Book Review: Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins

At times a bit far-fetched, Kingdom of Bones is an edge-of-your-seat thriller!

The book takes place in the Congo, which is mostly a thick jungle full of bugs and snakes and many other deadly things I don't like to think about. And Rollins makes the setting come alive. Then there are the genetically altered beasts which turn the usually annoying ants into deadly virus-carrying little animals. And there are many other animals that have changed, which makes this whole story even more creepy.

I kept wanting to say, "No! Turn back! You can't keep going under these conditions!" But of course, they do keep going. After all, the fate of the world is in their hands. And not only the virus and the jungle, but there is also a bad guy who is using everything he has to stop them. And he has a lot to use.

Kingdom of Bones is the 22nd book in the Sigma Force series, and I think I may have read one other. It didn't matter for the story, even though I'm sure there are a lot of backstories I don't know. 

So, yeah, this one is about a deadly virus. Rollins discusses his concerns about publishing this book in the introduction. It does cause you to stop and think about what we as humans may be doing to cause these pandemics. But it is also a very entertaining romp, with characters that at least some people are familiar with.  And I loved the technology and weaponry that is used. And the dog, of course. If you can handle the subject matter, Kindom of Bones is worth it.

Published by William Morrow, April 19, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
464 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Audiobook Review: The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

It's been so long since I've read a book that I love as much as The Nature of Fragile Things. It just punches all the right buttons for me.

It takes place in the early 1900s, and Sophie, an immigrant from Ireland, is miserable in her tenement in New York City. She answers an ad for a mail-order bride and heads to San Francisco to marry a man with a young daughter who she has never met.

The man, Martin, is kind but distant. He doesn't seem to want to have a close relationship with Sophie but provides well for her and his 5-year-old daughter, Kat. Kat doesn't speak since her mother died from tuberculosis, but she is easy for Sophie to love.

Martin travels a lot for his work selling insurance. Sophie is a bit lonely in her large house and tries to make friends with a neighbor lady and her young son, but since Sophie is obviously lower class, it doesn't go well. Everything explodes when a young woman comes to Sophie's door looking for her husband who apparently works with Martin.

I'll not go any farther with the plot, but here is what I loved. 

• The characters are sympathetic, and I easily became attached
• The setting is so vivid, it puts you in San Francisco in the 1900s
• The description of the 1906 earthquake and its aftermath. It felt real, and I learned much
• The depiction of tuberculosis and how it was treated and kept from spreading
• One of the evilest bad guys I've ever read. Chilling.

Also, the narrator, Alana Kerr Collins, had the most beautiful Irish brogue that made it easier to listen to and really added to the story.

The huge coincidence at the end, although far-fetched, just put the icing on the cake. I'm partial to historical fiction, but The Nature of Fragile Things had so much more. The story hooked me right away, and I couldn't stop listening. Highly recommended.

Published by Berkley, 2021, audio by Penguin
Audiobook obtained from the library
384 pages

Rating: 5/5

---

Back to

Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

I'm not sure what drew me to this title, but I haven't read much science fiction lately, and I really enjoyed Mickey7.

Mickey is an "expendable." He's on a long journey to colonize a new planet. He's expendable because if he dies, they have a copy of his DNA, complete with memories, so that he can be regenerated.  This is really helpful for dangerous missions, but dying isn't fun.

The seventh version of Mickey is on one of those missions and is left for dead. But he manages to return to the bubble where they are trying to survive on a most inhospitable planet. When he returns to his bunk, there is Mickey8, fresh out of the regenerator.

This is a problem for several reasons. If anyone finds out, they will both be thrown into the regenerator. Everyone is on survival rations, and now the two Mickeys have to share. And, the most obvious problem, in my opinion, is how are they supposed to get around and do their duties on the ship? This was the biggest flaw in the plot. They are both out of their room at the same time. One on duty, one doing something else. They don't know each other's experiences. Seven has a wrist injury, and 8 doesn't even seem to care to fake it. Neither of them is very careful or concerned enough. Of course, they are going to be discovered, but how soon?

The premise of the expendables is interesting. They are loathed by some as an abomination, and therefore much discriminated against. The terraforming on this ice-covered planet is going badly. Food is scarce. The wormlike native creatures are beginning to attack. Will Mickey save the day?

Mickey7 is exciting, if a bit far-fetched, and kept my interest. It has been compared to The Martian, and even if it doesn't live up to the comparison, it is entertaining. And it's going to be a movie starring Robert Pattinson. If you like the terraforming, survival, overcoming the natives type of sci-fi, you'll like Mickey7. 

Published by St. Martin's, February 15, 2022
eARC obtained from NetGalley and Edelweiss+
304 pages

Rating: 4/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Audiobook Review: The Four WInds, by Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds was a mesmerizing book about the Dust Bowl, once it got going.

The characters were amazing, the setting -- well -- unbelievable. The Four Winds puts you in the middle of the dust bowl, but also in California, where thousands of people went to find work during The Depression. As you can imagine, it didn't work out well for them.

It's one of those "I can't believe this happened in the USA" stories. And they keep bringing up that point as they are living through the horrors. You get an interesting take on Communism and the Red Scare, as these "Communists" tried to unionize the workers to help them get a living wage. I mean, they literally could not survive on what they were paid, even when the men, women, and children were all picking. The huge growers would cut wages on a whim. They had their own company stores where people could get credit, and of course, they could never get out from under the debt.

Elsa was an amazingly strong woman and no one could not become attached to her and her family. My only complaint is that the beginning was slow. There was too much time spent on Elsa's childhood and life with her parents. I get that her background makes her who she is, but I still thought it went on too long. So the message is:  don't give up. This is a minor complaint, and it is well worth the effort to get through that part. I also would have rather had a different outcome for Elsa. That's all I'll say.

I would recommend The Fours Winds to anyone. The audio version is excellent, although my listening kept getting interrupted by audiobooks that I had on hold at the library. (You only get them for three weeks.) So when another one became available, I borrowed The Four Winds book from my sister and read the last 60 pages.

Published by St. Martin's, 2021. Audio by Macmillan
Audiobook purchased from libro.fm
464 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: A Slow Fire Burning, by Paula Hawkins

I just never really got invested in A Slow Fire Burning. I guess I was expecting another Girl on the Train.

Very quickly: There is a murder and several people could be responsible.  The mom, the dad, the crazy neighbor lady, the one-night-stand. They are all mostly awful, except for one, so I didn't really care much about who ended up the culprit.

There are several perspectives, and the characters are well depicted, so I didn't have trouble keeping them separate. The writing is good, and the story moves fairly quickly. 

I had no trouble finishing and enjoyed A Slow Fire Burning, but I never had that heart-pounding, compelling desire to know who did it.

Here's a link to the blurb if you are interested. 

Published by Riverhead, August 31, 2021
Copy obtained from NetGalley
320 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

AudioBook Review: Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

Although Miss Benson's Beetle is not my usual type of book, I enjoyed this delightful, heartwarming story.

In 1950, England is still recovering from WWII. Margery Benson is a worn-out school teacher who suffers a midlife crisis. She leaves her job and decides she wants to fulfill her lifelong quest -- to find the Golden Beetle in New Caledonia. Her father taught her about beetles when she was a child, and as you will find out as she flashes back throughout the story, she has never stopped learning about them. New Caledonia is on the other side of the world, and Margery has no idea how to get there. She has no money. She doesn't speak the language. But that doesn't stop her.

She advertises for an assistant, and the applicants leave a lot to be desired. She rejects an ex-POW who is suffering from PTSD. And she rejects Enid Pretty, a ditsy blond who wears high heels and obviously would not survive a jungle expedition on the other side of the world. But, because of circumstances, Enid is exactly who Margery ends up with.

Enid has many secrets which make it all the more remarkable that these two women manage to get as far as they do. And I won't tell you how far that is. They manage to get around when the odds are against them. No passport, no luggage, no visa, no money, no food. Police inquiries. Lost supplies. Injuries and other health issues. And the reappearance of the ex-POW. Nothing can stop them. These two unlikely women begin to respect each other, and their partnership improves both of their lives.

I giggled at the stupidity and brashness of Enid. And Margery's obsession with beetles and her ability to avoid unpleasantness using that knowledge is remarkable. 

Part of the reason I enjoyed Miss Benson's Beetle is because I listened to the audio version. This is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to. Juliet Stevenson's voices add so much to the story. I just can't recommend the audio version enough.

If Miss Benson's Beetle is your type of book, you should grab it. If it isn't your type of book, you should still consider it, especially if you enjoy audiobooks.

Published by Dial, 2020
Audiobook obtained from the library (Cloud Library)
352 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont

In 1925, before Agatha Christie was famous, she disappeared for eleven days. Her whereabouts are a mystery to this day. The Christie Affair is de Gramont's reimagining of what might have happened to Christie those eleven days, and why.

The reason is that Agatha's husband was having an affair, and when he told Agatha he wanted a divorce, she left. The mistress, Nan, has an entire back story that is integral. A police officer is asked to come out of retirement to help with the nationwide search for Agatha, and he becomes an important character.

The answers are imaginative and entertaining. And surprising, at times. There is romance, murder, and lots of secrets. I really don't want to give away many details. It is fun to see how the past and the future come together without any clue ahead of time. The story is interesting, the writing is good, and the pace is brisk.

It is interesting that this event has spurred more than one author to create a tale about what happened during these eleven days. de Gramont has done a great job. I want to believe that her version is the truth...

Published by St. Martin's, February 1, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
320 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

The Year(s) in Review - Some Statistics

I retired in 2018, and I did a year-end statistics post that year, but since then I have not. You would think being retired would give me more time to read, but it also gave me more time to pursue other interests. I simply lost my desire to read for a while. So the numbers have gone down. Fortunately, beginning the last quarter of 2021, I feel more of a desire to read and my pace has picked up.

I'm summarizing in a chart the last four years. I'm including 2018 for comparison purposes. Mostly this post is for me, but if you are interested, you can take a look.

 

Here's a link to my Goodreads Year in Books 2021, which I always think is more interesting than a spreadsheet.

My favorite book of 2021 would be Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir.

I think that's enough for now. Wish me luck for 2022!

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved

Book Review: The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

I enjoyed The Paris Bookseller very much. It's not my usual read, and I'm not sure where I got the recommendation. But I'm glad I read it.

The Paris Bookseller is Sylvia Beach, an actual historical figure. Sylvia moves to Paris in the 1910s, mostly because it is a more tolerant environment for a lesbian. She ends up opening a bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, which is the first in Paris to sell English books. She gains quite a clientele of ex-pats, including famous names such as Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway.

James Joyce becomes one of Sylvia's best friends and when his book, Ulysses, is banned in the United States, Sylvia decides Shakespeare and Company should publish it. Sylvia works very hard and sacrifices much to see this book published.

The story moves slowly but is written well, so I enjoyed getting to know Sylvia intimately. She also develops a romance that gets her through many trials.  I enjoyed getting to experience Paris during the twenties and into the thirties, with the difficulties of the Depression. I wanted to know about Ulysses and even read the first three (of eighteen) sections. It is very "stream of conscious" and contains so many allegories that I didn't understand that I quit. I get the idea, although didn't read enough to understand why it was banned.

It helped me to know that The Paris Bookseller is basically a true story. Only a few characters are fictional. Everything that happens really happened, although the timeline was altered slightly in a few spots. Beach is a fascinating character, flaws and all. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have been very interested in this book if it weren't based in truth.

If you are at all interested in Sylvia Beach or the Paris literary scene during the 20s, pick up The Paris Bookseller.

Published by Berkley, January 11, 2022
eARC obtained from NetGalley
336 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

---

Back to Annette's Book Spot Homepage Copyright © 2022 Annette's Book Spot. All Rights Reserved