Stargazer

Ann Patchett: The Dutch House: A Novel
Fascinating characters, but a middling plot, and some lovely writing. I am torn between 3 1/2 and 4 stars. (****)

Hannah Kent: Burial Rites

Leif Enger: Virgil Wander
Although I normally require more of a plot, I fell in love with Enger's quirky small town, the lovable characters, and his exquisite writing. He is a true wordsmith. I was depressed to finish this lovely book because I didn't want it to end! (*****)

Lee Child: Blue Moon: A Jack Reacher Novel

Michael Connelly: The Night Fire (A Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch Novel Book 2)

Philip Pullman: The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth (Book of Dust, Volume 2)
I found this second book in the series riveting--a real page turner, full of action and intrigue, and showcasing the steampunkish and fascinating world that Pullman has created. (*****)

John Sandford: Bloody Genius (A Virgil Flowers Novel Book 12)
Not the best Flowers mystery, but I enjoy the character, and love seeing some of the other detectives from the Prey books involved in this story. (****)

Julia Phillips: Disappearing Earth: A novel
The multitude of stories finally started to come together at the end, but in the meantime, it was essentially a book of short stories about interconnected people and disappearances from their lives. Nothing meshed, although the writing was decent. (***)

Louise Penny: A Better Man: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel
Not my favorite of her books, but a decent read, although I figured out the mystery early on. Her strengths are in her characters, especially Gamache, and not necessarily in her plotting. (****)

Robert Crais: A Dangerous Man (An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel)
A decent book (3 1/2 stars), although not as funny as this series used to be. Like too many mysteries, it's become a high adrenaline, shoot 'em up style versus the more character oriented books that I prefer. (****)

Anthony Horowitz: The Sentence Is Death: A Novel
I enjoy Horowitz's mysteries, although this one wasn't my favorite. Putting himself (the author) into the story was fascinating the first time, but in this sequel, it gets a little tedious. (****)

Colson Whitehead: The Nickel Boys: A Novel
A solid 4 1/2 stars for this well-written, thought-provoking book. It was a difficult and heart wrenching topic, but with a satisfying ending. (****)

Taylor Jenkins Reid: Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel
This book is written in interview style which can get tedious in spots. However, I found it an interesting glimpse into the '70s world of rock bands. It's loosely based on Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks which makes me want to do more research on their history! (****)

Graeme Simsion: The Rosie Result (Don Tillman Book 3)
Still funny, with a lot of fascinating discussion woven in about autism and how to deal with it. Although it isn't my favorite in the series, it's a solid 3 1/2 stars. (****)

Spencer Quinn: Heart of Barkness (A Chet & Bernie Mystery)
At first I didn't think this addition would measure up to the usual Chet and Bernie mysteries, which I adore for their warmth and humor. However, it did grow on me, as did the characters and the plot. (****)