Kate’s 2¢: “Sweet Water” by Cara Reinard

“Sweet Water” by Cara Reinard

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   While the ending filled in more of the back story, I didn’t find satisfaction in the ending…Too bad Josh didn’t stick around.  

From her website:

Cara Reinard is an American author best known for writing her novels, Sweet Water and Last Doll Standing. Reinard was raised by her single mother just north of Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Sewickley was a steel mill town just outside of Pittsburgh with a population of just 3,827 as of 2010. Cara considered the place almost magical as a youth with grand houses in the Heights and boutique shops on Main  street.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Sweet water DB102212

Reinard, Cara. Reading time: 12 hours, 17 minutes.

Read by Lindsey Pierce.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Sarah Ellsworth is living the life she dreamed of, married to her childhood sweetheart and living in an exclusive neighborhood. When her teen son calls for help and is found next to the body of his girlfriend, Sarah questions her life. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2021.

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 Kate’s 2¢: “Greenwich Park” by Katherine Faulkner

“Greenwich Park” by Katherine Faulkner

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   I like the way Laura Kirman read this story for the NLS.

   The author did a masterful job of weaving a thread of what would become the finale, throughout the story. The final scene was oh, so perfect.

From the web:

Katherine Faulkner is a London based journalist and author. She studied History at Cambridge University, graduating with a First, before completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Newspaper Journalism. Since then she’s been working as an investigative reporter and latterly as an editor.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Greenwich Park DB109485

Faulkner, Katherine. Reading time: 10 hours, 18 minutes.

Read by Laura Kirman.

Suspense Fiction

Psychological Fiction

“In this “gloriously tangled game of cat and mouse that kept the twists coming until the very last moment” (Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Helen’s idyllic life—handsome architect husband, gorgeous Victorian house, and cherished baby on the way—begins to change the day she attends her first prenatal class. There, she meets Rachel, an unpredictable single mother-to-be who doesn’t seem very maternal: she smokes, drinks, and professes little interest in parenthood. Still, Helen is drawn to her. Maybe Rachel just needs a friend. And to be honest, Helen’s a bit lonely herself. At least Rachel is fun to be with. She makes Helen laugh, invites her confidences, and distracts her from her fears. But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy

Downloaded: December 17, 2022

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 Kate’s 2¢: “The Sound of Rain” by Gregg Olsen

“The Sound of Rain” by Gregg Olsen

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   After I finished listening to this story, I wasn’t sure what happened or who did what, so I re-read the last three or four chapters. I’m still confused and bothered by the nasty epole who are free tocontinue their evil ways.

   Barb Scamman did a good job of narrating this story.  Thank you.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gregg Olsen (born March 5, 1959 in Seattle, Washington) is a New York Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal bestselling author of nonfiction books and novels, most of which are crime-related. The subjects of his true crime books include convicted child rapist and school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, product tampering killer Stella Nickell, fasting specialist Linda Burfield Hazzard, and former Amishman and convicted murderer Eli Stutzman.

   Olsen lives in rural Olalla, Washington, with his wife, a graphic designer.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The sound of rain DBC19138

Olsen, Gregg. Reading time: 12 hours, 25 minutes.

Read by Barb Scamman.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Former Bellevue, WA homicide detective Nicole Foster is a gambling addict betrayed by her former partner and lover, and fired over a case involving a murdered three-year-old girl. She’s homeless when the girl’s father reaches out to her because nothing about the case felt right–and it’s darker than she could have ever imagined. Adult. Unrated.

Downloaded: December 17, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢: “The last Mona Lisa” by Jonathan Santlofer

“The last Mona Lisa” by Jonathan Santlofer

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

From the WEB:

Santlofer, Jonathan 1946–PERSONAL: Born April 26, 1946, in New York, NY; son of Louis and Edith (Brill) Santlofer; married Joy Katzman; children: Doria. Education: Boston University, B.F.A., 1967; Pratt Institute, M.F.A., 1969.

Jonathan Santlofer is a writer and artist. His debut novel, The Death Artist, was an international bestseller and his novel, Anatomy of Fear, won the Nero Award for best crime novel of 2009. Jonathan created the Crime Fiction Academy as The Center for Fiction. As an artist, Jonathan has made replications of famous paintings for more than 20 years.

Jonathan Santlofer is the author of five novels and a highly respected artist whose work has been written about and reviewed in the New York Times, Art in America, Artforum, and Arts, and appears in many public, private, and corporate collections. He serves on the board of Yaddo, one of the oldest artist communities in the country.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The last Mona Lisa: a novel DB105442

Santlofer, Jonathan. Reading time: 10 hours, 12 minutes.

Read by Stephen Van Doren.

Suspense Fiction

Historical Fiction

In 1911, the Mona Lisa is stolen. More than one hundred years later, art professor Luke Perrone digs for the truth of his most famous ancestor, Vincent Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona Lisa. But Luke uncovers darker secrets. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2021.

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  Kate’s 2¢: “Death Is But A Dream: finding hope and meaning at life’s end” by Christopher Kerr, MD  PhD, Carine Mardorossian, M.D.

“Death Is But A Dream: finding hope and meaning at life’s end” by Christopher Kerr, MD  PhD, Carine Mardorossian, M.D.

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   The NLS listing made it seem like Fred Sanders  was one of the authors, but, I think he is the narrator, not a researcher with the other two, unless he’s considered a collaborator in writing the narrative.

   A few take-aways:

– In examining disease, we gain wisdom about anatomy, physiology, and biology.   In examining the person with a disease, we gain wisdom about life.  Oliver Sacks

–Doctors owe it to their patients to incorporate the end-of-life dreams into their practice…evidence of the human spirit.

–Death and dying transend  physical decline and sadness..to include spiritual awaking, beauty,  and grace.

–Medical personnel should encourage discussions of end-of-life experiences with the patient and care-givers/family.

–Patients need to know who they can trust with their end-of-life dreams.

–Pre-death dreams and visions are sources of comfort, meaning, and self-integration.

–The greatest comfort comes from our mostbaic foundational needs and relationships..the simplicity of every-day life…love.

–Not all end-of-life dreams are soothing to the dying…Still, they were transformative

–What unravels at the end-of-life is a process that happens again and again…It is a universal phenomenon and it is about love.

There’s a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love.  Thorton Wilder

   I found it really difficult to listen to chapter 6, where the death of a long-term spouse occurs and how the love continues and influences the end-of-life dreams of the remaining spouse.

From the web:

Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD, is the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Executive Officer for Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Chris earned his MD as well as a PhD in Neurobiology.

The Past Lives Podcast Ep155 – Dr. Christopher Kerr

www.pastliveshypnosis.co.uk/death-bed-visions/

University at Buffalo, Department of Global Gender

and Sexuality Studies, Carine Mardorossian, M.D.:

My goal as a researcher focused on issues of sexualized violence has always been to work myself out of that job. There should not be experts in this field or a field at all because there should be no sexualized violence (and all violence is sexualized). I always keep that in mind as a goal.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Death is but a dream: finding hope and meaning at life’s end DB109484

Kerr, Christopher, M.D; Sanders, Fred; Mardorossian, Carine M. Reading time: 7 hours, 48 minutes.

Read by Fred Sanders.

Health and Medicine

“Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love and grace. Beyond the physical realities of dying are unseen processes that are remarkably life-affirming. These include dreams that are unlike any regular dream. Described as “more real than real,” these end-of-life experiences resurrect past relationships, meaningful events and themes of love and forgiveness; they restore life’s meaning and mark the transition from distress to comfort and acceptance. Drawing on interviews with over 1,400 patients and more than a decade of quantified data, Dr. Kerr reveals that pre-death dreams and visions are extraordinary occurrences that humanize the dying process. He shares how his patients’ stories point to death as not solely about the end of life, but as the final chapter of humanity’s transcendence. Kerr’s book also illuminates the benefits of these phenomena for the bereaved, who find solace in se

Downloaded: December 17, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢:  “The Last Telegram: by Liz Trenow

 “The Last Telegram: by Liz Trenow

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Each chapter begins with a brief history of silk, starting from the Chinese Empress’s fishing a cocoon out of her tea, to the modern production of silk. Vignettes taken from her father’s ”History of Silk”. Then, the story spun on from the previous chapter, but tied in to the introduction.

   The question of who she actually married remains a secret until the end of the story. A great dramatic ploy, but, I’m not sure why the title is “The Last Telegram”.

A few take-outs:

–I need to make the most of the few years left granted to me.

–The family brought three refugees from the children’s camp to work in the family silk mill. They were very good workers

–Most prejudices are unthinking.

From her website:

Liz Trenow is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction, including Under a Wartime Sky and The Silk Weaver. Her novels are published worldwide and have been translated into many languages.

A former journalist, Liz spent fifteen years working for regional and national newspapers, and BBC radio and television news, before turning her hand to fiction. She lives in East Anglia with her artist husband and they have two grown-up daughters and three beautiful grandchildren, some wonderful friends, singing in two chamber choirs (Baroque music, especially) and, of course, reading widely. This is where I write.

One strand running through some of my novels stems back to my family background: I was born and brought up in a house next to the family silk mill, a company which was founded nearly 300 years ago and is still going strong today. There is more about the silk company at www.stephenwalters.co.uk. 

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The last telegram DB107696

Trenow, Liz. Reading time: 11 hours, 6 minutes.

Read by Susan Duerden.

Historical Fiction

Decades ago, as Nazi planes dominated the sky, Lily Verner made a terrible choice. She’s tried to forget, but now an unexpected event pulls her back to the 1940s British countryside. She finds herself remembering the brilliant colors of the silk she helped to weave at her family’s mill, the relentless pressure of the worsening war, and the kind of heartbreaking loss that stops time. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2013.

Downloaded: June 13, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢: “The It Girl” by Ruth Ware

“The It Girl” by Ruth Ware

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Instead of chapters, the author uses ‘Before’ and After’. ‘Before gives a clear picture of what life as a freshman on the Oxford campus is like  prior to the murder of April. It develops the characteristics of the six students and how they interact with each other; their identities, uniqueness, and relationships. ‘After’ develops the characters ten-years after the murder, introducing the other possibilities after the convicted man dies in jail, still protesting his innocence.

   The author does a good job of casting aspersions on several other characters who may have done the dastardly deed.  Hannah second guesses herself and feels the need to unearth the truth, so she can put her doubts away and concentrate on Will’s  baby growing within her  and their marriage.

   I enjoyed listening to Imogen Church read this story.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ruth Ware was born in 1977 and grew up in Lewes. She studied English at Manchester University, where she developed a fascination with Old English and Middle English texts.

Before her writing career, Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller and a publicist. She also spent time in Paris, teaching English as a foreign language.

Ware now lives near Brighton.

Early career[edit]

Before embarking on her writing career as Ruth Ware, Ware wrote five young adult fantasy novels under the alias Ruth Warburton, all of which were published by Hodder’s Children Books.

• A Witch Alone (2013) 978-1444904710

• A Witch in Winter (2013) 978-1444904697

• A Witch in Love (2013) 978-1444904703

• Witch Finder (2014) 978-1444914467

• Witch Hunt (2014) 978-1444914481

Writing style[edit]

In her crime books, Ware’s writing style is often compared to that of Agatha Christie.[4][5] Ware has admitted to being unconsciously influenced by Christie and other mystery novelists of that time.[6] Ware’s protagonists are usually ordinary women who find themselves in dangerous situations involving a crime. The first two of Ware’s novels feature a murder mystery with a group of people trapped, or otherwise restricted from immediately escaping the dangerous environment. Christie was famously known for utilizing this plot device, in novels such as Murder on the Orient Express.[7] Ware and Christie both choose settings and situations that foster the sense of dread that propels their characters to paranoia and often they react violently as a result. These environments create a sense of isolation for the events to unfold in.[8] Ware’s settings play a key role in drawing in the reader and are just as essential and integral to her story as the characters.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The it girl DB109689

Ware, Ruth. Reading time: 17 hours, 12 minutes.

Read by Imogen Church.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Bestsellers

Psychological Fiction

“April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead. Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide…including a murder.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.

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Kate’s 2¢: “Sleeping Bear” by Connor Sullivan

“Sleeping Bear” by Connor Sullivan

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Yes, this story is a good thriller. I suspect there is a lot of under-cover espionage and medical experimenting going on that the general public knows nothing about.

   Hillary Huber did a good job of reading this thriller.

https://connorsullivanauthor.comActions for this site

Connor Sullivan attended the University of Southern California, where he was the recipient of the Edward W. Moses Award for Creative Writing. During college, he interned for Warner Brothers reading screenplays before relocating with his family to the Gallatin Valley in Montana. His first novel is Sleeping Bear.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Sleeping bear: a thriller DB108828

Sullivan, Connor. Reading time: 13 hours, 46 minutes.

Read by Hillary Huber.

Suspense Fiction

Spy Stories

“After her young husband’s untimely death, Army veteran Cassie Gale decides to take a few days of solitude in the Alaskan wilderness before she starts her new job. But when she fails to show up on her first day and her dog is discovered injured at her wrecked campsite, her father knows that this is much more than a camping trip gone awry. As it turns out, Cassie’s not the first person to disappear without a trace in Alaska’s northern interior. Bears. Wolves. Avalanches. Frostbite. Starvation. There are many ways to die in here. But not all disappearances can be explained. Cassie’s is one of them, along with a number of other outdoor enthusiasts who have vanished in recent years. Regaining consciousness in a Russian prison, Cassie finds herself trapped in a system designed to ensure that no one ever escapes alive. It will require all her grit and skills to survive. Meanwhile, her father rushes to outrun the clock, scouring thousands of acres, only to realize she’s been taken by a nefari

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Kate’s 2¢: “QED : Queen’s experiments in detection” by Ellery Queen

“QED : Queen’s experiments in detection” by Ellery Queen

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   On listnening to several stories and EQ explains how he came to his concludion, I like to go back to the beginning of the story to find out what I over-looked.  Often, it is a detail EQ kept to himself until the end.

   I was intrigued by the safe in a safe; naming an eye-witness to who came out of the murdered man’s room; How Queen identified the one of three boys who stole the money from the teacher’s desk and where he hid it; How the unlucky lady was murdered  and who Queen identified one of her three suiters as the murderer; How the Library of Congress was used as a drug deal location and how Queen identified the participants.

   Well, I could go on, but the last story caught my curiosity. In is Queen described a Lincoln stamp worth a lot of money. I looked it up and the closest to what he described as a double Lincoln stamp with the upper image of Lincoln is upside-down and no perforation between the top and bottom stamps. We found a 1869  90-cent upside-down Lincoln head stamp, but it was only one stamp and no perforations.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murders.[1] Dannay and Lee wrote most of the more than thirty novels and several short story collections in which Ellery Queen appeared as a character, and their books were among the most popular of American mysteries published between 1929 and 1971. In addition to the fiction featuring their eponymous brilliant amateur detective, the two men acted as editors: as Ellery Queen they edited more than thirty anthologies of crime fiction and true crime, and Dannay founded and for many decades edited Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, which has been published continuously from 1941 to the present. From 1961, Dannay and Lee also commissioned other authors to write crime thrillers using the Ellery Queen nom de plume, but not featuring Ellery Queen as a character; several juvenile novels were credited to Ellery Queen, Jr. Finally, the prolific duo wrote four mysteries under the pseudonym Barnaby Ross.

Adding another layer of complexity to their relations, the two men were cousins, who created the nom de plume Ellery Queen using their professional names.[citation needed] Frederic Dannay was the professional name of Daniel Nathan[citation needed] (October 20, 1905 – September 3, 1982),[2] and Manfred Bennington Lee that of Emanuel Benjamin Lepofsky[citation needed] (January 11, 1905 – April 3, 1971).[3]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

QED : Queen’s experiments in detection DBC27218

Queen, Ellery. Reading time: 7 hours, 8 minutes.

Read by Traber Burns.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

A collection of novelettes and short stories from Ellery Queen’s many escapades. Commercial audiobook. Adult. Unrated.

Downloaded: December 17, 2022

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Kate’s 2¢: “Only a Moment Ago” by Wanita Humphrey

“Only a Moment Ago” by Wanita Humphrey

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

I liked this story. It was a wonderful love story and I like the way Eudora found to extend her love affair.  

Wanita Humphrey – Oghma Creative Media

Wanita Humphrey lives in Jefferson City, Missouri, with her husband, Glen. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, writing, traveling, and going to concerts. While teaching for thirty-one years in Missouri’s Public Schools, Wanita was active in the Missouri State Teachers Association and served as state president in 1999. She is a member of Kappa Kappa Iota and PEO.

https://oghmacreative.com/mbm-book-author/wanita-humphreyActions for this site

from NLS/BARD/LOC:

Only a Moment Ago DBC24317

Humphrey, Wanita. Reading time: 7 hours, 8 minutes.

Read by Carolyn Patterson.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Romance

Defined by love. Denied by time. In 1952, while vacationing in France, Eudora Winningham meets Alain Philidor. In search of a perfect spot to capture the beautiful landscape on canvas she trespasses on his land. Enchanted by the man and his beautifully restored farmhouse, she soon learns that he exists in the year 2006. Will they be able to bridge the gap of time or will the years between them separate them forever? Adult.

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