Kate’s 2¢: “

“

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

FROM nls/bard/loc:

Camino ghosts DB121568

Grisham, John. Reading time: 10 hours, 20 minutes.

Read by John Grisham; Whoopi Goldberg.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“On Camino Island, popular bookseller Bruce Cable tells Mercer Mann an irresistible tale that might be her next novel. A giant resort developer is using its political muscle and deep pockets to claim ownership of a deserted island between Florida and Georgia. Only the last living inhabitant of the island, Lovely Jackson, stands in its way. What the developer doesn’t know is that the island has a remarkable history, and locals believe it is cursed… and the past is never the past…”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: December 7, 2024

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Kate’s 2¢: “The Lost Coast: A Novel” by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman  

“The Lost Coast: A Novel” by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman  

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Dennis Boutsikaris did a good job of narrating this story. The author had a variety of droll humorous comments by characters and the subtleness wasn’t lost on him as he read.

   I enjoyed the plot and narrative arc, but the ending was unfortunate, with so much bloodshed.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jonathan Seth Kellerman (born August 9, 1949) is an American novelist, psychologist, and Edgar- and Anthony Award–winning author best known for his popular mystery novels featuring the character Alex Delaware, a child psychologist who consults for the Los Angeles Police Department.[1]

Born on the Lower East Side of New York City, his family relocated to Los Angeles when Jonathan was nine years old.[2]

Kellerman graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a doctor of philosophy degree in psychology in 1974, and began working as a staff psychologist at the USC School of Medicine, where he eventually became a full clinical professor of pediatrics.[2] He opened a private practice in the early 1980s while writing novels in his garage at night.[3]

His first published novel, When the Bough Breaks, appeared in 1985, many years after writing and having works rejected. He then wrote five best-selling novels while still a practicing psychologist. In 1990, he quit his private practice to write full-time. He has written more than 40 crime novels, as well as nonfiction works and children’s books.[3]

Life and career[edit]

Kellerman was born in New York City, son of David, an aerospace engineer and inventor, and Sylvia, a dancer and office manager. He attended Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) before his family relocated to California. He grew up in Los Angeles and received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology at UCLA in 1971. He worked his way through college as a cartoonist, illustrator, journalist, and editor, as well as by teaching guitar. As a college senior, he co-wrote an unpublished novel that garnered a Samuel Goldwyn writing award. That prize has served as a stepping stone to film writing for other writers, but Kellerman deliberately avoided the world of screenwriting and enrolled in a PhD program in clinical psychology at USC. He received his doctoral degree in psychology from USC in 1974. His doctoral research was on attribution of blame for childhood psychopathology, and he published a scientific paper on that topic, his first, at the age of 22. He is currently a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine.[4]

Kellerman’s externship, internship, and postdoctoral fellowship were at the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles/USC School of Medicine, where he became founding director of the psychosocial program, Division of Hematology-Oncology. Kellerman’s initial position at CHLA was conducting research into the effects of psychological isolation in germ-free “plastic bubble” rooms on the emotional and intellectual development of children with cancer.

Simultaneously, he was assigned to minimize the destructive consequences of such intense treatment by developing a multidisciplinary clinical approach. The success of that endeavor led to the expansion of psychosocial services to all oncology patients at CHLA, and the program developed by Kellerman and his staff was the world’s first attempt to provide comprehensive, systematic, emotional support to pediatric cancer patients and their families, and served as the template for what is now considered appropriate care. Kellerman’s experiences at CHLA led him to publish his first book in 1980, a medical text that he edited, titled Psychological Aspects of Childhood Cancer. He is himself a survivor of thyroid cancer.

During Kellerman’s time at CHLA, he also conducted research and published in the areas of disease impact and adolescence, disease-related communication and its effect upon emotional adjustment, pediatric pain management, sleep and anxiety disorders, the treatment of childhood encopresis, and the neuropsychological effects of central nervous system chemotherapy and radiation.

Kellerman’s extensive work with anxiety disorders led him to publish a book for parents, Helping the Fearful Child, in 1981. Four years later, his first novel, When the Bough Breaks, was published, became a bestseller, and was adapted as a TV movie. He has published one, or occasionally two, bestselling thrillers every year since. During his tenure as a practicing psychologist, he came into contact with the legal system as a consultant and expert witness, and some of those experiences have impacted his novels.

Jonathan Kellerman lives in Los Angeles with his wife Faye Kellerman, herself a well-known best-selling crime writer. They have four children. Their oldest, Jesse Kellerman, is a best-selling novelist and award-winning playwright. Their youngest, Aliza Kellerman, co-wrote Prism, a young adult novel published in 2009, with her mother.

Jonathan Kellerman has publicly spoken out against what he calls the “misguided” release of severely mentally ill people into the community, where they must fend for themselves instead of receiving proper care. He has stated that such people should receive counseling and psychotherapy as well as medication,[5] as opposed to today’s model in which they receive only medication and no other care at all.

Faye and Jonathan Kellerman’s decades of philanthropy include endowments at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles Division of Hematology-Oncology, where a yearly lecture has been named after Jonathan, and USC’s department of psychology and Thornton School of Music. They have also contributed to numerous educational institutions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s musical instrument department, the Georgia Okeeffe Museum, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

   Jesse Oren Kellerman (born September 1, 1978) is an American novelist and playwright.[1] He is the author of the novels Sunstroke (2006), Trouble (2007), The Genius (2008), The Executor (2010), and Potboiler (2012). He has co-authored numerous books with his father Jonathan Kellerman, including The Golem of Hollywood (2014).

Life and career[edit]

Kellerman was born in Los Angeles, California, the oldest child and only son of the bestselling mystery novelists Faye Kellerman and Jonathan Kellerman. His first published title co-authored with his father was their 1994 book of children’s poetry, Daddy, Daddy, Can You Touch the Sky?

Kellerman studied psychology at Harvard and playwriting at Brandeis University. For a time he served as lead guitarist for the L.A.-based indie rock band Don’t Shoot the Dog.

His 2004 play Things Beyond Our Control was honored with a Princess Grace Award, which recognizes emerging talent in theater, dance, and film in the US. Kellerman is also a recipient of the Grand Prix des Lectrices de Elle.

His essay “Let My People Go to the Buffet” was chosen for Penguin’s annual anthology The Best American Spiritual Writing in 2011.[2] His 2012 book Potboiler was nominated for that year’s Edgar Award for Best Novel.

Kellerman is an Orthodox Jew, as are his parents. He resides in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Gabriella Sarah (Rosen),[1] and their three children.[3][4]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The lost coast: a novel DB123155

Kellerman, Jonathan; Kellerman, Jesse. Reading time: 8 hours, 22 minutes.

Read by Dennis Boutsikaris.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“It’s been almost a year since Clay Edison was forced out of his job at the coroner’s bureau. Now he’s on his own, working as a private eye…Clay is brought a fraud case that begins with a man surprised to learn that he’s been named the executor of his grandmother’s estate. Her accounts are a mess, and not everything is adding up…As Clay dives deeper into a decades-old scheme targeting the vulnerable, his investigation leads him to a bizarre town buried in the remote California wilderness. The residents don’t care much for outsiders. They certainly don’t like Clay asking questions. And they’ll do just about anything to shut him up.”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: November 4, 2024

Download The lost coast: a novel

Kate’s 2¢: “The best mystery stories of the year 2024” by Anthony Horowitz and Otto Penzler

“The best mystery stories of the year 2024” by Anthony Horowitz and Otto Penzler

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   BJ Harrison and  Kim Niemi did a good job of reading various stories in this collection. I should have noted which stories I especially liked.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anthony John Horowitz CBE (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include the Alex Rider series featuring a 14-year-old British boy who spies for MI6, The Power of Five series (known as The Gatekeepers in the USA), and The Diamond Brothers series.

Horowitz’s works for adults include: the play Mindgame (2001); two Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk (2011) and Moriarty (2014); two novels featuring his own detective Susan Ryeland, Magpie Murders (2016) and Moonflower Murders (2020); five novels featuring a fictionalised version of himself as a companion and chronicler to private investigator Daniel Hawthorne: The Word Is Murder (2017), The Sentence Is Death (2018), A Line to Kill (2021), The Twist of a Knife (2022), and Close to Death (2024).

The estate of James Bond creator Ian Fleming chose Horowitz to write Bond novels utilising unpublished material by Fleming, starting with Trigger Mortis in 2015, followed by Forever and a Day in 2018, and a third and final novel With a Mind to Kill in May 2022.

Horowitz has also written for television, contributing scripts to ITV’s Agatha Christie’s Poirot and adapting six early episodes of Midsomer Murders from the novels of Caroline Graham, including the first three episodes. He was the creator and writer of the ITV series Foyle’s War, Collision and Injustice, and the BBC series Crime Traveller and New Blood.

Early life[edit]

File:Rugby_School_850

Rugby School in Warwickshire

Horowitz was born in Stanmore, Middlesex, into a Jewish family, and in his early years lived an upper middle class lifestyle.[2][3][4] As a child, Horowitz used to go to Instow, where his nanny took him boating on the River Torridge. He also had a stuffed monkey named Benjamin (which was later eaten by his dog).[5]

Horowitz attended Orley Farm School. He started writing at the age of eight or nine and he instantly knew he would be a professional writer. This was because he was an underachiever in school and was not physically fit, and found his escape in books and telling stories. In a 2006 interview, Horowitz stated “I was quite certain, from my earliest memory, that I would be a professional writer and nothing but.”[6]

At age 13 he went to Rugby School, a public school, in Rugby, Warwickshire. He graduated from the University of York with a lower second class degree in English literature and art history in 1977, where he was in Vanbrugh College.[7][8]

Horowitz’s mother introduced him to Frankenstein and Dracula. She gave him a human skull for his 13th birthday. Horowitz said in an interview that it reminds him to get to the end of each story since he will soon look like the skull.[9]

Horowitz’s father was associated with some of the politicians in the “circle” of prime minister Harold Wilson, including Eric Miller.[10] Facing bankruptcy, he moved his assets into Swiss numbered bank accounts. He died from cancer when Horowitz was 22, and the family was never able to track down the missing money despite years of trying.[4] This left the family bankrupt, requiring the sale of the large family home.[11]

Literary career[edit]

Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is an American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City.[1]

Biography[edit]

Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father,[2] Penzler moved to The Bronx at age five after the death of his father.[2] Penzler graduated from the University of Michigan,[2] having studied English literature.[2][3]

He is the co-author of the Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection for which he won an Edgar Award in 1977.[3] He also wrote 101 Greatest Movies of Mystery and Suspense (2000). For The New York Sun, he wrote The Crime Scene, a popular weekly mystery fiction column that ran for five years. He has worked with authors including Elmore Leonard, Nelson DeMille, Joyce Carol Oates, Sue Grafton, Mary Higgins Clark, Stanley Ellin, Robert Crais, Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke and Thomas H. Cook.

He founded The Mysterious Press, a publishing house devoted entirely to mystery and crime fiction, in 1975.[2] Among the authors it published (works published in America for the first time, not reprints) are Eric Ambler, Kingsley Amis, Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, James M. Cain,[2] Raymond Chandler,[2] Jerome Charyn, Len Deighton, Stanley Ellin, James Ellroy,[2] Patricia Highsmith,[2] P. D. James, H. R. F. Keating, Peter Lovesey, Ed McBain,[2] Ross Macdonald,[2] Marcia Muller, Ellis Peters, Ruth Rendell, Mickey Spillane, Ross Thomas,[2] Donald E. Westlake and Cornell Woolrich. In the 1980s it was publishing more than 100 books a year and the imprint was affiliated with major publishers in England (Century-Hutchinson-Arrow), Japan (Hayakwa Publishing), Italy (Mondadori) and Sweden (Bra Bocker). The Mysterious Book Club became a division of the Book of the Month Club and Mysterious Audios an imprint with Dove Audio.

After selling The Mysterious Press to Warner Books in 1989, he created an Otto Penzler Books imprint for Macmillan (later Scribner). He moved the imprint to Carroll & Graf, then to Harcourt (later Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). He also established the Otto Penzler Books imprint in London, first with Quercus, then with Atlantic/Corvus, now with Head of Zeus. He reacquired The Mysterious Press name from Hachette in 2009; it was an imprint at Grove Atlantic until 2021, when it became an independent imprint as part of Penzler Publishers.[4]

In 2011, he founded MysteriousPress.com, a publishing house devoted to electronic books featuring such authors as James Ellroy, Donald E. Westlake, Ellery Queen, Joseph Wambaugh, Ross Macdonald, Charlotte MacLeod and many others.

Penzler founded The Mysterious Bookshop in mid-town Manhattan and after twenty-seven years moved to Tribeca.[2] It is now the oldest and largest mystery specialist bookstore in the world.[5]

In 2002, he hosted a television series of great mystery films for the Turner Classic Movies channel.

He has edited more than fifty anthologies of crime fiction of both reprints and newly commissioned stories, including the prestigious Best American Mystery Stories—now Best Mystery Stories of the Year—since 1997.

Penzler served on the board of directors of the Mystery Writers of America for fourteen years and was awarded the organization’s Ellery Queen Award and a Raven (its highest non-writing award). He won a second Edgar for editing The Lineup, a collection of profiles of famous detectives, written by their creators.

On April 8, 2010 Swann Galleries auctioned The Otto Penzler Collection of British Espionage and Thriller Fiction. The sale represented a select portion of Penzler’s private library with works by Eric Ambler, Ian Fleming, Graham Greene, John le Carré, William Le Queux, H. C. McNeile, E. Phillips Oppenheim, and Dennis Wheatley. Penzler also befriended many noted authors including Ambler, Ken Follett, John Gardner and others, who inscribed copies of their works. “British spy novels are among the greatest of all works in the mystery genre”, Penzler said in the introduction to the Swann auction catalogue. “This is the first auction ever devoted entirely to this important literary genre.”

In Fall 2018, Penzler established Penzler Publishers, which launched American Mystery Classics, a collection of newly reissued mystery and detective fiction, many of which had been unavailable for several decades. Some of the American Mystery Classics authors include Mary Roberts Rinehart, John Dickson Carr, and Ellery Queen, all distributed by WW Norton.[6]

In 2019, Penzler teamed up with Pegasus Books to launch Scarlet, a joint publishing venture specializing in psychological suspense aimed at female readers. Scarlet became an independent imprint as part of Penzler Publishers in 2020.[7] The first title, An Inconvenient Woman, the debut from author Stephanie Buelens, was released January 2020, distributed by W.W. Norton.[8]

Penzler lives in New York City and Connecticut.

Works[edit]

Publisher[edit]

• Otto Penzler Books. An imprint at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2005–2010).

• The Armchair Detective Library. Reprinted classic crime fiction for collectors and libraries.

• The Mysterious Press. Established in 1975. Sold to Time/Warner in 1989; reacquired by Penzler in 2009; an imprint at Grove/Atlantic until 2021; now an imprint of Penzler Publishers.

• The Armchair Detective. A quarterly journal for studies of mystery and suspense fiction (17 years).

• MysteriousPress.com. An eBook company distributed by Open Road Integrated Media.

• Penzler Publishers. A publishing company that releases newly reissued mystery classics, distributed by WW Norton.

• Scarlet. An imprint of Penzler Publishers specializing in psychological suspense aimed at female readers.[9]

Series editor[edit]

• The Best American Mystery Stories. Annual series from 1997 to 2021, with guest editors. Writer Robert B. Parker wrote “Otto Penzler knows more about crime fiction than most people know about anything, and proves it once more in this brilliant anthology.”

• The Best American Crime Writing. Annual series since 2002, with Thomas H. Cook and guest editors.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The best mystery stories of the year 2024 DB124691

Horowitz, Anthony; Penzler, Otto. Reading time: 15 hours, 24 minutes.

Read by BJ Harrison; Kim Niemi.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“Anthony Horowitz selects and introduces the best mystery stories from the past year, under the auspices of the world’s oldest mystery fiction specialty bookshop. From a pool of over 3,000 considered stories published last yea–anything that touched on crime, mystery, and suspense, from venues as disparate as The Strand Magazine, Dark Yonder, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, The Bellevue Literary Review, and more–these are the very best, selected by series editor Otto Penzler and guest editor Anthony Horowitz. The tales included cover a range of styles, highlighting the diversity of subjects and forms comprising the genre we call mystery fiction. Featuring a mixture of household names, masters of the short form, and newcomers to the field, the collection offers a variety that promises something for every reader. And it’s all capped off by a vintage story from the first half of the previous century, sourced directly from the rare book room at the Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest mystery fiction specialty store in the world.”–Amazon Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: December 7, 2024

Download The best mystery stories of the year 2024

Kate’s 2¢: “The Winter Lodge” by Susan Wiggs

“The Winter Lodge” by Susan Wiggs

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Since this story was narrated by my favorite reader, Martha Harmon Pardee, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Martha has a way of, with only slight inflections of her voice, you know who exactly is talking.

Wikipedia

Susan Wiggs (born May 17, 1958) [1][2] is an American author of historical and contemporary romance novels. Wiggs began writing as a child, finishing her first novel, A Book About Some Bad Kids, when she was eight. She temporarily abandoned her dream of being a novelist after graduating from Harvard University, instead becoming a math teacher.

   Early years[edit]

Wiggs began writing as a child, finishing her first novel, A Book About Some Bad Kids, when she was eight. She temporarily abandoned her dream of being a novelist after graduating from Harvard University, instead becoming a math teacher. She continued to read, especially reveling in romance novels. After running out of reading material one evening in 1983, she began writing again, using the working title A Book About Some Bad Adults.[3][4]

Career[edit]

For three years Wiggs continued to write, and in 1987 Zebra Books published her first novel, a Western historical romance named Texas Wildflower.[3] Her subsequent historical and contemporary romances have been set in a wide range of settings and time periods. Many of her novels are set in areas where she’s lived or visited.[5] She gave up teaching in 1992 to write full-time, and has since completed an average of two books per year.[6]

In 2000, Wiggs began writing single-title women’s fiction stories in addition to historical romance novels. The first, The You I Never Knew, was published in 2001.[6] After writing mass-market original novels for several years, Wiggs made her hardcover debut in 2003 with Home Before Dark.[5]

Many of her novels are connected, allowing Wiggs to revisit established characters.[3]

Her books have been published in many languages, including French, German, Dutch, Latvian, Japanese, Hungarian and Russian.[4]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The winter lodge DB64477

Wiggs, Susan. Reading time: 10 hours, 52 minutes.

Read by Martha Harmon Pardee.

Romance

Avalon, New York. When columnist and baker Jenny Majesky’s house burns down, she crashes with her ex-lover, police chief Rourke McKnight. Jenny eventually retreats to a remote lodge where both Rourke and a mysterious intruder pay her a visit. Includes recipes. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2007.

Downloaded: December 21, 2024

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Kate’s 2¢: Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself” by David Toomey

“Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself” by David Toomey

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   The author seems to debunk the long-time thought that juvenile play is practice for adulthood. Another interesting idea was that humans have a longer time to ‘grow up’ because they have stages of receptive periods to learn specific behaviors and it all takes time.

   Jacques David Roy did a good job of narrating this book for NLS.

David Toomey | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

David Toomey is a Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he teaches courses in writing and in the history of science. He is the author of several books of nonfiction, including Weird Life and The New Time Travelers .

Toomey’s Biography – UMass Amherst

David Toomey is a Professor of English and Director of the Program for Professional Writing and Technical Communication at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He has taught undergraduate courses including Introduction to Professional Writing, Advanced Software for Professional Writers, and Advanced Expository Writing.

He is the author of several books of nonfiction, including Weird Life and The New Time Travelers .

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself DB120281

Toomey, David Reading time: 7 hours, 3 minutes.

(Jacques David) Jacques Roy

Animals and Wildlife

Nature and the Environment

“For readers of Inside of a Dog and The Soul of an Octopus, a fascinating, charming, and revelatory look at the science behind why animals play that shows how life–at its most fundamental level–is playful. In Kingdom of Play, critically acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. From octopuses on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution? Monkeys belly-flop, dolphins tail-walk, elephants mud-slide, crows dive-bomb, and octopuses bounce balls. These activities are various, but all are play, and as Toomey explains, animal play can be seen as a distinct behavior–one that is ongoing and open-ended, purposeless and provisional–rather like natural selection. Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful. A globe-spanning journey and a scientific detective story filled with lively animal anecdotes, Kingdom of Play is an illuminating–and yes, playful–look at a little-known aspect of the animal kingdom”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download Kingdom of play: what ball-bouncing octopuses, belly-flopping monkeys, and mud-sliding elephants reveal about life itself DB120281

Kate’s 2¢: “The Christmas Tree Farm” by Laurie Gilmore

“The Christmas Tree Farm” by Laurie Gilmore

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Being a romance story, you know the formula of girl meets boy, but they don’t want to let the other know  their true feelings. The author wields her craft well in keeping the sexual tension high as boy and girl struggle against their true feelings.

   I liked the ending, except I think there should have been a ring in the treasure box, so that Ben could propose marriage and seal it with the ring for luck.

   Regina Reagan did a good job of narrating this story for NLS.

From the web:

Laurie Gilmore

Laurie Gilmore is a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller and a USA Today bestseller who writes steamy small-town romance. Her Dream Harbor series is filled with quirky townsfolk, cozy settings, and swoon-worthy romance.

   Author Laurie Gilmore, the pen name for writer Melissa McTernan, can’t quite explain it. Five years ago, Melissa was a stay-at-home mum in upstate New York, who turned her hand to writing.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Christmas tree farm DB125088

Gilmore, Laurie. Reading time: 8 hours, 10 minutes.

Read by Regina Reagan.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Human Relations

Romance

Holidays

“Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good. Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor taking a break from his life in California. And most importantly, taking a break from his latest run of disastrous dates. After a run in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she’s clearly got no idea what she’s doing. Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media, it’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it. But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an ax at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questioning why she refused help in the first place”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: December 21, 2024

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Kate’s 2¢: “Murder On The Christmas Express” by Alexandra Benedict

“Murder On The Christmas Express” by Alexandra Benedict

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Well, you know there is going to be a murder on a train, and you know someone will be there to try to solve who did it. At first, I thought the sub-theme was about Mothers and daughters, but the much bigger picture was exposing rape and the heinous repercussion of the violence.

   Mhairi Morrison did a good job of narrating this story.

From the web:

Alexandra Benedict (Author of Surrender to Seduction) – Goodreads

Dec 22, 2022 · ALEXANDRA BENEDICT is the author of several historical romance novels published by Avon Books. She also writes fiction as an Indie Author. Her work has received critical acclaim from Booklist and a rare and coveted starred review from Publishers Weekly.

   Alexandra Benedict is an American author of paranormal romance, historical romance, mystery, and science fiction books. She is the author of the Westmore Brothers series, Hawkins Brothers, Castles in the Sky series, and several standalone novels.

Author Alexandra Benedict is a storyteller at heart. A graduate of the University of Toronto, she works part-time in a museum, while penning passionate tales of historical romance. An archaeology buff, she loves to travel and explore ancient ruins. Her hobbies include collecting art and reading classic British literature

      Benedict has been a composer, singer-songwriter, actor, and lecturer in crime fiction, and is now an award-winning writer of novels, short stories and scripts. As AK Benedict, she writes high-concept novels, speculative short stories and scripts.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Murder on the Christmas express DB125084

Benedict, Alexandra. Reading time: 9 hours, 10 minutes.

Read by Mhairi Morrison.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Holidays

“All aboard, but beware! Passengers who sleep on this train may never wake up. In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train from London to the Highlands derails, along with the festive plans of its travelers. With the train buried in snow in the middle of nowhere, the passengers have only each other, and not all of them will reach their holiday celebrations. As a killer tries to pick passengers off one by one, former Met Detective Roz Parker can’t resist one last investigation, but murder in a locked room is a formidable puzzle for even the most seasoned investigator. As accusations begin to fly, the group of travelers fractures and unexpected alliances form. Can Roz find the culprit before anyone else is lost?”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: December 21, 2024

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Kate’s 2¢: “Lord Jim: a Romance” by Joseph Conrad

“Lord Jim: a Romance” by Joseph Conrad

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Conrad is/was a prolific writer, mostly on sea adventures. “Lord Jim” begins with an ocean tragedy and ends in a jungle tragedy. It is the story of one man’s code of honor. A very interesting tale of one man’s code of honor.    

   George Rose did a good job of narrating this classic story for us.

From the Web:

Conrad’s father, Apollo Nalęcz Korzeniowski, a poet and an ardent Polish patriot, was one of the organizers of the committee that went on in 1863 to direct the Polish insurrection against Russian rule. He was arrested in late 1861 and was sent into exile at Vologda in northern Russia. His wife and four-year-old son followed him there, and the harsh…

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Lord Jim: a romance DB15912

Conrad, Joseph. Reading time: 12 hours, 25 minutes.

Read by George Rose.

Classics

Adventure

The hero of this novel is a young, untested chief mate who was disgraced by yielding to panic in a crisis, so he spends the rest of his life in a vain effort to redeem his honor in his own eyes.

Downloaded: November 4, 2024

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Kate’s 2¢: “I cheerfully Refuse: a novel”

“I cheerfully Refuse: a novel”

          by Leif Enger  

NOTE: 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 her thoughts about what she reads. Inho…

   This story was included on the NLS cartridge that contained seven books and sent USPS to me.

   It is a bit strange, but really rather interesting, too.

David Aaron Baker did a good job of reading this novel. Thank you.

Wikipedia

Leif Enger is an American author [1] who wrote the novel Peace Like a River. Early life. Enger was born in 1961 and was raised in Osakis, Minnesota. His parents were teachers. He attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, majoring in English and mass communication. [2] Career.

Bio – Leif Enger

Leif Enger grew up in Osakis, Minnesota, and worked as a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio before writing his bestselling debut novel Peace Like a River, which won the Booksense Award for Fiction and was named one of the Year’s Best Books by Time Magazine and the Los Angeles Times.

Leif Enger author biography – BookBrowse

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

I cheerfully refuse: a novel DB120825

Enger, Leif Reading time: 11 hours, 59 minutes.

David Aaron Baker

Science Fiction

Adventure

Fantasy Fiction

“Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. Rainy, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs, and remote islands of the inland sea. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people, a malignant billionaire ruling class, crumbled infrastructure, and a lawless society. Amid the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty, surprising humor, generous strangers, and an unexpected companion in a young girl who comes aboard. And as his innate guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his strengthening wake. I Cheerfully Refuse epitomizes the “musical, sometimes magical and deeply satisfying kind of storytelling” (Los Angeles Times) for which Leif Enger is cherished. A rollicking narrative in the most evocative of settings, this latest novel is a symphony against despair and a rallying cry for the future”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download I cheerfully refuse: a novel DB120825

Kate’s 2¢: “The Child Next Door” by Shalini Boland

“The Child Next Door” by Shalini Boland

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   At first, I thought that Kristie’s husband, Dom, was gaslighting her, but the double endings are much more horrific.

From the web:

 Shalini Boland is the USA-Today bestselling author of nineteen psychological thrillers. With over two and a half million copies sold, her titles have been translated into over ten languages for publication around the world.

Boland has 40 books on Goodreads with 489270 ratings. Shalini Boland’s most popular book is The Silent Bride.

her titles are published by Amazon Publishing, Audible, Bookouture, and Grand Central Publishing. Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her family and their increasingly demanding dog, Queen Jess.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The child next door DB120587

Boland, Shalini. Reading time: 11 hours, 14 minutes.

Read by Victoria Westlake.

Suspense Fiction

Psychological Fiction

“Kirstie Rawlings is jolted awake by a child crying. Racing upstairs to check on her newborn, she is plunged into every parent’s worst nightmare. She hears an unknown voice in the baby monitor, saying: ‘Let’s take the child – and go.’ Is someone trying to steal her little girl? In the bedroom, her daughter is safe asleep in her cot. Is the voice coming from a nearby house? But there aren’t any other children living on her quiet country road … The police don’t believe her. And neither does her husband. Kirstie knows something isn’t right. She thought she could trust her neighbours, now she isn’t sure. As she unravels the secrets of the people living on her street, Kirstie’s perfect life begins to fall apart. Because someone is hiding a terrible lie. And they will do anything to stop Kirstie uncovering the truth. But is the danger closer to home than she thinks?” –WorldCat. Strong language and some violence.

Downloaded: November 4, 2024

Download The child next door