PK the Bookeemonster: No, not the work week

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

No, not the work week

Tuesday

I had a pretty okay long weekend. I went in to work on Saturday morning. I read a bunch. Let's dive in.

I read A CRYPTIC CLUE by Victoria Gilbert. 1st in series featuring Jane Hunter, a 60-year-old retired university librarian, and Cameron “Cam” Clewe, a 33-year-old book and artifact collector, in North Carolina.

Sixty-year-old Jane Hunter, forced into early retirement from her job as a university librarian, is seeking a new challenge to keep her spirits up and supplement her meager pension. But as she’s about to discover, a retiree’s life can bring new thrills—and new dangers. Cameron “Cam” Clewe, an eccentric 33-year-old collector, is also seeking something—an archivist to inventory his ever-expanding compendium of rare books and artifacts. Jane’s thrilled to be hired on by Cam and to uncover the secrets of his latest acquisition, a trove of items related to the classic mystery and detective authors. But Jane’s delight is upended when a body is discovered in Cam’s library. The victim, heir to a pharmaceutical fortune, was the last in line of Cam’s failed romances—and now he’s suspect number one. Cam vows to use his intelligence and deductive skills to clear his name—but with a slight case of agoraphobia, rampant anxiety, and limited social skills, he’ll need some help. It comes down to Jane to exonerate her new boss—but is he truly innocent?

Published 2023; 320 pages. So far this will be my selection for scavenger hunt prompt: A new release this year. I gave it 3.5 stars. I like the two main characters quite a bit but I had figured out whodunnit pretty early. But a good start to a new series.

And then I read THE LAST ONE by Will Dean. Stand alone thriller.

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing. And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.

Published 2023; 352 pages. I gave it 2 stars. The extra star was for keeping reading it in one day. The ending ... I wanted to throw the book against the wall repeatedly. And it was horrific at times. Not recommended.

And I read CASSANDRA IN REVERSE by Holly Smale. Stand alone.

Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn't (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now.
• She's just been dumped.
• She's just been fired.
• Her local café has run out of banana muffins.
Then, something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. One small rewind at a time, Cassie attempts to fix the life she accidentally obliterated, but soon she'll discover she's trying to fix all the wrong things.

Published 2023; 362 pages. I gave it 4 stars. I was going to give it 5 stars but then the last few pages ... WHY do authors ruin a good book with an unhappy ending? And I read two in a freaking row.

I really needed a happy non-stress book after these traumas so I started FALLING INN LOVE by Erin Branscom. 1st of 6 in Freedom Valley romance series.

Beth is a struggling romance author who’s been trying to find her place in the world after the unbearable tragedy of losing her family. Unable to find peace other than in her writing, she ends up stranded by the side of the road in Freedom Valley, New Hampshire, where a strikingly hot, green-eyed, bearded flannel wearing innkeeper rescues her. Evan, a former marine who took over his family’s inn after the sudden loss of his father, is struggling to keep afloat. Running out of money, Beth agrees to help Evan run the inn in exchange for room and board, but she has no intention of staying too long and letting her guard down or anyone into her heart. But there’s something about Beth that makes Evan believe he can be the man to give her the love that she deserves. The more emotional walls Beth tries to put up, the harder Evan works to tear them down, using everything he can, including a pair of puppies he finds abandoned by the side of the road, to make her want to stay.Will Evan be able to convince Beth to take a second chance at love?

Published 2022; 284 pages. Very Fall vibe. Very Hallmark movie vibe. A little too insta-love but I'm rolling with it because I need to wash my brain out from the last two reads.

While working on Saturday I started to listen (again) to CITY SPIES by James Ponti.1st of 5 in middle grade series.

Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency. Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t. Before she knows what she’s doing, Sarah is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team. No one said saving the world was easy…

Published 2020; 378 pages. For Spy vs Spy September. I had started this earlier this year for Middle Grade May but never advanced very far in it. Maybe now's the time.

I have reading sprints to run tonight. Here's my reading update: