Books on Books on Books

Woohoo, it's book day! I love writing this post for Steph's book link up, I find so many wonderful books and enjoy reading all the fun recaps. If you're a reader you should totally join in the fun next month.

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"One Person Can Make a Difference

In search of adventure, twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennan traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Children's Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal.

Conor was initially reluctant to volunteer, unsure whether he had the proper skill, or enough passion, to get involved in a developing country in the middle of a civil war. But he was soon overcome by the herd of rambunctious, resilient children who would challenge and reward him in a way that he had never imagined. When Conor learned the unthinkable truth about their situation, he was stunned: The children were not orphans at all. Child traffickers were promising families in remote villages to protect their children from the civil war--for a huge fee--by taking them to safety. They would then abandon the children far from home, in the chaos of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

For Conor, what began as a footloose adventure becomes a commitment to reunite the children he had grown to love with their families, but this would be no small task. He would risk his life on a journey through the legendary mountains of Nepal, facing the dangers of a bloody civil war and a debilitating injury. Waiting for Conor back in Kathmandu, and hopeful he would make it out before being trapped in by snow, was the woman who would eventually become his wife and share his life's work.

"Little Princes" is a true story of families and children, and what one person is capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. At turns tragic, joyful, and hilarious, "Little Princes" is a testament to the power of faith and the ability of love to carry us beyond our wildest expectations. [Image and summary via goodreads]."

I LOVED THIS BOOK! What started out as a random grab from the library turned into a book I could barely put down. I FLEW through the pages and found myself wishing I could up and move to Nepal to help continue Conor's work. He has such a way with words and I can't help but imagine everyone feeling the same things I felt while reading his story. EVERYONE should take a moment and add this book to their list. It is SUCH an eye opening tale and one that will stay with you for a long time.
 

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"When Hector Lewis told his daughter that she had a nothing face, it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds. But twenty years later, Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention. In the comfortable suburb where she lives, she's just a mom, the youngish widow with a forgettable job who somehow never misses a soccer game or a school play. In the state capitol, she's the redheaded lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record. But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the area, she's the woman of your dreams—if you can afford her hourly fee.

For more than a decade, Heloise has believed she is safe. She has created a rigidly compartmentalized life, maintaining no real friendships, trusting few confidantes. Only now her secret life, a life she was forced to build after the legitimate world turned its back on her, is under siege. Her once oblivious accountant is asking loaded questions. Her longtime protector is hinting at new, mysterious dangers. Her employees can't be trusted. One county over, another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car, a suicide. Or is it?

Nothing is as it seems as Heloise faces a midlife crisis with much higher stakes than most will ever know. And then she learns that her son's father might be released from prison, which is problematic because he doesn't know he has a son. The killer and former pimp also doesn't realize that he's serving a life sentence because Heloise betrayed him. But he's clearly beginning to suspect that Heloise has been holding something back all these years.

With no formal education, no real family, and no friends, Heloise has to remake her life—again. Disappearing will be the easy part. She's done it before and she can do it again. A new name and a new place aren't hard to come by if you know the right people. The trick will be living long enough to start a new life [image and summary via goodreads]. "

This book was suggest for me by my library app and I thought "Why not". I'm on a bunch of along waiting lists for more current books and will randomly pick up books to pass the time in between. I was pleasantly surprised by Lippman's writing style and enjoyed her character sketches. She jumps back and forth between past and present but everything is easy to follow. The story was quite interesting and I found myself silently cheering for Heloise as she looks forward to remaking her life. There were a few times I knew what was coming next, but she also kept me guessing as well.

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"The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track—until the recession hits and she gets downsized, furloughed, escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is one of the “lucky” associates. She’s offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, after which there would be a slim chance that she’d get her old job back.

In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident and head of the town’s legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to “help real people with real problems.” For the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.

Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly [image and summary via goodreads]"

When I'm looking for a way to pass the time I will often just look at some of my favorite authors to check out some of their older books. This one is only two years old but I somehow missed it when it first came out. I honestly didn't expect much from it, just a book to pass the time, but golly if I wasn't constantly trying to sneak a few pages here or there. Le Husband even asked me what was so enthralling, haha. I honestly can't say WHY I was so entrapped by the story, I think I was drawn to Samantha's blunt attitude and living so close to Appalachian I felt a bit of a draw to the mountain's plight. There are QUITE a few shocking turns in this book and I would have given it five stars but I felt the ending fell a bit flat and didn't wrap up what I expected.

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"Detective Lindsay Boxer and her three best friends are back and recovering from the events that pushed them all to the edge.

After her near-death experience, Yuki is seeing her life from a new perspective and is considering a change in her law career. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy has healed from her gunshot wound and has published a book on the infamous serial killers she helped to bring down. Lindsay is just happy that the gang are all still in one piece.

But a new terror is sweeping the streets of San Francisco. A gang dressed as cops are ransacking the city, and leaving a string of dead bodies in their wake. Lindsay is on the case to track them down and needs to discover whether these killers could actually be police officers. Maybe even cops she already knows [image and summary via goodreads]".

Patterson is know for weaving a gripping tale and 14th Deadly Sin kept me on the edge of my seat. Lindsay and friends are juggling multiple cases and everyone is enjoying a bit of a change in their personal or professional life. Yuki really finds her voice in this story and I applaud the new change. You can feel the desperation in the police force as they try to find out who the killers are running a muck in the city. Just when you think you're on the right track Patterson throws another twist. This book is everything the Women's Murder Club promises, intrigue, thrills, girl time fun and of course a good guy and a bad guy duking it out.

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"San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer is loving her life as a new mother. With an attentive husband, a job she loves, plus best friends who can talk about anything from sex to murder, things couldn't be better.

Then the FBI sends Lindsay a photo of a killer from her past, and her happy world is shattered. The picture captures a beautiful woman at a stoplight. But all Lindsay sees is the psychopath behind those seductive eyes: Mackie Morales, the most deranged and dangerous mind the Women's Murder Club has ever encountered.

In this pulse-racing, emotionally charged novel by James Patterson, the Women's Murder Club must find a killer--before she finds them first [image and summary via goodreads]."

FYI, this is NOT the book to read before you get on a cruise because something involving a cruise ship happens. Guess who read this book before her cruise back in December? ME! I held off on recapping until I had read the next book. Cindy goes a lil cray in this book but I guess it's her turn, haha. Again, this book follows the Patterson formula but the reintroduction of Morales is a great catalyst for other story lines in the book.

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"It's finally time! Detective Lindsay Boxer is in labor--while two killers are on the loose.

Lindsay Boxer's beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career.

A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she's ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he's convinced is real. Lindsay doesn't believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor's description to the last detail.

Lindsay doesn't have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life [image and summary via goodreads]."

Soooooooooooooo, confession time. This book was a re-read, ooops. I started Unlucky 13 last month but COULD NOT remember Mackie Morales to save my reading life so I picked up this book hoping to refresh my memory. Sadly, it took until almost the last third of the book before everything came flooding back. I'm a HUGE fan of Women's Murder club and if you like mystery and strong women characters you should jump on this series. 

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"Eliza Benedict cherishes her peaceful, ordinary suburban life with her successful husband and children, thirteen-year-old Iso and eight-year-old Albie. But her tranquility is shattered when she receives a letter from the last person she ever expects—or wants—to hear from: Walter Bowman.
"There was your photo, in a magazine. Of course, you are older now. Still, I'd know you anywhere."

In the summer of 1985, when she was fifteen, Eliza was kidnapped by Walter and held hostage for almost six weeks. He had killed at least one girl and Eliza always suspected he had other victims as well. Now on death row in Virginia for the rape and murder of his final victim, Walter seems to be making a heartfelt act of contrition as his execution nears.

Though Eliza wants nothing to do with him, she's never forgotten that Walter was most unpredictable when ignored. Desperate to shelter her children from this undisclosed trauma in her past, she cautiously makes contact with Walter. She's always wondered why Walter let her live, and perhaps now he'll tell her—and share the truth about his other victims.

Yet as Walter presses her for more and deeper contact, it becomes clear that he is after something greater than forgiveness. He wants Eliza to remember what really happened that long-ago summer. He wants her to save his life. And Eliza, who has worked hard for her comfortable, cocooned life, will do anything to protect it—-even if it means finally facing the events of that horrifying summer and the terrible truth she's kept buried inside  [image and summary via goodreads]."

This book was put on my list after finishing my first Lippman novel. I was captivated from the beginning but began to lose patience with Eliza around the last third of the book. I found that while I wanted to sympathize with her because of her ordeal [which is terrifying] but I kept wanting to smack her for not realizing how she was being used.  The book had an incredible build with a pretty abrupt ending that I found kind of shocking. I think anyone would find this book entertaining, I'll be interested to hear thoughts from anyone who's read it. 

What are your current must reads? Anything new I should put on my list? 

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