Fiction

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

This was the book for our January book club meeting. I hadn’t heard of the book until it was chosen, and then it seemed like I saw it everywhere. The book is a well-written peek into the life of residents in a section of a housing project in south Brooklyn. The story starts with an alcoholic, cranky elderly church deacon named Sportcoat shooting the local drug dealer in front of everyone in the middle of the project’s courtyard. From there, the book weaves the stories of the various residents from the Five Ends Baptist Church that witnessed the shooting and are affected by it, as well as the police officer assigned to investigate the shooting and a local Italian mobster.

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January 30, 2021 0

Shadow in the Empire of Light by Jane Routley

Meh. This an ok fantasy. It’s an easy read, but the story doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s listed as a YA Fantasy and while the story is as simplistic as a YA book, I think the inclusion of a lot of discussion about sex takes it out of that category. Perhaps if you’re talking about college-age YA, then perhaps.

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January 22, 2021 0

Deeper into the Dark (Detective Margaret Nolan #1) by P.J. Tracy

This is a good mystery/thriller that is a quick and easy read. Sam sustained a serious head injury in Afghanistan and is suffering from severe PTSD. He gets a job as a bar back in a club and is trying to deal with his injury and repair his failing marriage. One night Sam shelters his co-worker Melody who was beaten by her boyfriend. When the boyfriend turns up dead the next day, both Sam and Melody are suspects.

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January 18, 2021 0

Court of Swans (The Dericott Tales #1) by Melanie Dickerson

I could not get into this YA Historical Fiction. I didn’t like the writing style. It was too basic and didn’t flow well. I was disappointed because the description of the book really interested me. This is just my opinion, however, and others may enjoy the book.

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January 18, 2021 0

West End Girls by Jenny Colgan

This is a fun contemporary romance that is a quick and easy read. The story follows twins that go to live in their grandmother’s flat in Chelsea with hopes to change their lives.

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January 18, 2021 0

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

This is a really good YA Fantasy that is a mash-up of urban fantasy and Greek mythology. While most YA Fantasy books all seem to have the same basic premise (strong young female must overcome great odds/conquer evil/rule the nation while resisting falling in love with the boy that is either her childhood friend/enemy/new mysterious over protective friend), this is a refreshingly original take on that premise.

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January 10, 2021 0

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

I love this book. It starts off slowly, setting the scene and giving the reader a glimpse into Darren’s safe, predictable life working as a shift manager at Starbucks and spending time with his mother and girlfriend. One day he gets recruited to be a salesperson in an elite, cut-throat start-up company, and that’s when the pace of the book takes off and doesn’t slow down until the end. Darren is the only African American person in the company, and his supervisor nicknames him “Buck”. The running “joke” throughout the book is that various colleagues tell him he looks like one or another African American actor. Buck is taken under the wing of the company CEO and once he begins work, the two become close.

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January 5, 2021 1

No Offense (Little Bridge Island, #2) by Meg Cabot

My overall feeling about this contemporary romance book is a solid “meh”. It’s not the worst I’ve read, but I won’t remember what this book is about in a week. The writing is fine, but the two characters aren’t interesting, the romance is very clunky and the side plots kind of ridiculous.

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December 31, 2020 0

The Stormbringer (Stormbringer #1) by Isabel Cooper

I couldn’t get into this fantasy/romance book. The story didn’t interest me. The book goes from one fight scene to another, with little story in between. The writing is clunky and stilted. There is probably an audience for this book, it just wasn’t for me.

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December 27, 2020 0