A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci

A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesomely Narrated byDavid Baldacci, MacLeod Andrews, Sisi Aisha Johnson, Kiiri Sandy, Cary Hite, I loved the lawyer team of Desiree DuBos & Jack Lee as the band together to represent a black man in 1968 in Virginia. Each of these characters were compelling and their odds in a southern town of getting an innocent man free had me listening all the time. I would love to see this continue as a series, highly recommended!

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Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn

Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this enjoyable mystery book with Simon as a middle grade kid who is constantly on the move since his parents have a blog that details all their travels. Simon is tired of moving from place to place, and doing all the "things" the world expects to see from his mom and dad and Simon. When they arrive at Tangerine Pines, Simon vows to himself that this is the place he wants to stay, maybe even forever. Simon meets many characters but his favorite friend is Amaya and when a tenant's valuable necklace is stolen from her apartment, Simon and Amaya band together to solve the mystery. Simon wants to prove Tangerine Pines is a special place, but the tension mounts as other thefts begin to happen. Rooting for Simon, I was drawn to his determination, and with his sense of adventure yearned for Simon & Amaya to solve the mysteries. A must read!

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Today is the Day!:Otis Goes to the Beach by Katie Williamson and illustrated by Zoe Saunders

Today is the Day!: Otis Goes to the Beach by Katie Williamson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Today is the Day! : Otis Goes to the Beach is a debut that will delight children and their parents who read this over and over again. With awesome illustrations by Zoe Saunders this child's book explores a day at the beach by a mother, father, their 2 girls and Otis, their dog. Turning the pages, the readers see the beach day through Otis' excitement and adventures. The beach, from page to page is bright, sunny, and filled with what is fun on the beach--sand castles, beach balls, sea gulls, the ocean waves, and sea and sand creatures and so much more. The sisters and Otis have such a memorable day at the beach and this reader enjoyed reading to her grandson, we turned each page & enjoyed the rhyming text and pointing to the beaches with shells, beach umbrellas, surfers, and waves. We fell in love with this book, the beach and Otis was so darn cute. A must read! Highly recommended!

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Master of Chaos (The Unredeemables, #3) by Shannon McKenna

Master of Chaos by Shannon McKenna
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this 3rd series of The Unredeemables with Shane & Cass trying to topple a real bad guy who happens to be Cass' father & he is the worst so there is so much suspense going on in this romance! A must read!

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Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was riveting; Jake is a 7th grader who has increasingly suffered from self confidence, bullying, and loneliness leading to wanting to control himself through food with a voice taking over every step of his way. Readers will not be able to put this book down; then want to share it with everyone, it is that honest and real. John Schu has personal experience with this & much of Jake is his story.

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Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart

Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just as I loved The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise so so much, this new Coyote Lost and Found was just as wonderful! Coyote is honest, quirky, brash, and one of a kind. Her latest adventure will involve a journey yet again, fierce, hiding secrets, and sometimes not being nice to Candace, her father's friend & neighbor, along for the ride on Yager during Covid. Readers will love every character on this bus; they support one another, enjoy singing, laughing, and the awesome pets on this trip to find where to settle Coyote's mom's cremated remains. Coyote's insights are hysterical, fierce, and bold and the author treats us to many beautiful, sad and happy times as Coyote and Rodeo remember painfully their loved ones. A must read for all ages!

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Family Family by Laurie Frankel

Family Family by Laurie Frankel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to Tara Smith for this get well book about seeking your best life, families, adoption, romance and so much more. I loved how Frankel engineered each chapter (past, present denoted as days of the week) and the characters were rich as well. I loved India in all her decisiveness, wanting always to be an actress (who can't sing), her many loves, and her world of plays, TV and movie as an actress.

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The House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3) by Sarah J. Maas

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another winner from Sarah J. Maas! I have so enjoyed the Crescent series and this 3rd book is just awesome! At 900+ pages I finished in 3 days rooting for Bryce Quindlen & Hunt Althazar!
Lidia & Ruhn were kick ass as well. The plot, the settings, the world building, and the characters all made this a book I could not put down. Total suspense with the torture of Hunt & his friends filled me with horror. But what I enjoyed most was Bryce's certainty that she could figure things out. A must read!

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Mission Manhattan (City Spies Book, #5) by James Ponti

Mission Manhattan by James Ponti
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I continue to totally enjoy the City Spies series! This mystery thriller of kids solving crimes has the globe hopping spies protecting a young environmentalist from Europe to New York City. What I continue to love is each characters' specialty in solving crimes, working with each other and fooling adults to get results. A must read!

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The Women by Kristin Hannah

The Women by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to Janet, my librarian friend, for purchasing this gut wrenching read I could not put down. Frances is an idealistic Catholic girl who wants to follow her brother into the Vietnam War, she is a nurse and becomes a very good one, in horrific conditions but with the support of nurse friends and doctors. This is a must read - research is lengthy with many sources provided and experts/war personnel. I will be thinking of the characters, the country of Vietnam and its people, and the veterans who went into the war, gave their life and the veterans who returned to no fanfare, just derision, and had to "find" their way. Highly recommended!

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The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat

The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lisa Yee and illustrator, Dan Santat have crafted a great middle grade story of mystery, friendship, family that kept me turning the pages and rooting for these kids who become part of RASCH, trained to fight crime. A must read and a series I will be waiting to read and love!

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