Book Review: Wish You Were Here, by Jodi Picoult

I'm not sure I'm ready for books about the Covid epidemic, but Picoult is a favorite, and I figured Wish You Were Here would handle the topic well. Picoult did.

Diana is sure she's about to get a promotion and have her dream job at the art auction house, Sotheby's. She's sure that Finn, her boyfriend, is going to propose on their upcoming trip to the Galápagos Islands. She will be married by 30, have kids by 35, and move to the suburbs.

Then, a virus hits New York, and Finn is a surgical resident who cannot leave. Diana reluctantly agrees to go by herself on their planned trip. When she arrives, everything is shut down. She has no place to stay, no luggage, no cell reception, and all the stores and restaurants are shut down.

Diana is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers while frantically trying to get in touch with Finn. She knows she will be stuck on this island for a while. She has a lot of time for soul searching and reevaluating just what is important in her life.

And then...

Well, I'm not going to finish that thought. 

It is interesting, and I read Wish You Were Here very quickly. Not my favorite Picoult by far, but timely and not too depressing. Although it is a little bit. If you think you can handle a book about the recent life-changing events we are still living through, this is a good one.

Published by Ballantine, November 30, 2021
eARC obtained from NetGalley
336 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Caught, by Harlan Coben

I'm a big Coben fan and had Caught in my stash for some reason. It isn't my favorite Coben, but I enjoyed it.

Wendy is one of those hard-hitting exposé reporters who has a popular TV show. She traps Dan Mercer, a social worker who works with teens, in a compromising position with a teen girl and gets him arrested.

Haley is a 17-year-old teen who has been popular and well-behaved. When she doesn't come home one night and no one can find a trace of her, the community is stunned. And things start to point to Dan Mercer. But is the case that simple?

Wendy is about to find out it isn't. And we readers really don't expect it to be when Coben is involved. The story twists and turns and then twists again. As usual, I couldn't predict how it would all end, and I love that.

If you are a fan of Coben, or thriller/mysteries at all, you should check out Caught. Coben never disappoints.

Published by Dutton, 2010

Copy obtained from ??
400 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Never by Ken Follett

I am so disappointed in Never, and it's because of the way it ended. So don't read any further if you don't want spoilers. 

Follett is a great writer. We get to know all the different people and become attached to them. There are budding romances and political drama. Spy stories. One woman and her child is trying to escape from Chad to build a better life, but must put her life in the hands of some very untrustable men. The president of the United States, a woman, is formidable and smart.

A few small things happen - a United States drone (that was stolen) bombs some Chinese interests in Chad. There is a small but growing uprising in North Korea that is threatening their control over nuclear bombs. South Korea is nervous. Japan gets involved. Little things keep escalating in the name of "appropriate response" by the different governments. We get to know a member of what is China's equivalent of the CIA. The influence of the Chinese "old guard" is significant. But as a reader, you feel that one of these leaders is going to see reason. See where all this is heading if they don't stop escalating. 

I couldn't wait to see how all the pieces come together. How was this woman from Chad and her soon-to-be lover, a US spy, going to influence the outcome? There is another romance of a CIA agent and her equivalent from France. They are deciding to give up their careers just so they can be together. So what is the great surprise that ties all these stories together?

But no. There is no tie-up. The story just ends with all these people in limbo when, after China bombs Hawaii, the United States president orders all the nuclear weapons we have to bomb China.

Are you kidding me???? What a waste of over 800 pages. Yes, it's realistic. Yes, it's well written. But not what I expected. Ughhhh. 

Published by Viking, November 9, 2021
eARC obtained from NetGalley
816 pages

Rating: 3/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Bluebird, by Sharon Cameron

Because of a bit of burnout, it has been a long time since I've read any historical fiction having anything to do with war. Bluebird was a satisfying and gentle foray back into the genre.

Eva leaves Germany in 1946, just after the war is ending. She brings along her best friend, Brigit. Brigit is suffering shell shock after being brutalized by Russian soldiers. It is clear from the beginning that Eva is hiding things. She has papers hidden in her skirt that she carefully guards. It is also clear that Eva is out for revenge for some horrible experiences she witnessed by the Nazis.

We go back in time and hear the story of Inge whose father is a Nazi. He has taught Inge much about the master race, and she has no reason to believe anything nefarious about these lessons. She is in for a rude awakening.

Eva and Inga's stories merge in the way I suspected, but I don't think it's too difficult to discern. Cameron wrote the book for teens, so they may be more surprised than I was.

I quickly became attached to the characters. The people that help Eva when she gets to New York are amazing--almost too good to be believed. I did think the story moved a bit slowly in the middle, but that may be more of my problem than the book's. The climax is tense and exciting, but I was happy that wasn't the end. We get to learn quite a bit about what happened after.

The Author's Note at the end is possibly the part I found most interesting and a bit unbelievable! If you are interested in books about the aftermath of WWII, I think both teens and adults will find Bluebird fascinating. 

Published by Scholastic, October 5, 2021
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
464 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Camino Island by John Grisham

I'm a Grisham fan, but I've missed quite a few of his books. I saw Camino Island in a stack my mother-in-law was getting rid of, so I grabbed it.

Camino Island isn't a courtroom saga, which is okay. It's more of a who-done-it. The well-planned and successful heist is to steal the original manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work from a library at Princeton University.

We then meet Bruce, a bookstore owner on Camino Island.  He's worked hard to become a success, and some of his success is from potentially shady dealings involving rare books.

Mercer is a struggling novelist with a severe case of writer's block. She is unemployed, and when a mysterious woman approaches her with an opportunity to do some undercover investigating involving Bruce and the stolen manuscripts, she can't pass up the money.

Soon she is in deep and learns more than she ever wanted to know. The twists and turns are entertaining, as expected. The story clips along and is well written, which is why I love Grisham. I read Camino Island in one day, but to be perfectly honest, I was on a camping trip, so there weren't many other pressing issues.

Apparently, there is a second book, Camino Winds, that I'll be interested in reading. If you are a Grisham fan, or even if you aren't, this is a fun read.

Published by Doubleday, 2017
Hardback copy given to me
304 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Over My Dead Body, by Jeffrey Archer

I've heard of Archer before, and when I saw Over My Dead Body available, I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed.

William Warwick and his wife are on a much-needed holiday on a luxury cruise ship sailing to New York. But of course, there's a crime committed on board, and Warwick becomes involved. That's just the introductory crime, which doesn't take long but gets you involved in the story.

Back in London, there's a new task force that Warwick is in charge of that is working on cold cases. And just in time, it appears. Miles Faulkner, a millionaire art forger is supposed to be dead. But Warwick has his doubts, even though he attended the funeral. Faulkner's lawyer still has Faulkner as a client and Faulkner's widow is acting strange. So they begin investigating to see what they can find out.

I read this a week ago and really enjoyed it. I was on a trip and flew through it. But honestly, I can't remember much of what happened. I had to read the synopsis to jog my memory. The side characters are interesting and add to the story. There are some intriguing twists and surprises.

I recommend Over My Dead Body, whether you are an Archer fan or not. This is the fourth Warwick book, but it isn't necessary to have read the others. I would like to go back and read them. Just because a book doesn't leave a lasting impression doesn't mean it isn't good!

Published by HarperCollins, October 19, 2021
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
384 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Audio Book Review: People We Meet on Vacation, by Emily Henry

I don't read many romcoms, but I decided I needed to shake things up a bit and found People We Meet on Vacation on libro.fm. I enjoyed listening.

Poppy and Alex have been friends since college. Even though she lives in New York City and he lives in Ohio, they always take a trip together each summer. That is until their last trip two years ago. Since then, they haven't spoken.

Poppy has her dream job reporting for a travel magazine, but she isn't happy. She decides to make contact with Alex and plan a trip. The story flashes back year by year and describes how they met and all the trips they have taken together until we finally discover what happened two years ago. It's not much of a surprise.

I enjoyed the "this summer" parts much more than the past. After a few trips, they all just seemed like more of the same, and I wanted to get on with the present story. I also would describe the banter and situations as "cute" rather than funny. I think I only chuckled one time. 

You know going in how this is going to turn out, but there were some interesting twists and turns before you actually get there. There is a nice build-up of tension. I liked the characters and was rooting for the eventual "happily ever after." 

The narrator, Julia Whelan, does a great job. I've listened to her before, and I think she's excellent. You don't think about the voices, you just listen to the story.

If the premise sounds good to you, I would recommend People We Meet on Vacation. It was a nice, quick, satisfying story.

Published by Berkley, May 11, 2021, Penguin Audio
Audiobook obtained from libro.fm
382 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Pony by R. J. Palacio

I don't read much middle-grade fiction anymore, but when I saw Pony (and its author Palacio), I couldn't pass it up. I wasn't disappointed. Pony's appeal reaches much farther than the middle school population.

The book is magical and no specific time period is given that I could find, but it seems like it must be the mid-1800s, given the photography element. Silas and his father live an isolated life. His father, though uneducated, is very scientific and is working on a photographic process using chemicals beyond the common daguerreotype. Some mysterious men visit and want to take Silas and his father away so his father can help with some nefarious scheme requiring chemicals. His father negotiates with them to leave Silas, and he will come with them willingly. Silas is to stay put. 

But the next day, the pony that Silas was supposed to ride reappears, and Silas vows to find his father, even though it requires entering the deep, scary woods that aren't far from their home. Fortunately, he is always accompanied by his invisible friend, Mittenwool. Mittenwool has been with Silas for as long as he can remember, and he doesn't know why, but he provides a lot of comfort. 

Silas meets a U. S. Marshal in the woods who is hunting for some counterfeiters. Silas is convinced these are the men who took his father and convinces the Marshal to let him come along. So begins a big adventure, and Silas must be very brave. 

The best part for me is that once the part about Silas' father is over, there is still much more to the story. We learn about Silas in the future--and about his past. Somewhere I read that the crime you think happened isn't really the crime. Well, that's not entirely true, but there is much more to the story than just counterfeiting.

So I think that is all I'll say. The story is rich with details that I haven't mentioned, but given the author, I'm sure you can be confident in this selection. I recommend Pony to pretty much everyone. 

Published by Knopf BFYR, September 28, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
304 pages

Rating: 5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustain

The Girls in the Stilt House has been compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, and I agree. It's the reason I chose to read this.

In the 1920s, deep in the swamps of Mississippi, Ada returns home to the Trace, where she lives in a stilt house with her drunken, abusive father after a misguided adventure with a boy in Baton Rouge. Her father, as is common, is away for weeks before coming home and relegating Ada to live in the shed.

Matilda lives on the other side of the Trace, with her family who sharecrops. Both she and her father are working hard to raise money to get out of Mississippi and build a better life.

These two girls cross paths in a most violent way and end up living in the stilt house together. But Matilda has many secrets that she is unwilling to share, and Ada cannot seem to get the security she so desires.

I don't want to give too many details of the story, but they are doled out slowly, as we realize what a seemingly hopeless situation these girls are trying to muddle through. There are surprises and many secrets to discover. Any feelings of hopefulness seem to disappear on a whim.

I found The Girls in the Stilt House more exciting and fast-paced than Where the Crawdads Sing. I also would compare this to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.  So, if you enjoyed either of those books, I would definitely recommend The Girls in the Stilt House.

Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, April 6, 2021
eBook purchased 
384 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2021 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved