Review: The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White

The Strangers on Montagu Street

by Karen White

Publisher: Berkley NAL

Pages: 352

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Psychic realtor Melanie Middleton is still restoring her Charleston house and doesn't expect to have a new houseguest, a teen girl named Nola. But the girl didn't come alone, and the spirits that accompanied Nola don't seem willing to leave...


Kritters Thoughts:  The third book in this series and as I said yesterday, I definitely agree that you should start at book one and I won't spoil anything in this review, but I say go back to my review on Monday and start with the series there.

As I also said yesterday, the first few chapters definitely give the reader a little easy synopsis of the high points of the previous book and help get the reader "back" into this story, especially if you have been away from it for a bit.

I like the mystery in this book.  I liked it because it didn't involve back stabbing or malicious characters as in the previous - not saying who so as not to spoil!  I liked that it just felt like a true mystery and it brought in the interesting ways that Southern folks are and have been for a long time.  The previous two felt very Southern and very Charleston, but for some reason this one felt the most Charlestonian!

I would say that this series is building and building and I am liking it.  I like that because the author has used multiple books to build it, it is a nice slow burn in terms of development of the characters, but again the mystery is self contained in each book.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White

The Girl on Legare Street

by Karen White

Publisher: NAL

 Pages: 335

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Melanie has grown accustomed to renovating old houses, but she never imagined she'd have to renovate her own life to include her estranged mother. Ginnette Prioleau Middleton left Charleston thirty-five years ago. She's returned wanting to protect the daughter she's never really known after receiving an ominous premonition.

Melanie never wanted to see her mother again, but with some prodding from her partner, Jack Trenholm, she agrees-and begins to rebuild their relationship. Together Melanie and Ginnette buy back their old home. With their combined psychic abilities they expect to unearth some ghosts. But what they find is a vengeful dark spirit whose strength has been growing for decades. It will take unearthing long buried secrets to beat this demon and save what's left of Melanie's family...

Kritters Thoughts:  Book two in the series and let me start by saying that I absolutely recommend you start at book one with this series.  The characters build from book to book and although the mystery is self contained in each book, you will absolutely miss out on the relationships of the characters if you don't start at square one.  At the same time, if you put some distance between reading each book, unlike me where I have read them back to back, the first few chapters kindly remind you what happened in the previous book that you may need for this read.  

Now on to this specific book.  I liked this book better than book one because I knew what I was getting in to and this mystery directly impacted Melanie and her family and her heritage.  I loved having her mother come into the story and seeing where Melanie inherited her "gifts" and how the two of them together could create quite the team.  I almost wish this book had been the first book where you meet Melanie and then you see how much her past informs her, but having it as book two wasn't a completely bad spot in the line up.  

After reading this book I was excited to go directly into another and see where Melanie and the secondary characters were going to go.  I liked that this book was still focused on her.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Random House.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

The House on Tradd Street

by Karen White

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 329

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Melanie Middleton hates to admit she can see ghosts. A man she recently met died, leaving his historic Tradd Street home; complete with a dog and family of ghosts anxious to tell their secrets. 

Jack Trenholm, a gorgeous writer obsessed with unsolved mysteries, has reason to believe diamonds from the Confederate Treasury are hidden. He turns the charm on with Melanie, to discover he's the smitten one.

Kritters Thoughts:  The first in the series and if you want to know what I feel about each in the series, I will be reviewing each of the books each day.  

Melanie Middleton has known since a young age that she has special abilities, but she has hidden them for a long time.  She inherits a home in historic Charleston full of spirits, ghosts and things and she has to confront her abilities and solve a mystery.  Of course, in walks a gorgeous author who wants to help solve the mystery and write a book at the same time.

Just recently, I commented on a review that I am not into spirits and ghosts.  While that remains the same, the way this book presented them was interesting and entertaining AND there was a plot beyond the ghosts and such.  The mystery of the home was enough of a plot to have ghosts be a sideline thing and I could still enjoy the book.  I will only say this comment in this review as I am assuming that this will continue throughout the series.  
I also love Melanie Middleton.  She is smart and spunky and I love that she isn't a helpless lady who needs a man to help her solve the mystery, sure he helps, but she could have done it without him!  

This was a great start to the series, it has its own contained story, so excited to read the next four books!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Random House.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Bout of Books 18 Wrap Up

This may have been my best Bout of Books, which is kind of crazy with all the things that are going on in my life - work, a major kitchen renovation and dogs and just life.  I am only 48 pages shy of my goal, I hit the book count, but not quite the books I had picked out!

Total book count: 5 finished!
Total page count:  1,702 pages!



Day 1- Monday, January 2 Total 336 pages
The Familiar Stranger by Christina Tarabochia (started and finished, 336 pages)

Day 2- Tuesday, January 3 Total 137 pages
The Guests on South Battery by Karen White (started, read 137 pages)

Day 3- Wednesday, January 4 Total 241 pages

The Guests on South Battery by Karen White (finished, read 215 pages)
Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson (started, read 26 pages)

Day 4- Thursday, January 5 Total 103 pages
Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson (read 103 pages)

Day 5- Friday, January 6 Total 223 pages
Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson (finished, read 223 pages)

Day 6- Saturday, January 7 Total 83 pages
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (started, read 83 pages)

Day 7- Sunday, January 8  Total 579 pages
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (finished, read 237 pages)Sisters, One, Two, Three by Nancy Star (started and finished, 342 pages)

Review: Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Meija

Everything You Want Me to Be

by Mindy Meija

Publisher: Atria

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  High school senior Hattie Hoffman has spent her whole life playing many parts: the good student, the good daughter, the good citizen. When she’s found brutally stabbed to death on the opening night of her high school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of her small town community. Local sheriff Del Goodman, a family friend of the Hoffmans, vows to find her killer, but trying to solve her murder yields more questions than answers. It seems that Hattie’s acting talents ran far beyond the stage. Told from three points of view—Del, Hattie, and the new English teacher whose marriage is crumbling—Everything You Want Me to Be weaves the story of Hattie’s last school year and the events that drew her ever closer to her death.


Kritters Thoughts:  Hattie Hoffman was a good girl and not the girl her family would have predicted would be found stabbed to death, so when the investigation starts into her murder they are blindsided by the truth left and right.  

With twists and turns that I predicted and came out of nowhere, I don't want to say too much about this one.  It is in the middle of the pack in the who dun it genre, it didn't stand out of the pack, but I would definitely read another from this author.  

The one thing that stood out to me that I absolutely loved was that you heard some chapters from Hattie's point of view before her death.  I loved seeing the before through her eyes and it was interesting hearing from the victim before she was a victim.  

I definitely enjoyed this one, it read quick and it was actually nice to read during the holidays when life is crazy - to have a book suck you in and keep your attention is saying something!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2016 Challenge: 37 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Atria.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

First Book of the Year 2017!

Sheila at Book Journey has been a blogger that I have followed for years.  She was one of the first that I followed and is part of my inspiration to start blogging.  She announced her first book of the year initiative and I wanted to join this year!  

My first book of 2017 is The Familiar Stranger by Christina Tarabochia.  This is the book I have had on my shelves the longest, since May 2010, so it will be my first read of this year.  

I did this last year and am doing it again.  I started the new year last year with the last acquired book and I didn't keep the habit going, so I want to try it again!  

So as much as I love to read the latest and greatest, I want to read what has been sitting on my shelves and what I know I have been wanting to read for years!

2017 Reading Challenges

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As we enter a new year, the spreadsheets are nice and new and the goals are set.  

Looking at my reading challenges that I participated in last year, here are the reading challenges I have put as my goal for reading in 2017.

1.  I want to read a minimum of 217 books in 2017.

2.  I want to read at least 50 ebooks in 2017.  This was a reasonable goal from last year.  I read some books both in ebook and book book form, but I only count the ones I fully read via ebook in this tally.

3.  I want to listen to at least 6 audiobooks in 2017.  I am disappointed that I didn't get this done last year, so keeping it on the list for this year!


And the challenge that I love to do (partly because it is easy) is:

Where Are You Reading?
In this challenge, I keep a Google Map (link to my google map for 2017) and place a pinpoint at each spot where a book takes place.  The link to my google map will also be in the sidebar all year round, so anyone can check out where I have been reading!

If you would like to participate - check out Book Journey.  She hosted this challenge in the past, not sure if she is hosting again, but as this is my favorite thing to do, I am continuing!

2016 Reading and Challenges Wrap Up

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Just like last year, I wanted to take one post and just do a recap of 2016!  I did this exact post last year and the year before and loved seeing it throughout the year.  This year I will compare 2016 to 2015, let's go!

Total number of books I read in 2016: 200
Total number of books I read in 2015: 237






Total number of pages I flipped, clicked, and so on in 2016: 69,029
Total number of pages I flipped, clicked, and so on in 2015: 77,778

To recap, I read more in 2015 and this year has been the lowest reading year since 2011.  A lot of changes happened at home and on the job, so maybe the number will go back up next year.

I have been keeping track of WHERE my books were taking place all year.  Below is the outcome.  There are 7 states that I didn't "visit," which is four better than last year!  But there are 16 countries other than the US that I spent some time in, which is the exact same as last year! I am excited that my states went up and thought I had read more countries, hopefully I can increase that number next year.




States that didn't make the list:
Utah            North Dakota
Montana      South Dakota
Iowa            Mississippi
Wisconsin


Countries accounted for:
Ireland     Egypt                     Ukraine
Russia      Australia                 India
Israel       Botswana, Africa     Korea
France     Vietnam                  Italy
England    Greece                   Canada
Netherlands                           Spain

As far as the Ebook Challenge is concerned, I challenged myself to 50 ebooks and finished the year at 37.  Not great, but over half.  Some books I read part ebook part, physical copy and those I didn't count and will not continue to count, so I am not completely disappointed in this number.

December - the end of the year

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December was an up and down month, a lot of holiday fun that kept me from reading, but also had some quiet nights.  The month ended with a staycation turned home renovation, so didn't end up reading as much the end of the year as I had planned.

1.  Days Like These by Sue Margolis
2.  The Next by Stephanie Gangi
3.  Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa
4. The Expatriates by Janice YK Lee
5. The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
6. Say Goodbye for Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde
7. When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
8. Marlene by C.W. Gortner
9. The Silent Children by Amna K Boheim
10. Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel
11. Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia
12. The House on Tradd Street by Karen White
13. The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White
14. The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White

Total pages read, clicked, and flipped:  4,768

Where Have I Been Reading?:
London
New York City, NY (3)
Seattle, WA (2)
Hong Kong
Texas 
Minnesota
Charleston, SC (3)

Bout of Books 18 TBR

Bout of Books starts on Monday, January 2nd and goes through Sunday, Janury 8th. 

My goal for the Bout of Books 18 TBR pile is to read 250 pages per day, which amounts to 1,750 pages for the whole week.  
 

Doing another round of Bout of Books, we shall see how it goes.  I love participating because there are really no rules, you are just challenge yourself to read more than you typically do.  So I am hoping for a great week in books!

This is a hard one to predict my books this far in advance with me still in vacation reading mode, so this TBR may change, but this is what I am hoping to read.  

Let's see how this goes!

1.  Sisters One, Two, Three by Nancy Starr  (342 pages)
2.  Lift And Separate by Marilyn Simon Rothstein  (296 pages)
3.  The Echo of Twilight by Judith Kinghorn (416 pages)
4.  Pretty Little World by Elizabeth LaBan and Melissa DePino (320 pages)
5. The Wicked City by Beatriz Williams (384 pages)

This is a total of 1,758 pages!

For those that don't know what Bout of Books is... here you go:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 11th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional.For all Bout of Books 12 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Taking a Holiday!

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To end the year, I am taking a week off from the blog and spending it reading and enjoying time with the family!  I will start 2017 with my goals and challenges for the year and a wrap up of this year.   

Review: Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

Small Admissions

by Amy Poeppel

Publisher: Atria

Pages: 368

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Despite her innate ambition and Summa Cum Laude smarts, Kate Pearson has turned into a major slacker. After being unceremoniously dumped by her handsome, French “almost fiancé,” she abandons her grad school plans and instead spends her days lolling on the couch, watching reruns of Sex and the City, and leaving her apartment only when a dog-walking gig demands it. Her friends don’t know what to do other than pass tissues and hope for a comeback, while her practical sister, Angela, pushes every remedy she can think of, from trapeze class to therapy to job interviews.

Miraculously, and for reasons no one (least of all Kate) understands, she manages to land a job in the admissions department at the prestigious Hudson Day School. In her new position, Kate learns there’s no time for self-pity or nonsense during the height of the admissions season, or what her colleagues refer to as “the dark time.” As the process revs up, Kate meets smart kids who are unlikable, likeable kids who aren’t very smart, and Park Avenue parents who refuse to take no for an answer.

Meanwhile, Kate’s sister and her closest friends find themselves keeping secrets, hiding boyfriends, dropping bombshells, and fighting each other on how to keep Kate on her feet. On top of it all, her cranky, oddly charming, and irritatingly handsome downstairs neighbor is more than he seems. Through every dishy, page-turning twist, it seems that one person’s happiness leads to another’s misfortune, and suddenly everyone, including Kate, is looking for a way to turn rejection on its head, using any means necessary—including the truly unexpected. 

Kritters Thoughts:  Kate graduated top of her class and was headed to graduate school when something happens and sends her in a tail spin - this something is spoilerie so lets keep it vague!  With the help of her sister, she finds a job that just may get her out of the funk.  At the same time, her sister is pregnant with baby #2 and their parents have been galavanting around the world.  And there are two other best friends who's love lives take center stage.  

I love the job that took Kate out of the funk!  She became the head of admissions at a private high school and she is out of her league!  With her job, she interviews possible students and their parents and makes suggestions on whether to admit them or not.  Not only does this book have typical chapters, within the chapters are fun emails, notes and interview logs - I love a book that seems like it has extras to add to the story. 

What I thought would completely center around Kate and her climb from grace, really centered around the group of friends and their post college years and how friends have to morph from college friends to post college friends.  I liked that it was a lot about Kate but more than just her.  I would love another book, a companion perhaps that centers around another in this group of gals.  


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2016 Challenge: 37 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Atria.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Silent Children by Amna K Boheim

The Silent Children

by Amna K Boheim

Publisher: Troubador Publishing

Pages: 

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Vienna, 1938: Something's amiss at the home of young Annabel Albrecht. First, her favourite maid Eva disappears, then her friend Oskar. Worse is to come – her brother is murdered and her mother is taken away, leaving Annabel to fend for herself. 

Almost 70 years later, Annabel's son Max uncovers his mother's long-buried past, and unlocks the secrets preserved by Annabel's missing friends. But as Max is to discover, some children can never be completely silenced. Is he haunted by ghosts or by guilt, and will he ever escape?

Kritters Thoughts:  I wanted so much more from this book.  With a small vague synopsis, I was excited to accept this book for review - it sounded like just the right perfect of creepy for a winter night, but there were just some things that didn't work for me.  

This may be a spoiler, but I must say this to give my dislikedness some context, so stop now if you want to remain unspoiled.  

OK - there are ghosts in this one and like weird take over your body kind of ghosts and those kind of ghosts aren't my thing.  I have read books with spirits and ghosts and even recently and the way they were done just worked so well, but this one the puzzle pieces didn't match up for me.  The only thing I can say is, maybe if this had been a Halloween read for me I could have liked it a bit more, but I am not sure that I would be even open to trying another from this author.  

I also thought there was a lot going on in this plot and at times a little too much.  There were hints at World War II, but it didn't feel fleshed out.  There were major plot points with Max's ancestors - those I liked, but it just felt like the author was trying to tackle a bit too much in one book.

You will see my shoe rating below, I use this one very rarely, it is only reserved for ones that I just couldn't find a good light at the end of the tunnel.  I hope by telling you what I didn't love about the book could either keep you from it or even sell you on it.  I try to be honest and kind in all my reviews.  


Rating:  not such a good read 
       (only use this shoe rating about 2 or 3 times a year)

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Smith Publicity.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.