Author: Monica Hesse  Published: April 2016 Genre: Historical Fiction Book description (from Good Reads):  Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion. On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person - a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors o...

Author: Suzanne Collins  Narrator: Carolyn McComirk Series: Hunger Games #1 Genre: Dystopian YA Published: September 2008 Book description (from Good Reads):  The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The 'tributes' are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and he...

Author: Sir Arthur Connan Doyle Genre: Classic Sci-fi Published: 1912 Book description (Good Reads):  It's London, 1907. Journalist Edward Malone, rejected by the woman he loves because he is too prosaic, decides to go in search of adventure and fame to prove himself worthy of her. Soon after, he meets Professor George Challenger, a scientist who claims to have discovered a 'lost world' populated by pterodactyls and other prehistoric monsters. Thoughts: Like any classic writing, it does take a little bit to get into it. The characters are a bit dated, taking too seriously the giving of the word.  Only men are mentioned as main characters and the few couples are not something that anyone can really applaud. A very vain young woman who does not care about who she becomes a wife to, no need to get to know the man, she wants an image she already had pictured, if the man does not fit the picture she created then the man is not husband material. Very foolish opinion ...

Author: Michael Connelly Series: Harry Bosch #8 Published: April 2002 Genre: Mystery/Thriller Book Description (from Good Reads):  Detective Harry Bosch tears open a 20-year-old murder case - with an explosive ending that leave all Bosch fans hungrily awaiting the next installment. When the bones of a twelve-year-old boy are found scattered in the Hollywood Hills, Harry Bosch is drawn into a case that brings up the darkest memories from his own haunted past. The bones have been buried for years, but the cold case doesn't deter Bosch. Unearthing hidden stories, he finds the child's identity and reconstructs his fractured life, determined that he not be forgotten. At the same time, a new love affair with a female cop begins to blossom for Bosch - until a stunningly blown mission leaves him in more trouble than ever before in his turbulent career. The investigation races to a shocking conclusion and leaves Bosch on the brink of an unimaginable decision. Thoughts: Apparen...

Author: Horacio Quiroga Genre: Short Stories, Middle grade Book description (from Scribd): The short story collection from Quiroga's tales include 10 short stories: Bald Parrot (El loro pelado), The Passage of the Yabebiri (el paso del Yabebiri), the story of two cubs and 2 man's cub, The lazy bee (la abeja haragana), The blind deer (La gama ciega), The caiman's war (La guerra de los yacares), the giant turtle (la tortuga gigante), the flamingo's socks (las medias de los flamencos), the anaconda and the return of the anaconda.  Thoughts: I picked up the audio for this collection of short stories and they were told in parts, you get a small portion of each story then you go back around and get another portion of the story for each of the short stories.  I would have preferred to have them from start to end in a go before moving on to the other story. Other than that I really liked the stories, they are very short and enjoyable. They are clearly for chi...

Author: A.J. Fin Genre: Thriller, Mystery Published: January 2018 Book description (from Good Reads):  Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare. Thoughts: I had a difficult time getting into the book, personal preference really. Why? I really get annoyed to have the main character who has an anxiety disorder, who also happens to have a drinking problem. I really dislike the portrayal used here. Moving forward, the mystery draws you in, you get annoyed because no one ever trusts Dr Fox's word but she does make it very difficult for others to beli...

Full Title: Chernobyl 01:23:40: The Incredible True Story of the World's Worst Nuclear Disaster  Author: Andrew Leatherbarrow Genre: Nonfiction Book description (from Good Reads):  At 01:23:40 on April 26th 1986, Alexander Akimov pressed the emergency shutdown button at Chernobyl’s fourth nuclear reactor. It was an act that forced the permanent evacuation of a city, killed thousands and crippled the Soviet Union. The event spawned decades of conflicting, exaggerated and inaccurate stories. This book, the result of five years of research, presents an accessible but comprehensive account of what really happened. From the desperate fight to prevent a burning reactor core from irradiating eastern Europe, to the self-sacrifice of the heroic men who entered fields of radiation so strong that machines wouldn’t work, to the surprising truth about the legendary ‘Chernobyl divers’, all the way through to the USSR’s final show-trial. The historical narrative is interwoven with a s...