Stargazer

Dana Stabenow: No Fixed Line (Kate Shugak Book 22)
I enjoy the Alaska setting, and the characters of this series, although I was put off (a bit) by the lack of editing for spelling and grammar in the Kindle version. Stabenow gets political in this one too, which I have no problem with, but some may. It was a excellent read, in spite of being somewhat predictable. (****)

Jonathan Kellerman: The Museum of Desire: An Alex Delaware Novel
Kellerman and his Alex Delaware series are a go to for me when I want an absorbing, decently written mystery with characters I know well and like. This story was convoluted, but kept me engaged throughout, which was exactly what I needed. (****)

Lisa Taddeo: Three Women
It is rare that I give a book one star. This one was reviewed well, and many loved it. I found it poorly written, with an effort at literary by making up double adjectives(sadangry) and ludicrous metaphors. Yet my main complaint would be that for a book that was supposed to illuminate women's sexuality, I got no insights whatsoever from it. That's probably because it was about a young woman abused by her teacher, a woman who does threesomes with her husband, and a sexually rejected wife who gets emotionally and sexually obsessed with a high school boyfriend. I did finish the book, but it was a struggle. (*)

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
A fascinating setting (1800s Iceland) and a book based on a true story--I should have loved it. For some reason, knowing how the story ended made me very unmotivated to finish it. On the positive side, the writing was good, and the characters were well-drawn. (****)

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
This was a disappointment in the series. It was ultra violent(even for Reacher), and the body count was completely unrealistic. In fact, the whole story was pretty ridiculous. (**)

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. On further reflection, this book has stayed with me more than most, and caused me to reflect a lot about disappearing and the many ways that can happen. (****)

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. (****)