lena finds that sometimes the "slow, village life" is anything but. There are drama and stories and always something to do. Lena takes her grandmother's place on all committees and tries to fulfill all her commitments.

I really enjoyed the 2 narrators who alternated chapters. Each played the role of Lena or Eileen Cotton and the story from their perspective. I did get distracted by the noises though. You could hear them clearing their mouths and swallowing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy.



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Review: Behind the Bookcase: Miep Gies, Anne Frank, and the Hiding Place

Behind the Bookcase: Miep Gies, Anne Frank, and the Hiding Place by Barbara Lowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 - If you ask, I'll tell you to read it.

I listened to the audiobook. The narrator was very good.  I didn't give it 5 stars, because an illustrated book isn't quite the same in an audiobook format.

Miep Gies was an employee of Otto Frank. She agreed to hide them. Miep kept the family up to date with news and information. Miep wanted to be there for Anne as a young girl on the verge of womanhood.

Miep is the reason we have access to Anne's diary, Kitty. She found it, kept it, and gave it to Otto after the war.

I can't wait to see the physical copy and see the illustrations. This is a great way to start teaching children about Anne Frank before they are able to read her diary.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Audiobooks for this advanced copy.

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Review: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you about it without you asking.

Stiff is a very interesting look at life after death.... the life of the body, rather than the soul! Mary Roach made sure to find topics that people probably think about, but rarely talk about. She then took those topics and made them interesting and even, at times, funny!

Topics covered included anatomy schools, Eastern medicine, burial vs cremation vs "other", and the weight of a soul. I was enthralled with all the research that brought it all together. Between interviews and writings, there was a cross section of time and location for the topics being covered.

I also really enjoyed the narrator. Her inflections and timing were perfect for making sure you caught the humor intended.

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