Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

Nov 1

#32: Cometh the Hour (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

This week, I read the sixth volume of The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. Set in the 1970s, the novel opens with Emma finally being vindicated in her libel case filed by Lady Virginia. Giles and Seb both find love — one relationship looks very promising while the other is shrouded in questions of espionage and deception. Harry Clifton’s efforts to have a Russian author freed from prison finally have success, but at what cost?

Cometh the Hour is a fast-moving read that keeps the reader engaged. While this volume has many scenes in the English court system, the writing is more interesting than the long political battle that stymied in an earlier novel of the saga. I’m looking forward to reading the final book in The Clifton Chronicles later this month. First, I plan to spend the week reading The House Girl by Tara Conklin as part of My Library Shelf.

fiction historical Series

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Oct 24

#31: The Black Echo (Michael Connelly)

by kennithfreeman

I get asked on a fairly regular basis why I do the My Library Shelf project. The idea was birthed after reading The Shelf: Adventures in Extreme Reading by Phyllis Rose. The premise is fairly simple. Select a shelf — ideally with at least one classic novel and no more than 5 works by a single author — and read with a sense of adventure. The project is always much easier and more exciting at larger libraries. Unger Library has been a little more challenging. Few classics are mixed in with the contemporary works and there are LOTS of shelves dominated by mass market authors. That has meant that I have to be a little more flexible with the “rules” of the project, but I still get to enjoy the adventure of reading books with which I would not otherwise engage. Sometimes, I find a really enjoyable book like The Black Echo.

The Black Echo is the first of Michael Connelly’s novels featuring Detective Harry Bosch. (The Bosch novels seem to be quite popular. There are currently 21 books in the series as well as a television series based on the character available on Prime Video.) Bosch is a Vietnam vet who has joined the LAPD as a rough-around-the-edges, no-nonsense homicide detective. In the opening novel, Bosch is called to investigate an apparent overdose victim found in a water drainage system above the Hollywood Hills. What should have been an easy case becomes much more personal when Bosch recognizes the victim as a fellow serviceman from his past. Now the case has become personal.

The Black Echo is full of intrigue and excitement. The twists and turns continue until the novel’s closing passage — with an ending that this reader did not see coming at all. I especially enjoyed the southern California setting and the attention to geographic details. I was able to travel the familiar roads with the detective as things were described with stunning clarity. Connelly is a gifted story teller and I am looking forward to returning to more of his works as I continue to make my way through My Library Shelf.

What’s ahead? For now, I am returning to The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. My plan is to include the final two books in the saga in the rest of my 2020 reading.

fiction My Library Shelf mystery thriller

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Oct 13

#30: Out of Control (Mary Connealy)

by kennithfreeman

The first of three books in The Kincaid Brides series, Out of Control focuses on the relationship between Rafe, the oldest of the Kincaid brothers, and Julia, a daughter of an abusive father who finds herself in need of rescue in the wild West. A departure from my normal reading fare, I read Out of Control as part of My Library Shelf and have to admit that the novel ended much better than I had originally anticipated.

Julia is fascinated with caverns she has discovered in Colorado and the fossils they contain. While on one of her explorations, she is attacked by a man and stranded in the cavern to die. Rafe hears her cries for help, comes to her rescue, and thus begins their adventure. As his relationship with Julia begins to flourish, Rafe finds himself seeking balance as he also tries to reconcile with his younger brothers Ethan and Seth, both emotionally and physically scarred from a childhood tragedy that continues to haunt them as adults.

The novel begins very slowly and plods along in an unexciting manner. However, when I finally reached the middle of the novel and the death of Julia’s abusive father (trust me, it is not a spoiler…….the reader can see it coming from the earliest pages of the novel), it seems as though Connealy’s writing improves tremendously and the story telling pulls the surviving readers into an adventure that is both satisfying and hopeful.

I have another novel in the series to read because of its inclusion on my library shelf. I’m not sure that I will read the final book in the series though. There are too many good books to read to waste my time on lackluster ones.

fiction historical My Library Shelf romance

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Oct 6

#29: Mightier than the Sword (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

As the weekend came to a close, I finished the fifth installment of the Clifton Chronicles and thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. Mightier than the Sword is set in the 1970s against the backdrop of political turbulence across the globe. This time, the novel does not focus on one character primarily; instead, all four are heavily featured as the Chronicles race to its conclusion.

Harry Clifton decided to use his platform to call for the release of a fellow author who is imprisoned in a Soviet jail for the publication of his controversial biography of Joseph Stalin. Emma struggles to maintain control of Barrington Shipping while fighting a libel case against her nemesis, Lady Virginia. Seb continues his meteoric rise through the British banking system, yet questions if there are more important things in life than just business success. After facing political scandal, Giles finds himself once again in a heated campaign against Major Fisher that just might cost him his position in Parliament as well as his hopes of serving his country as a foreign minister.

Mightier than the Sword is a gripping novel and a great example of Archer’s ability to masterfully weave a story.

fiction historical Series

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Sep 13

#28: The 20th Victim (James Patterson)

by kennithfreeman

I’m happy to say that I have a review of my latest read sooner than I anticipated. The last third of the latest installment of the Women’s Murder Club flew and made for an enjoyable Sunday of reading.

Lindsey, Claire, Cindy, and Yuki are back at it. This time the central story is about a well-trained assassin taking out drug dealers around the country and using a video game to hide behind. Like Patterson’s other books in the series, this novel does not just tell one story. Yuki is charging a teen driver as an accessory to murder for the death of a cop; she knows the teen is innocent, but too afraid to identify the real gunman. Claire is fighting another kind of battle in the form of lung cancer. All the while, Lindsey’s husband, Joe, is reconnecting with a friend from his past that is convinced his father’s recent deadly cardiac event was not a naturally occurring event. Together, the men search for the truth about the man’s death and possible murder.

The 20th Victim was not an earth-shaking read. It was exactly what I have come to expect from the series — a fun read when I need to escape from the pressures of life and just want to have a little excitement with some of my literary friends. Now I’ll just have to wait for the release of the 21st book in the series in order to have my next visit.

fiction Series thriller

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Sep 3

#27: Beyond Tuesday Morning (Karen Kingsbury)

by kennithfreeman

This week, I returned to the story of Jaime and Sierra as they continued to deal with the loss of beloved husband and father, Jake, in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Three years have passed since the attacks. Jaime copes with her grief by volunteering at St. Paul’s, a small chapel near the site in Manhattan’s Financial District. Is she really dealing with her grief or simply going through the motions while memorializing the life she has lost?

While riding the Staten Island ferry, Jaime is accosted by a trio of criminals. That’s when she first meets Clay, an attractive police office from Los Angeles who is in town for training with the NYPD. Jaime’s world is turned upside down as she begins to realize that Clay’s presence in her life has reawakened feelings she has not experienced since before Jake’s death. Can anything really come of this new found friendship since Clay will return to the west coast in just a matter of weeks? Is this just infatuation or could Jaime really be falling in love with a man other than Jake? Beyond Tuesday Morning is a beautiful story of hope, healing, and “choosing life” as we search for God’s perfect plan for our life.

Christian fiction

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Aug 28

#26: Here Comes Trouble (Donna Kauffman)

by kennithfreeman

Another week, another novel. I was not feeling incredibly well last weekend and decided I needed an easy read this week. So I grabbed another fluff read that I picked up on a recent trip to Half Price Books last month. Here Comes Trouble looked like an interesting, easy read — and with a price of $3 on the clearance rack, I couldn’t go wrong.

Here Comes Trouble is set in Vermont where Kirby has opened a small inn near the new ski resort. Unluckily, her establishment is suffering due to the unusually high temperatures and absence of snow. She seems destined to lose her business and all hope of finding success in life.

That’s when Brett rides into town on his Harley, clad in leather jacket and chaps. The mysterious stranger becomes the lone guest at the inn and he single-handedly turns Kirby’s world upside down. A recently retired professional poker player, Brett is running from his past in Vegas and desperately searching a future that will make him happy. An unlikely relationship ensues despite the fears and hesitations of each. Will this simply be a fling or will it turn into something more?

Kauffman’s storytelling is rich. By the time I reached the final 100 pages, however, I was ready for the story to come to an end. The novelty of the relationship had lost its impact and the plot was becoming predictable. Still, Here Comes Trouble was an enjoyable read in a busy week when I didn’t want to stretch my reading muscles too much.

fiction romance

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Aug 22

#25: Be Careful What You Wish For (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

I didn’t finish the novel as quickly as I had hoped, but I completed another novel this week. I returned to the Clifton Chronicles and read the fourth novel in the saga, Be Careful What You Wish For. This volume is largely focused on Emma’s development and the trouble Don Pedro continues to bring into the lives of the Clifton and Barrington families.

Emma now finds herself as chairwoman of the family business as the company completes the building of its first luxury passenger ocean liner. Don Pedro is doing everything within his power to make the enterprise fail and force Barrington Shipping into bankruptcy. In typical Jeffrey Archer fashion, the novel ends with a massive cliffhanger that insists the reader return for the next installment to find out what happens to these beloved characters.

Be Careful What You Wish For is filled with love, tragedy, suspense, and humor. Perhaps I enjoyed this installment more than the previous book because I took a break from the saga and did some other reading. Honestly, I think this is a better book that returns Archer to the status of storyteller that he first held with his earlier releases. Either way, Be Careful What You Wish For was a welcome return to a thrilling story that held my attention and captured my imagination.

fiction Series

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Aug 13

#23: One Tuesday Morning (Karen Kingsbury)

by kennithfreeman

This novel should come with a box of Kleenex and a warning to only read in the privacy of your own home. Tears are going to flow. You have been warned.

One Tuesday Morning and its sequel have been in my book stack for many years. I have avoided diving in because I was not ready to relive the horror of September 11, even in a fictional setting. I am so glad that overcame my fear and read this beautiful novel. Not only did I laugh and cry with the characters, I also began to experience healing that I didn’t realize was still needed. I don’t guess any of us really know the emotional impact watching the terrorist attacks in New York City had upon us.

One Tuesday Morning centers around two men and their families. Eric Michaels is a Los-Angeles based investment banker who is committed to his job and ignores his family. Jake Bryan is a member of the FDNY and a godly man who is incredibly in love with God, his wife, and his young daughter, Sierra. On a crystal clear September morning in 2001, the men’s lives and those of their families are forever changed. Eric and Jake meet briefly in the stairwell of the South Tower when Jake drops his helmet as he bends to help Eric back to his feet after a fall. Shortly after the interaction, the entire world changes as buildings and lives crumble as a result of the attacks on America.

Miraculously, Jake is found beneath a fire truck in the aftermath. He is alive, but he has no memory of his previous life. He doesn’t even know who he is. While helping Jake reclaim his memories and former life, Jake’s wife begins her own faith journey that ultimately gives her strength for the many challenges ahead.

One Tuesday Morning reminds us of the importance of hiding scripture in our heart and allowing its truth to permeate every fiber of our being. The novel emphasizes the importance of family and faith and challenges readers to re-evaluate their definition of success and the American dream. I am anxious to continue following the story of these characters in Beyond Tuesday Morning.

Christian fiction

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Aug 7

#22: Rumor Has It (Elisabeth Grace)

by kennithfreeman

I admit it. I’m a sucker for a love story. I guess it’s just another sign that I am my mother’s son. Typically, I find these stories couched in something that is more akin to literature than smut. I prefer for my love stories to feature all of the emotional complexity without the graphic details.

There’s another genre that tells the stories for a more mature audience. Romance novels are a booming business. They often push details to the boundaries without getting too explicit. I don’t venture into this genre very often at all. But sometimes, you just want to read a little smut. Rumor Has It was available as an e-book this week and was free. I quickly found myself connecting with the characters and their story. The book was quite enjoyable.

Mason is a misunderstood hip-hop artist who is spending a few days out of the public eye in a Virginia beach house. Through a comedy of errors and some confusion about how to get into the house, Mason meets Ellie and is fascinated by her. The two get to know each other — although Ellie doesn’t recognize Mason as a star — and begin to fall in love. Rumor Has It explores the challenges of dating for celebrities while asking what you would be willing to give up in the name of love. This is the first book in Elisabeth Grace’s Limelight series that continues to follow the adventures of Mason and Ellie.

No, it’s not high literature and definitely a departure from the norm for me. It should come with a warning that the book is intended for mature audiences. Still, it was a nice diversion from the stress of the world and very entertaining.

fiction romance Series

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