Wrapping up Reading in 2019

I read a total of 17 books last year.. a few less than last year which is a bit disappointing. Here are the last few books I read since my last post

3rd Degree by James Patterson    

Synopsis The Women's Murder Club returns in a shockingly suspenseful thriller. Plunging into a burning town house, Detective Lindsay Boxer discovers three dead bodies...and a mysterious message at the scene. When more corpses turn up, Lindsay asks her friends Claire Washburn of the medical examiner's office, Assistant D.A. Jill Bernhardt, and San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy Thomas to help her find a murderer who vows to kill every three days. Even more terrifying, he has targeted one of the four friends. Which one will it be?

Thoughts As the name suggests this is the third book in the Women's Murder Club series and I am enjoying them a lot. I like all the characters; all strong women. The books are all quick reads, page turners and thankfully not too predictable. I already have the next book in the series on my shelf waiting to be read. 

One Minute Later by Susan Lewis

Synopsis Vivi Shager is living her dream. Raised with drive and ambition by a resolutely single mother, Vivi has a thriving law career, a gorgeous apartment in London, and a full calendar that keeps her busy at work and at play. Then on the day of her twenty-seventh birthday, an undiagnosed heart condition sends Vivi’s prospects for the future into a tailspin. she’s forced to return to her childhood home to be cared for by her devoted and enigmatic mother. Vivi has always known the woman is hiding something and now she’s determined to find out what it is.

Josh Raynor, a local veterinarian who brings a forbidden love to Vivi’s world. Josh and Vivi are soon inseparable, unaware of the past their families share. All Vivi knows is that Josh is wrestling with a demon of his own…

Thoughts I am a bit on the fence about this one.. it had a Hallmark movie vibe.. But it did shine the light on the importance of being an organ donor and the harsh realities of those who are on the wait list for receiving an organ. 

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter 

Synopsis  A scientist from the Centers for Disease Control is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. Vanished into thin air. One month later one of Atlanta’s busiest and most important neighborhood’s has been bombed—the location of Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC.

Medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives. When the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves. 

Thoughts This is my 7th Karin Slaughter book, I have read no other author this many times. I love her Will Trent series, he is such a unique and interesting character. The synopsis pretty much tells it all.. 

Eleanot Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Synopsis Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen, the three rescue one another from the lives of isolation that they had been living. Ultimately, it is Raymond’s big heart that will help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one. If she does, she'll learn that she, too, is capable of finding friendship—and even love—after all.

Thoughts - It was a great light read... the characters were all likable and it goes to show how kind the world can be if you just open yourself up a little to those around you. 

Lulu's Cafe by T.I.Lowe

Synopsis On the run from a violent past, Leah Allen arrived in tiny Rivertown, South Carolina, battered and broken, but ready to reinvent herself. By a stroke of fate, Leah is drawn to the Southern hospitality of a small cafe, looking for a warm meal but finding so much more. Lulu, the owner, offers her a job, a place to stay and a new lease on life. Through Lulu's tenacious warmth and generosity, Leah quickly finds herself embraced by the quaint community as she tries to put herself back together. Given she's accustomed to cruelty, the kindness is overwhelming.
Soon Leah meets Crowley Mason, the most eligible bachelor in town. A lawyer and friend of Lulu's, Crowley is wary of Leah's sudden, mysterious arrival. Despite his reserve, something sparks between them that can't be denied. But after all she's been through, can Leah allow herself to truly love and be loved, especially when her first urge is to run?

Thoughts While the book had some Hallmark qualities I still enjoyed it. It featured some very intense domestic abuse in the beginning for those not comfortable with that. The characters were all quite endearing and it made for a quick read.

Both boys to my relief and joy are readers.. H is working on his sight words and loves pointing out all the words he can recognize. And a few nights a week I am sharing with them The American History - Conversations with Master Historians.

we are only a few pages in.. the book is in a question and answer format so we try to do a few questions a week.. the book starts with Jack D Warren Jr on George Washington.  

                  Etsy           Instagram           Twitter           Bloglovin