Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is our Albright College Zoom Book Club read for April and oh did I love this audiobook version, Narrated by: Lynnette R. Freeman, Simone Mcintyre!!! There was so much I loved about this book---family problems, secrets causing mysteries, and the different settings with the beauty, culture, food and angst.

Many thanks to Casey Ciocca for lending me this book! It is also going to be our Albright College Zoom Book Club for April. This debut is a must read! The book starts with a huge mystery that is uncovered very slowly, rocking Bennie & Byron's world and everything they knew and believed. This book awesomely covers many years, many different characters, and many different plots yet Wilkerson weaves them seamlessly. The mysteries and betrayals as they are uncovered are mind altering---what will happen to Benny & Byron plus all the other characters that will be affected by the truth----too long in coming. Will Byron & Benny survive the audiotape their mother dictated before her death. A must read!

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The Wrong One by Dervla McTiernan

The Wrong One by Dervla McTiernan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this novella excellently narrated by Neil Hellegers, Michael Crouch, I was drawn in by the narrators as they wove a complex mystery in this novella. A mother has been accused of murder, her son has past problems with the law, and an old detective friend of the family, Simon, wants to rescue Clara because he knows she did not kill a woman who was known as nasty and litigious. But all is not as it seems as the mystery/murder unfolds and the reader finds out more about the characters. A great listen!

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Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle

Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh did I love this middle grade novel in verse from awesome Margarita Engle! Told from 2 points of view (and one is a dog) this is the story of boy who has suffered trauma at his mother's hands, she was involved in dog fighting (she made her son responsible for taking care of the pit bulls - those who were injured, feeding them, and forcing him to be involved in the dog fights. Tony continues to have nightmares, does not know what love is, and lives in fear. When his mother lands in jail for cruelty to animals, a compassionate social worker finds an uncle, Tony, did not even know about. Tio lives in the Sierra Nevadas with his search and rescue dog, Gabe, and as a park ranger, he rescues lost hikers, guides nature walks, and takes care of trees. Together Tio and Gabe take this very sad, tormented Tony and show him, love, friendship and a real home. I could not put this book down; it was filled with many search and rescues, Tony learning to be a rescue for the dogs, and Tony trying to find a lost hound and getting lost himself. I LOVED THIS BOOK ad the pictures were awesome too!

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