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Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

Curtsies and ConspiraciesCurtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great book to listen to!!! While I did not read the first book in this series, The Finishing School. I picked up quickly the finishing school for girls takeing place on a dirigible (floating boat with all kinds of bells and whistles) and being educated in all things having to do with espionage, spies and etiquette. I howled with laughter at the crazy names of professors, the mechanical dog, Bumbersnoot, and Sophronia's schemes. This was an adventurous romp and I particularly enjoyed Gail Carriger's steampunk--I will definitely read all the others and now I understand why my students LOVED all her books!

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Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper StoryHold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a wonderful way to present a musical and David Levithan's Tiny Cooper is just a great romp with the highs and lows of musical cadence telling Tiny's story from birth to high school. I loved Tiny's voice and the many minor characters who support Tiny or make Tiny the person he is through knowing friendships and relationships.

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Blind Spot by Tom Kakonis

Blind SpotBlind Spot by Tom Kakonis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Brash Books for the ARC, Blind Spot written by Tom Kakonis, a can’t put it down mystery thriller. I was immediately captivated and sickened with the abduction of three year old Jeff Quinn in a planetarium while his father slept. As Marshall and Lori Quinn’s life spirals out of control, the police presence in their son’s missing person case is negligible. Marshall, tries to be patient with law enforcement— but he is haunted by his own guilt. With no background in being a detective, he prints up flyers; Marshall and catatonic Lori (dependent on drugs to assuage her sorrow) hand them out as well as travel by car (with a life-size photo of Jeff) each weekend. Kakonis is skilled in unraveling this mystery; the reader is kept in constant suspense; will Marshall and Lori ever get their son back? I was sick with worry as I read this book but I rooted for Marshall through all of his sincere yet amateur attempts to find his son; highly recommended.

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Die For Me by Jack Lynch

Die For Me (Bragg #8)Die For Me by Jack Lynch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Brash Books for Die For Me by Jack Lynch, a superb serial killer mystery. This is my first Peter Bragg thriller and I am most certainly going to read the seven other Brash books by Jack Lynch. Peter Bragg’s voice is human yet knowledgeable and believable. Bragg does not judge and seems to know how to keep his thoughts to himself. Bragg is adept at handling psychic Maribeth (with whom he has past history). Taking the psychic’s visions to the police, Bragg convinces them as well as himself that there really is some psycho who has killed and buried a good number of people. Why? is not so easy to figure out. As more and more bodies are discovered in various parts of Jack London State Park, Bragg races against time trying to locate a calculating killer who is a threat to Maribeth. I enjoyed the pace of this novel and the mystery was compelling. Bragg easily carries this book to a riveting showdown. I highly recommend this crime thriller to those who love serial killer books.


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Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5)Fairest by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I keep thinking about the Title, Fairest. We all know from the other books in the Lunar Chronicles how evil Levana is...so why the title, Fairest? I thought as I read, "mirror, mirror on the wall who's the fairest of all?" Levana grew up insecure with an older sister who was determined to scare her and scar her, why wouldn't Levana want to be beautiful all the time? But She had the gift of using her glamour to make her look like the most beautiful woman ALL the TIME, day in and day out. She loves her kingdom, she proves that she can handle running the kingdom, but she is in lala land about what a benevolent ruler she is. Did I feel sorry for Levana, No! Did I like Levana, No! But I couldn't put this book down. Once again Marissa Meyer has written a book chilling, captivating and continuing the drama of the Lunar Chronicles---I can't wait for Winter!

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Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18806240-bone-gap" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Bone Gap" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402928507m/18806240.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18806240-bone-gap">Bone Gap</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/73699.Laura_Ruby">Laura Ruby</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1251603657">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Finn O'Sullivan is now one of my favorite HEROES! I loved this book! There was just the right amount of suspense, mystery and magic.  Oh did I love the magic. Finn and his brother Sean live in a town where everyone talks about everyone- it may be true; it may not.  When a girl, Roza comes into their lives, these brothers who have known loneliness are no longer lonely. But when Roza is taken, while in Finn's company, and he can't quite describe this evil man; pretty soon, there is just an ache left and the town's talk about Finn and Sean.  I loved the characters, the beauty of the town, Bone Gap and also it's mystery and magic.  The chapters are told from different characters POV and the reader is able to fall into this book, hear the corn talk, ride a magical black horse, and tame a large dog---all the while rooting for Finn to be the person he knows he can be for himself, Roza, Petey and Sean.  Highly recommended; a great beach read for the summer!
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Wild Things by Clay Carmichael

Wild ThingsWild Things by Clay Carmichael
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a truly wonderful book! I am an animal lover and once again, Clay Carmichael has written a novel with a cat as one of the main characters. Zoe is an amazing, intelligent, sharp-witted, child who suddenly finds she is to be living with an Uncle Henry she has never seen or met. Raising herself since she was young (her mother was crazy and drug addicted), Zoe has learned to survive on her own and not to get attached to the many men in and out of her mother's lives. What I liked about Zoe is that she did credit those men friends with her ability to drive, pace bets, count; street smarts that help her in life. But when she meets her Uncle Henry who is very angry, Zoe sees herself in him- especially the red hair, thorny personality, and the split in their front teeth. I loved the way Carmichael uses the cat to tell us about the area around Uncle Henry's house with the woods and fields- great for exploring. The cat has lived and seen much and it is this history that provides suspense and understanding for the reader. I loved so many of the characters- the Sheriff, Bessie, Wil, Sister, Fred and Maud- it was just as easy to dislike others like Ray and the Mayor. A wonderful tale of what it means to become a family, to be an animal lover and live life like Wild Things:) I loved this very appropriate title as I read more and more of the book - highly recommended! Teens and adults will enjoy Zoe's journey!!!

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Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Through the WoodsThrough the Woods by Emily Carroll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read Through the Woods by Emily Carroll as part of The 2015 Hub Reading Challenge, Quick Pics, Great Graphic Novels. The color illustrations were awesome, creepy, and perfect (with a red, black and white motif) for five eerily haunting tales; Our Neighbor's House, A Lady's Cold Hands, His Face All Red, My Friend Janna, and The Nesting Place are all so scary! If you love horror stories, this collection is for you!

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