The Starless Sea: Erin Morgenstern

This was a phenomenal book. I added it to my list because of how much I enjoyed The Night Circus by Morgenstern, and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. When I finished reading, I was not excited to start a new book because I wanted to live in this world for a while. That to me is a huge success.

It's written in very much the same style as The Night Circus; the word that keeps coming to mind is psychedelic, but maybe that's not a good word for books. However, it is the word I will use: it's twisty and confusing and colorful and spinning.

I had to take many pauses to stop and think about what I just read. There were a lot of twisty and confusing details, and I'm sure I missed a lot of those that I'll have to catch on a reread. 

I've heard some people complain that it takes too long to get into the book, but I found that to be untrue. Zachary is a compelling narrator who keeps the story moving even when he isn't doing much. He definitely grabbed me right away. 

I also enjoyed the structure of the book: Morgenstern told the larger story in between the second story. The alternating chapters were different "books" which helped the reader understand The Starless Sea slowly as they read.

The House of Kennedy: James Patterson

 This was a pretty good read! Patterson continues to write well, even in the nonfiction sector. 

I was pretty skeptical throughout the beginning of the book because Patterson didn't seem to have anything to add to the sources he was quoting. He had no first hand quotes or research; he compiled information from already written books. However, I found that got better as the book went on. Although Patterson hadn't interviewed any Kennedy, he added more thought or insight into later portions of the book.

The premise of this book is not just one Kennedy character or even the Kennedy dynasty. Rather, Patterson focuses on "The Kennedy Curse," so this book is solely about the tragedies and misfortunes in the Kennedy clan. Thus, it is a rather depressing book. There are no happy endings, and there is no joy. Granted, this is truly what the Kennedy family experienced. 

Anyway, this helped this Kennedy biography feel different from other books that focus on the success and legacy of the family on a positive note. This takes all the bad. Patterson doesn't try to explain it, he just lays it out for his readers in a succinct and logical way. 

I enjoyed reading this. It took me a while, 10 days, I think, because I needed to take breaks to read happier books. 

The 2020 Book Hoarders Reading Challenge

The only reading challenge I set for myself at the beginning of the year was to read some Pulitzer prize winning novels. I didn't do that at all. Not even a single one... Oops.

I was browsing around for a reading challenge to do in 2021, and I found a group on Facebook called The 2020 Book Hoarder Reading Challenge. I joined the group and while the 2021 challenge hadn't been posted yet, the 2020 was still up and available to do. I looked through the different prompts and realized that I had a few books I could use for this challenge. I went through my Goodreads, looking at books I'd read this year and when I was done, I only had five empty prompts. This was the week of Thanksgiving. I challenged myself to finish the challenge, and by the next week, I had. 

My two favorite books from this challenge were Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah and Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale Jr. The first was an emotional roller coaster and the second was fun and had been on my list to read since watching the movie many, many years ago. It felt really great to finally check that off my list, and it made me want to watch the movie again.

My least favorite was Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo: it just went on and on and on. The writing was dull and the story was not engaging. I struggled to finish that one. 

One of the last prompts I needed was number 12, Rainy day. I stumbled upon The Children Act by Ian McEwan and was so glad I did. It was a very interesting read and this occurrence reminded me why I participate in reading challenge. Those random finds are often pretty good. 

Here is the list of prompts along with the book:

1. Star on the cover or in the title: Secret Star by Nora Roberts

2. You Liar! Word Liar or Lies in Title: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott

3. Flower on the cover or in the title: The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

4. Read in October: Plain Jane Wanted by Rose Amberly

5. State name in the title: New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

6. Read in April: The Bridges of Madison County by James Robert Waller

7. Five star read: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks

8. Over 350 pages: The Prince of Wales by Jonathan Dimbleby

9. Finally! On TBR forever: Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale Jr.

10. Red-Cover or title: Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

11. Make it a movie: The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

12. Rainy Day-umbrella or rain on cover: The Children Act by Ian McEwan

13: House on the cover or in the title: Captive Star by Nora Roberts

14. Just a girl (Only a girl on the cover): The Autistic Brain by Temple Grandin

15. I've lost my head (head chopped off at nose): Brazen Virtue by Nora Roberts

16. Just walk away (person walking away on cover): The Suicide Killer by Zach Lamb

17. Read in a day: Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks

18. Love or Hate in the title: Speaking the Truth in Love by Kenneth C. Haugk

19. Random Read: The Au Pair by Emma Rous

20. Clouds on the cover or in the title: Murder at the Village Fete by Catherine Coles

21. Number in the title: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

22. Freebie: Try Easy by Jill Brashear

23. Food or drink on the cover or in the title: The Bake Shop by Amy Clipston

24: Two female authors: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings)

25. Not Your Norm Genre: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

26. New to you author: Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead

27. Trees on cover: Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin

28. Time of day in title: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

29. Over 1000 ratings on Goodreads: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

30. Seasonal: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

31. By an author you'd love to meet: Hidden Star by Nora Roberts

32. I can relate (relate to main character): You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Bonus:

1. Won in a giveaway: One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty

2. ARC: Trade Secrets by V.K. Tritschler

3. Over 475 pages: Pieces of Her by Karen Slaughter

4. Non Fiction: Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith

5. Never Ending Story: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

I didn't write reviews for all of them because sometimes I forgot, and sometimes I just didn't have much to say. I did give them all a rating on Goodreads, so check them out there!

The President is Missing: James Patterson & Bill Clinton

James Patterson is an excellent writer, and to have a former president on your team as you write this presidential novel was an excellent move on his part. 

As I was wondering what to write in my review, I thought of a roller coaster. They most often start slowly, climbing up the steepest hill, and once they drop, there are rarely pauses or chances to catch your breath. This is how I felt reading this book. It took a while to get going, to the point where I was worried I would be disappointed by Patterson. But then the drop came, and it never stopped. 

The thrill and urgency is keenly felt by readers as they go along with President Duncan, trying their hardest to keep up, keep their breath, and solve problems alongside the POTUS. It was definitely a fun ride.

The many twists and turns kept me on my toes and meant that rereading chapters was occasionally necessary to make sure I caught each minute detail as we all tried to nab the "bad guy," so to speak. 

President Duncan was a fun main character, a great narrator, and an all around clever "detective." He was brave and bold, while having seriously human qualities: fatherhood, widowhood, sickness, etc. He was a real human, a character we can get behind and root for, a character we desperately want to see win. If I'm being honest, I definitely pictured him as President Bartlett from The West Wing and placed several other members of the staff in the book as well. That also made it fun.

I'm really glad I picked up this book from a Goodwill. It was a truly delightful read and kept me up later than I intended.

The Diplomat's Wife: Pam Jenoff

This was a very well-written, thrilling saga of a brave woman who was arrested by Nazis for her work in the Polish resistance during World War II. After being rescued and losing her fiance and the father of her unborn child, she marries a British government worker and begins a job as his secretary. The British government needs her help in locating a Communist spy and send her back to Germany on an undercover mission.

Apparently this is book number two in a series (I did not know that), but I haven't read the others. I didn't notice missing information, so reading the other books is not necessary. I'm guessing that you just get more background on some of the minor characters in this book. I am interested enough to now go back and read the first book. 

This book was engaging right off the start. We start with Marta in prison and have no idea where the book will go from there, even with the summary on the back. Each character we meet is brave and not all what they seem. They are each real and well-written: easy to understand, empathize with, and track growth. Some have said that the middle of the book is hard to track with, and I can agree. Our main heroine becomes a nobody, weak and cowardly, just doing what her husband tells her to. Only when we need the plot to pick back up does she become the woman she was at the beginning. 

My only complaint with this novel is that each chapter begins at a different, undisclosed time. Sometimes weeks have passed, sometimes years, and sometimes only seconds. I do wish each chapter had begun with a date/year header to keep readers informed of where we were. It was hard to start each new chapter trying to discover where in time we were.