Oath and Honor

I don't typically read political books. Liz Cheney's memoir Oath and Honor is an exception. It is a gripping first-hand account of the January 6th, 2021 insurrection from inside the halls of Congress. While I am familiar with her efforts on behalf of the January 6 Congressional Committee, I wondered whether there would be any new information in the book.

The publisher's summary:

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump and many around him, including certain other elected Republican officials, intentionally breached their oath to the Constitution: they ignored the rulings of dozens of courts, plotted to overturn a lawful election, and provoked a violent attack on our Capitol.   Liz Cheney, one of the few Republican officials to take a stand against these efforts, witnessed the attack first-hand, and then helped lead the Congressional Select Committee investigation into how it happened. In Oath and Honor, she tells the story of this perilous moment in our history, those who helped Trump spread the stolen election lie, those whose actions preserved our constitutional framework, and the risks we still face.

 

I should say up front for transparency's sake that I do not like Donald Trump. Never have, never will. This book is quite insightful on what happened in Washington DC both before, during and after January 6. While I kept myself up to date on news stories during this time period, the author has given new information about what happened on that day inside the congressional chambers. I will not be a spoiler here. Aside from these tidbits most of the information was not new to me. I followed the House January 6 Committee work diligently. However, the book will be a great reference for future generations of Americans who will not have lived through this part of our history.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Clock Reading Challenge

This morning I first learned about the Clock Reading Challenge and would love to participate. The challenge was started by Jo Linsdell in 2021 and she continues to host the challenge. The goal is to read books with the numbers one to twelve in their titles.

The Challenge Rules

1)     The officially hashtag for the event: #ClockReadingChallenge

2)     Read 12 books in 12 months, each with a number from one to twelve in the title to make up a clock face.

3)     If you'd like to plan out the books you want to read for the challenge in advance here's a template you can use for your TBR:

The idea is for your clock to look like this:  

4)     To sign up just post a comment in the challenge post. 

The Vintage Village Bake Off

I first learned about this book from a blog review that I read last year. As a fan of the Great British Bakeoff, I had to read this cozy novel which is based on the competition. It did not disappoint. The story opens with the main character, Robert Parkin, living with his cat Isaac Mewton in the Devon village of Millbrook. Robert keeps himself busy by taking care of  his chickens and goats. While he has never been a lady's man, the local ladies still vie for his company. It soon becomes clear, though, that Robert’s victoria sponge cake is the lure. They want the recipe. Robert can bake anything but his real masterpieces are his scones. He soon comes to the attention of the local media. Reporters ask him which county makes the best cream tea: Devon or Cornwall? Friends set up a competition for Robert and one other lady to settle the debate. Robert’s sisters Bunty and Hattie are both at crossroads in their lives, so news of their brother’s baking competition is the perfect excuse for them to visit Millbrook. As the siblings relish each other’s company, and Robert relishes being at the heart of his community, he bakes up a storm.

While I expected Robert to be the main character, I think his sister Hattie also played a big role too. The first half of the story was mainly about her. She is a realistic character, being a widow of an emotionally abusive man. When she realizes that she is not doing something she wants to do because of internal thoughts she received in the past from her husband, Hattie begins to reject these ideas. It is not easy for her. Sometimes she can do it but other times she succumbs to the training she received from the husband. Both of her siblings, though, are submissive to others too. Something must have happened in childhood for them to have these traits.

Reading about the baking kept me interested in the story. Who doesn't love scones, cakes and cookies? However, while the baking is going on, the characters move the plot forward. This is not a cozy mystery so the plot was basically character development and more specifically, their relationships with the opposite sex. 

This is a cute story that cozy fans will love. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Blue Monsoon

The Blue Monsoon is the second book in the Mumbai Blue crime thriller series. In this installment of the series Senior Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput has to find a serial killer who leaves his victims spreadeagle and castrated at the entrance to Hindu temples with their faces cut beyond recognition. Drawn into their flesh are symbols of a tantra cult. He also must deal with friction within the caste system. His own associate will not investigate premises that are owned by lower castes. While the victims are from different castes so are the suspects and none of them want to be associated with each other. A video of the first murder is uploaded onto the account of a Bollywood social media influencer and millions of people had viewed it before her social media accounts were suspended. The desecration of this body at a Hindu place of worship puts the city on edge and divides Arnav’s priorities: stopping a fanatic from killing again and caring for his wife who’s struggling through a challenging pregnancy. If you’ve read the first book in the series, The Blue Bar, you will remember that Arnav Singh Rajput married his wife Tara, after she became paralyzed.

The setting was the weather. The story takes place during the monsoon season and the rain is mentioned on almost every page. I never knew much about monsoons but have learned that they are rain showers where the flood waters can reach up to a person's knees. It is impossible to remain dry when you walk from a car to inside a building and the characters' clothes stayed damp all day with mud splattered all over them. Of course, this makes keeping a crime scene dry near impossible. However, Arnav and his fellow inspectors had no problems reading the crime scenes. The monsoon atmosphere takes the reader to Mumbai in July and I could almost feel my arthritis kicking in when I read about the characters always being damp from coming inside from the rain.

I love the main character Arnav. He seems to be a realistic guy. Arnav's relationship with his wife and daughter resemble families we all know. While he has a good relationship with both, he feels the usual aggravation from them that all couples must deal with. Arnav makes mistakes but doesn't become angry when they happen and he always admits making mistakes when he is called on the carpet. When he gets caught speaking white lies, he always admits doing so and you think that these admissions will result in a change in the plot. Instead, after the admission of guilt, Arnav takes the plot somewhere else.  I also love that he chose an outspoken woman as his wife. Tara continues to push all his buttons even though she is totally dependent on him for care and support.

Mystery lovers who have not read the series yet should begin with the first book, The Blue Bar.  I was just as good as this one and I highly recommend it.  5 out of 5 stars. 

Manner of Death

Manner of Death is another fast paced medical thriller from Robin Cook. While it is the 14th book in his series featuring husband and wife team Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton, Cook has written 40 novels to date. In this installment of the series Jack and Laurie must resolve a series of homicides that have been cleverly staged as suicides.

The publisher's summary:  

After Dr. Jack Stapleton’s near-death confrontation with a medical serial killer, his wife, NYC Chief Medical Examiner Laurie Montgomery, is carrying the load both at work and at home. When Laurie insists that Dr. Ryan Sullivan—an underperforming senior pathology resident who is spending his required month at the medical examiner's office but who truly detests doing forensic autopsies—assist her on a suicide autopsy in hopes of stimulating his interest in the field, the last thing she expects is to be unwittingly drawn into a major conspiracy that puts her own life in jeopardy. 

Desperate to avoid performing as many forensic autopsies as possible, Dr. Ryan Sullivan offers to participate in a research project on a series of suicides put together by one of the medical legal investigators. These suicides, like the case Ryan analyzes with Laurie, hint at some bothersome questions about their "manner of death." Although the project was more of a ruse than a serious study, Ryan surprises himself by immediately uncovering unexpected shared commonalities. Most astonishing of all, Ryan's inquiries eventually put him and Laurie at risk by leading to a nefarious cancer diagnostics company that promotes the very latest, groundbreaking cancer screening technology in a shockingly self-serving and fraudulent fashion.

This is a fast paced suspense thriller. While it is part of a series featuring Montgomery and Stapleton, it can be read as a standalone novel. Information from prior novels in the series has been skillfully written into the back story. Ryan Sullivan is a new character for the series. He is unlikable and, at first, seems to be the villain. He is not. Laurie takes him under her wing to force him to take his pathology internship seriously. Ryan cannot bear the graphic nature of performing an autopsy. He finds a way to get out of doing them by offering to study suspicious deaths that he feels were not due to suicide. During this study he finds his footing and begins to take the internship seriously. Here is where the thriller takes off. Fans of Robin Cook will probably like what he has done at the end of the story concerning Montgomery and Stapleton. I think it is the right step. While I do not want to spoil it for anyone who is going to read Manner of Death, note that something new is on the horizon for the series. 

5 out of 5 stars.

Happy New Year!

 

I read 137 books last year and now that I am retired, I wonder what my reading stats will be in 2024.  I plan on traveling a lot this year so I might be reading less. We shall see. I am wishing everyone seasons readings in the new year. Happy New Year!

2024 What’s In A Name Challenge

I am excited that the What’s in a Name Reading Challenge is on again for 2024. In years past, this challenge was hosted by Charlie at The Worm Hole. Andrea at the Carolina Book Nook blog took over in 2019 and will host the challenge again.

Challenge Rules:

1)     The challenge runs from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. You can sign up any time, but only count books that you read between those dates.

2)     Read a book in any format (hard copy, ebook, audio) with a title that fits into each category.

3)     Don’t use the same book for more than one category.

4)     Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed, it’s encouraged!

5)     You can choose your books as you go or make a list ahead of time.

6)     Sign up using the Mr Linky on the challenge post.

7)     In 2024, choose 6 books that have titles that contain:

Double letters

An NFL team

A natural disaster

A virtue

A shape

Footwear

This challenge has been going on 17 years already! It's exciting to participate again.

Top Ten Books of 2023

I read 137 books in 2023!  It is always hard to determine what my best ten books are for any year.  This year is a little different in that I knew off the top of my head what the top ten seven books were going to be and in what order.  Please note, I am choosing books from among different genres for this list.  The list includes mysteries, historical fiction and graphic novels. Among the genres, I read 51 mysteries, 46 historical fiction/historical mysteries, 27 graphic novels, and 7 nonfiction books. There were 6 additional books where I did not classify a genre.  They were Amish fiction novels. In addition, 64 of the books that I read were new releases and 33 were written by new (to me) authors.  Below are my top ten:

10.  White Faced Lies by Eric Flanagan (graphic novel)

9.  Sunburn by Andi Watson (graphic novel)

8.  Night at the Belfry by Xavier Saxon (graphic novel)

7.  The Shallows by Holly Craig (mystery)

6.  Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado (mystery)

5.  The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loetsch (historical fiction)

4.  Banyan Moon by Thao Thai (historical fiction)

3.  Blood Oranges by J. M. Cannon (mystery)

2.  Weyward by Emilia Hart (historical mystery)

and my best book of the year is: 

1.  The Armor of Light by Ken Follett (historical fiction)

Top Ten Historical Fiction Novels of 2023

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Between them and mysteries I read at least 100 books every year. Note that my top ten books were not necessarily published in 2023 but come from any of the books that I read this year.  The top five books, though, were published in 2023. Below is my list.  Drum roll please.

10)   Keeper of the Queen's Jewels by Adrienne Dillard

9)    The Godmother's Secret by Elizabeth St. John

8)    Cor Rotto by Adrienne Dillard

7)    Murder Under a Red Moon by Harini Nagendra

6)    The Importance of Pawns by Keira Morgan

5)    The Porcelain Moon by Janie Chang

4)    Terror in Topaz by A. M. Stuart

3)    Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

2)    Weyward by Emilia Hart

1)    The Armor of Light by Ken Follett

Top Ten Mystery Books of 2023

I have been reading mysteries ever since I learned to read.  They are my favorite genre and this year I read 61 of them. Note that my top ten books were not necessarily published in 2023 but come from any of the books that I read this year.  Eight of the books, though, were published in 2023. Here is my list:

10)    Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah

9)    Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler

8)    Hide by Tracy Clark

7)    The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas

6)    Date Night by Samantha Hayes

5)    Final Call by Alex Lake

4)    Honey Drop Dead by Laura Childs

3)    Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado

2)    The Shallows by Holly Craig

1)    Blood Oranges by J. M. Cannon

Top Ten New Authors of 2023

This past year I read books from 35 new (to me) authors. From these 35 authors, 17 wrote and published their debut novels in 2023. My best new author list contains 5 of these debut authors. Check out my list below:

10    Lyn Liao Butler - Someone Else's Life

9)    Damyanti Biswas - The Blue Bar

8)    Tracy Clark - Hide

7)    Thao Thai - Banyan Moon

6)    Erin Jameson - Sky of Ashes Land of Dreams

5)    Kristin Loetsch - The Last Russian Doll

4)    Heather Atkinson - Evil at Alardyce House

3)    Holly Craig - The Shallows

2)    Emilia Hart - Weyward

1)    J. M. Cannon - Blood Oranges

Top Ten Book Covers of 2023

Below are my favorite book covers of the year. I have posted them in order beginning with the best, ie, Weyward is my favorite book cover of the year.

Top Ten Books I Want in 2024

Each of these books is part of a series. Some are from a new (to me) series while others are series that I have been reading for years.