The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow: A Novel of Bright's Pond by Joyce Magnin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow was free when I downloaded it to my Nook from BN.com. I enjoy the opportunity to read new-to-me authors.

It may be classified as Christian fiction, but I did not find it to be preachy. It is set in a small town in western Pennsylvania where church activities contribute to the social activities of the townspeople. Church is not the only place for social interaction for there is the Full Moon Diner, town hall meetings, and the library.
It is a quick and enjoyable read with two major twists I did not expect.

I recommend this to readers who enjoy the works of Jan Karon and Fannie Flagg.

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The Racketeer by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Racketeer is a book that makes a circuit in our family, after Dad reads his gift, Mom reads it, me, and then my daughter, and so on for we all enjoy the books by John Grisham.

Some of have remarked it was hard to get into and it did not have us grabbed by the end of the first chapter. I blame the first person narration that starts this book, and the reader is uncertain how reliable the narrator is. Building trust between the reader and the narrator takes several chapters until the reader can, at least, trust this narrator to spin a good story.

I recommend this book to fans of John Grisham and the legal thriller genre.

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Harlequin Holiday Collection: Four Classic Seasonal Novellas by Debra Webb
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I downloaded this book to my Nook when it was free from BN.com. I like the opportunity to read new-to-me authors. This collection gives me the opportunity to read from four authors.

There are all enjoyable, quick reads. My favorite was "Season of Wonder" by Marta Perry because it was sweet.

I recommend it for fans of the romance genre.



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Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My library request for the fourth book of the Walt Longmire series was not available until after I read #s 5,6,7,and 8. This book could be read by new readers, and they will find a book with excellent pacing and the well-developed character of Walt Longmire.

Yes, this book tells the story, in well-defined flashbacks, of a young Marine inspector in Vietnam while Walt works out the mystery of a murdered Vietnamese woman whose body was dumped in his county.

I recommend this book to all readers.

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The Addicted Brain: Why We Abuse Drugs, Alcohol, and Nicotine by Michael Kuhar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was free from BN.com when I downloaded it to my Nook. I have an interest in neuroscience.

This is an overview of available scientific literature on thirteen topics related to addiction and its treatment plus the fourteenth chapter is a summary of the previous thirteen chapters. This often reads as if it were a class assignment.

I recommend it only to readers who have an interest in the subject.

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Deadly Heat by Richard Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I look forward to the newest Nikki Heat novel, Deadly Heat because I find the novels as entertaining as the TV series. If you are not a fan of the series, this book may take a bit of gettin' used to for it assumes you know the characters from both the book series and the storyline of the TV season on which this novel is based.

I keep reading because I enjoy the lightness and humor of the dialogue and the narration. This is entertaining, and I enjoy it.

I recommend it for fans of both the book series and the TV series.


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Tanequil by Terry Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 26th book I read from the chronological order of Shannara, and it is part of a project to read all the Shannara books in our home library.

Tanequil does the job of a second book of a trilogy: it continues the original quest and it raises the stakes and urgency for the quest's completion.

I recommend it for fans of the series. I recommend new readers start elsewhere, at least start with Jarka Ruus, the beginning of the High Druid of Shannara trilogy.

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Marry Me by Jo Goodman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Marry Me was free when I downloaded it to my Nook. I read it because I enjoy books from the historical Western romance genre. Usually a reader can tell from the cover how descriptive the sexual intimacy scenes will be and this cover did not give me the clue this would be at least a PG-13, possibly R.

I might have given the story more stars for the story and likable main characters. I took away stars for the pacing was uneven, even boring in parts. This made the book feel boring and too long.

I recommend it only to fans of the genre.

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Police: A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated the release of the English translation of Police because I read the other Harry Hole books.

I kept reading because Nesbo is a skilled craftsman who holds his reader in suspense. Sometimes the suspense caused too much anxiety for this reader and the violent tortures were too graphic for this to be an enjoyable and entertaining read, and that is why I dropped my rating to three stars.

I recommend it to fans of the series who want to know what happened next. I don't recommend new readers start with this one.

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Never Go Back by Lee Child
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated Never Go Back because I am a Reacher fan. Child keeps me reading quickly through the book because I am eager to find out what happens next.

I was introduced to Jack Reacher when I read 61 Hours so I was gleeful when I read the synopsis telling me Reacher went to Washington, D.C. to invite Major Susan Turner to dinner. Then I kept turning pages all the way through.

I recommend it for fans of the series. For new readers, I recommend you read 61 Hours before you read this one.

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