Author: Andi

I read Term Limits a while back for book club. I knew a number of people that had read it and loved it, so I really wanted to read it. I didn’t feel compelled to read the rest of Vince Flynn’s books, but I did enjoy this one.

Taking America back…one politician at a time TERM LIMITS In one bloody night, three of Washington’s most powerful politicians are executed with surgical precision. Their assassins then deliver a shocking ultimatum to the American government: set aside partisan politics and restore power to the people. No one, they warn, is out of their reach — not even the president. A joint FBI-CIA task force reveals the killers are elite military commandos, but no one knows exactly who they are or when they will strike next. Only Michael O’Rourke, a former U.S. Marine and freshman congressman, holds a clue to the violence: a haunting incident in his own past with explosive implications for his country’s future….

This was a good book. I found it a little challenging to get into at first, but I was glad I finished it. It was a good story and I wanted to read this book since it was written by a local author who had passed away not too long before I had read it. My hubby, Chuck, has read all or most of his books and enjoyed them and encouraged me to finish this one.

I wasn’t overly drawn to this genre like some people are. It was good, but I just don’t enjoy reading all the government rich story lines. It was hard for me to stay engaged.

If you like political thrillers or suspense novels, you may love this book and I say you give it a try. You may want to consider looking into some of his other books as well if this genre interests you.

Happy reading.

I haven’t done a post about each of the books I read in 2016 for the Goodreads yet, but I thought it would be fun to just post a picture of them all with links to purchase them. The books are not necessarily in the order that I read them. My goal was to read 15 books and I read 22 books. My 2017 goal is set to read 20 books. Now that I have discovered audio books, I don’t think this will be a problem.

1. A Man Called Ove / What I had to say
2. Perfectly Messy
3. Interactive Project Management
4. It’s Okay to Laugh
5. Present Over Perfect
6. Love Warrior
7. Shadow on the Mountain / What I had to say
8. Truly Madly Guilty
9. Effortless With You
10. Defending Jacob
11. The Lake House
12. The Nest
13. Me Before You
14. Term Limits / What I had to say
15. Speak / What I had to say
16. Orbiting Jupiter / What I had to say
17. The Girl on the Train
18. Paper Towns / What I had to say
19. The Nightingale
20. The Hypnotist’s Love Story / What I had to say
21. Dept. of Speculation / What I had to say
22. Animal Vegetable Miracle

Since I’m working on catching up on posting about some books I have read, I figured I should maybe post more than one at a time. There are a lot to write about. Here are a few young adult books I have read in the past, um, well, while.

The two-time Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt delivers the shattering story of Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he’s placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.

Orbiting Jupiter was a short and quick read, but also really sad. I think I came across this one from a friend’s reading list on Goodreads. I liked the book, but it was also too short in my mind. I would have liked more about the characters. I didn’t know that it was going to be so short when I started it, so I was surprised and a bit disappointed. Had I known its length going into it, I might have enjoyed it more. But it was still a good story and a good read if you like underdog stories.

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificent Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life—summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. When their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Margo has disappeared. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Embarking on an exhilarating adventure to find her, the closer Q gets, the less he sees the girl he thought he knew.

I have only read one other book by John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), but I had mixed feelings about Paper Towns. I was really excited to read this book, but I found the story to be a bit slow at the beginning. I liked the story and the idea, but the book didn’t end the way I expected (which isn’t bad). I don’t really know what it was exactly that kept me from really connecting to this book, but when I finished it I just felt kind of meh about it. If you like other John Green books, you will probably enjoy this one. I still want to read a couple of his other books, but this was just ok. I even started the movie and wasn’t very drawn to it so I didn’t finish watching it. Possibly because I am too old to connect with that age of character very deeply. Who knows. You may love it. But it wasn’t high on my recommendation list.

Shadow on the Mountain recounts the adventures of a 14-year-old Norwegian boy named Espen during World War II. After Nazi Germany invades and occupies Norway, Espen and his friends are swept up in the Norwegian resistance movement. Espen gets his start by delivering illegal newspapers, then graduates to the role of courier and finally becomes a spy, dodging the Gestapo along the way. During five years under the Nazi regime, he gains—and loses—friends, falls in love, and makes one small mistake that threatens to catch up with him as he sets out to escape on skis over the mountains to Sweden.

Shadow on the Mountain was a book my city did for a community-wide reading event called OneBook OneRosemount. They have the author come speak and have an abundance of the books available for reading. I didn’t make it to the author discussion, but I liked the book. I have read a number of books set in WWII. But this was a little different story. More from the kids’ point of view. It was a fast read with some twists. If you don’t enjoy reading books about WWII you may not enjoy this one. But it was a good read if it’s a genre you do enjoy.

Happy reading!

I recently discovered the joy of audio books. I know this sounds strange considering it’s 2017, but I am a little slow sometimes when it comes to new trends.  I started listening to them while I was painting and quickly discovered that I love listening to them in the car, too. The kids are plugged into their movie so I can have some time to “read” when I don’t really have the time to read otherwise. It’s wonderful.

This was the most recent book I listened to. It’s a book my book club is reading for March, but it became available and I finished it a lot faster than I thought I would. Here’s a summary of the book.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

A Man Called Ove (pronounced (Oo-Va) by Fredrik Backman was such a sweet book. I was instantly drawn to this character. He reminded me so much of my grandpa and his grumpy demeanor. Ove had so many terrible things happen to him during his years and I love that some neighbors gave some new excitement to his life albeit unintentionally. I loved all the characters and the story. I loved how it was written and the story was told so beautifully jumping back and forth through time.

I highly recommend you read (or listen to) this book. It will make you laugh, scowl and possible cry while arming your heart. Happy reading friends.