booksrockcal's reviews
511 reviews

Slashing Through the Snow by Jacqueline Frost

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is the third book in the series that I have read. I’ve read each book at Christmas and enjoyed them immensely as they provide light and cozy holiday mystery vibes. In this installment, Holly is back, now acting as an innkeeper on her parents’ Christmas tree farm/ Christmas amusement park, Reindeer Games, in cold and frigid Mistletoe, Maine. In this book a critic from Boston known for her scathing reviews is murdered at the inn Holly is running. Holly’s friend Cookie’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon and Cookie is being investigated by the authorities, led by Holly’s boyfriend Evan, the sheriff of Mistletoe.  Evan begs Holly to not get involved but she defies him in order to clear the name of her friend Cookie.  While the story and outcome are predictable, I still found reading the story enjoyable. I love all the characters and the setting is perfect for Christmas. This book is another perfect Christmas read. 

The Shortest History of Germany by James Hawes

adventurous informative medium-paced

3.75

I picked up this audiobook on Hoopla just after New Year’s. My husband and I are going to Germany this year and I wanted to get some background reading in and this seemed like a good choice as it is called The Shortest History of Germany.  It was highly readable and accessible although the author does seem to have some interesting opinions I will have to explore more in subsequent books. The author favors Germany west of the Elbe over Germany east of the Elbe and considers that the bad elements of Germany that led to Hitler (and the current rise of the ADF from the Protestant East. He doesn’t like Bismarck and I’m not sure Catholics were as unsupportive of Hitler as he maintains especially given the composition of Austria. I also would have appreciated more on the art, architecture, music, and literature of Germany. Still taken for what I wanted as I begin a year that will include travel to Germany- an overview of German history- this fit the bill. 

History of Britain & Ireland: The Definitive Visual Guide by Michael Kerrigan, Ann Kay, R.G. Grant, Phillip Parker

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

I really enjoyed this illustrated history of Great Britain. I love all books about the UK, but this one is particularly excellent   in its text as well as accompanying illustrations. My only complaint is that it is much heavier on recent history than past history. For example, I’d like as much information on Disraeli or Gladstone as it had on Margaret Thatcher. Overall this was a good book and enjoyable read. I did DNF this last year as I didn’t have the capacity at the time but an end of the year/into the new year read just as I’m pining for another trip to the UK made this reading period perfect for this book. 

A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I have read only one of Jenn McKinlay’s library mysteries and I really enjoyed it. I had intended to read others but didn’t get around to it. I don’t like to read series books out of order and there are multiple books between the first one and this Christmas mystery that popped up on the LAPL’s list of Christmas cozies. Nevertheless I picked it up and I’m glad I did. It was the perfect book to accompany me through days 6-8 of Christmas. In this book the local library is sponsoring a writer in residence while also getting ready to celebrate christmas along with the rest of the seaside Connecticut town. The writer keeps to herself partly it appears to avoid a stalker who claims to be a fan but after she has been murdered turns out to be another writer who believes the writer in residence stole her ideas and her husband. The writer in residence becomes a suspect but then she as well as librarian Lindsey become targets.  The mystery kept me reading and I really enjoyed the subplot about book bans and the unlikeable people who promote them. A solid first mystery of the year. And a good holiday read (Christmas ends Jan 6 FYI) 

Taken As Red: How the Election Was Won and Lost by Anushka Asthana

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Last year i got interested in the British political scene and the election called for last summer as our political situation over here was a dumpster fire.  I started by reading a biography of Keir Starmer and listening to The Rest is Politics, a podcast with former Tory and Laborites, which is how I heard about this book. it was not available on the US so i ordered from Blackwell’s in England. The book was interesting and enlightening, providing a background and history of the modern day Labour party that goes far beyond what was portrayed in the Keir Starmer biography (and I came away from the biography greatly admiring Starmer from a worning/middle class family and state school to Leeds U, Oxford, a career as an international human rights lawyer and then as chief prosecutor of the UK prior to becoming a politician) . The machinations related to Starmer’s assumption of the position as Labour leader were unknown to me and not covered in the other book.  The author clearly knows her subject. This is a terrific book and it stopped short of being 5 stars only because of my own lack of knowledge about the details of British politics- in some sections the author talked about people and events assuming knowledge that i didn’t have. But I’m working in acquiring more knowledge about the British system and this book provided a lot of key background. 

The Waiting by Michael Connelly

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the second year in a row in which I ended the year by reading a book by one of my favorite authors, Michael Connelly. I like to save his books for my December post-Christmas holiday at home and this year’s installment did not disappoint.  The focus this time is on Renee Ballard and the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit where she is the lead detective in a group  that includes volunteers as well as LAPD employees. The unit traces a DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet twenty years ago.  It’s a familial connection as the arrestee is only 23, but when they follow the leads to the suspect a lot of secrets emerge.  Meanwhile, Ballard is working to recover her badge, gun, and LAPD ID stolen from her car while she was surfing- she can't report the theft without endangering her career due to those in the department who seek her demotion. When this burglary leads to greater danger than anticipated, she calls in Harry Bosch to help. Meanwhile, Bosch’s daughter Maddie, now on patrol in Hollywood, volunteers for Ballard’s unit and works to solve one of Los Angeles’s longest running unsolved murders. Yes there is a lot going on in this edition of Ballard and Bosch, but it is never boring, always fast-paced, and provides a satisfying ending while providing more details about the now familiar characters and always makes sure that Los Angeles itself is a character in the story. 

National Geographic Countries of the World: Germany by Henry Russell

informative fast-paced

2.75

A brief overview of Germany written for elementary and middle scholars with a focus on the natural features of the country. A good but brief intro. Looking forward to reading more in Germany in prep for our trip there next year. 

Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I don’t usually read series books out of order, but i found this on a San Diego Public Library list of mysteries set during Christmas and decided to give it a try, as last Christmas I read another book by the author focused on the holidays and i was not too lost with the characters. This book stars well known detective Agatha Raisin (apparently she has a tv show too) who lives in the Cotswolds and runs a detective agency. In this book, a wealthy widow hires Agatha because she’s convinced a member of her family is trying to kill her- then the widow drops dead after high tea at her manor house. Agatha sets out to find the murderer (along with the police) while  managing all the members of her detective agency including a new teenaged trainee. Agatha cracks the case and a few others along the way. The characters and the village and the story epitomize the genre of cozy mystery although most of the Christmas focus was saved for the end- it was not an integral part of the story. That was a bit disappointing but still this was a nice light read for the holidays.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I received a copy of A Christmas Carol in the White Elephant gift exchange at work. At the same time, my hold for the historical novel about Dickens’s struggle to write a Christmas Carol came up. Of course I’ve read this book before-most memorably on a snowy Christmas Eve night in Truro, MA when we did a group read along- but as I read the more recent historical novel I thought my memories of A Christmas Carol might be wrapped up in the film versions. So I read it again. this re read affirmed my view of Charles Dickens as a literary genius unparalleled in wielding powerful words. The descriptions alone are worth the read. Dickens’s concern for the poor and condemnation of Victorian social conditions from poorhouses to prisons are on full display, something not covered extensively by modern reviewers. As for the plot, it is one well known to all readers -Scrooge the unpleasant miser is visited by his dead partner Marley and then by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and of days to come. The ghosts show Scrooge the error of his ways and he is transformed into a kinder and gentler person. This is a brilliant book and I’m so glad I read it again. 

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I received this book earlier in the year from the Ann Patchett First Editions club (thanks to my sister). I had not read There There so I read that back in the spring when i received this. i’m really glad I did as this is the back story and continuation story of the characters from There There. The book starts by chronicling the survival of Star, a young Native man, of the Sand Creek Massacre. He is taken to Ft Marion prison and forced to learn English and become Christian. The head of the prison founds the Carlisle Indian Industrial School which is dedicated to eradicating Native culture and language-Star’s son Charles goes there and is brutalized. This background story represents the history and generational trauma of the family from There There-in this book they are trying to recover from the shooting of Orvil Red Feather at the Oakland Pow Wow. Orvil watches shootings on you tube and relives the shooting and instead of going to school he takes refuge with another native teenager and becomes part of a drug dealing family operation -then he becomes addicted himself an outgrowth from the pain medicine he is given. Lony is suffering from PTSD and Luther cannot stay on school. Opal their aunt tries to hold the family together while battling cancer and Jackie their grandmother is newly sober and trying to recover.  The impact of trauma on native families is the theme of this book and it is brutally told and portrayed with a stark reality but recounted in Tommy Orange’s stark yet poetic prose. The effects of addiction caused by that trauma is also a focus.  The conclusion is not without hope but the journey is difficult, sorrowful, rage-inducing and sad. A powerful and thought provoking book whose characters will continue to stay with me.