Dr. and Mr. = Dr. and Ms.

Henrietta and Eleanor is a new version of Jekyll and Hyde, adapted by Libby Spurrier, who has adapted a lot of books for audio.  I like this.  I like most audible originals.  I have never read the real Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde.  Nor have I even been to Jekyll Island.   I loved this J and H book a lot...but this one just was decent for me anyway. 

Some People

I am not sure if more people are like Maggie or not like Maggie.  I think if we have the answer to that life would be a lot easier.  This book just completely messed with my understanding of morality and how I think (or thought) people see right and wrong.  This is How I Lied was pretty terrible regardless. 

Swimming

I have a dear friend who has a dear daughter who is a competitive swimmer.  She is quite good!  She was headed to states this year before the pandemic hit and that is a real shame.  I wonder how swimmers have been practicing, if they have been able to practice?  Breath Like Water is set in the world of competitive swimming.  Anna Jarzab is a great author and I would have read it even if I wasn't already curious about swimming.  She deals with mental health issues in such a real and honest way.  I loved Harry and Susannah so much.  Great, great book.  

Can a book like this be sweet?

The Getaway isn't sweet.  But it IS sweet.  Kinda.  I mean it is awful.  I mean it is very well written.  But the bad guy is BAD.  There is nothing redeeming about him.  And what he does to his victims is AWFUL.  But is a very satisfying read.   Okay.  So it isn't sweet.  But the way it ended?  It did make me say, "Sweet." 

What Can Be Said about Brian Freeman

I mean the guy writes about the best state in the 50.  The state that gave us not only Judy (which would have been enough) and Prince, William Worrall Mayo, Jessica Lange also claimed Eddie Albert from age 1, John Sandford, Matt Goldman and Gary Paulsen have all written books set in Minnesota and I love them (the authors and their books). But there is just something...something that makes Brian Freeman's Johnathan Stride that just makes him my favorite Minnesotan (well...next to Judy, of course).   Thief River Falls was so excellent.  It is a stand-alone and just so well done.  Thanks, Mr. Freeman--- PLEASE PLEASE keep writing!  Thief River Falls is a real place! 

More YA Thriller

Just seems like there are so many these days....Six Lies We Told is one of them and I didn't enjoy it too much.  It was okay and as long as one isn't turned off by the "We did this Molly, didn't we?" writing style, whatever that is called, I think it can be enjoyable.  But for me, it just didn't work.  I did think that the ending was cool though, and it made it worth reading.  I never saw the end coming until we were supposed to see it coming. 

Countdown

Four Three Two One really grabbed me right away and it kept me most of the way, but I feel like the editor just really didn't do this book justice.  I really would and will recommend this book but will be honest that I did think it was a little too long in some places.  But I will do so by way of encouraging them to stick with it.  Because I do think this is a really good book.  With a good message, too about different POVs and about forgiveness and healing. 

The End

totally saved Alone for me.  Totally.  I don't want to say much more.  But it was a good one to read this time of year!  Cyn Balog is a writer I have come to enjoy very much! 

Who am I?

Louisiana's Way Home is about self-discovery and finding home.  And man, Kate DiCamillo can write from and for the heart, can't she?  The character of Louisiana Elephante was introduced in Raymie Nightingale which was just another incredible book.  A sweet and powerful story. 

Words

Words on Bathroom Walls was one of those heart-breaker books.  Mental illness is one of the most painful parts of our broken world.  I am not sure why I gave this book only 4 of the 5 stars, but I must have for some reason, so I guess I will leave it as such.  Still, it is such an important topic and though there are more and more books about it, I think that a good one, which this one was, deserves a listen.  So I will recommend it for sure.  It is told from the POV of a young man who has both visual and auditory hallucinations.  It is all so complicated and I suppose there is still much that the experts don't understand.  I did love Adam very much.  And loved his relationship with Maya.  Really good book. 

OCD

It does bug me when people say, "I am OCD.," when they are just meaning that like to control things or like things to be neat.  Ever since I started struggling with my eating and I hear people say, "I wish I had a little bit of anorexia.  OCDaniel was an excellent book about a young man dealing with OCD.

You Don't Have to Say I Love You

just because I ask, you don't have to stay forever, I will understand.
Believe me. Who doesn't remember hearing Dusty Springfield's heart breaking while she sang these words?  Very powerful song.
Believe Me, the book.  Not so much.  For me anyway.  Yes, twisty, yes a bit confusing, but not enough to confuse even me, the easily confused, by the end.  So I figure, if I can figure a book out, and it's main purpose is to be tricky and twisty, it probably didn't do a great job.  Not bad.  Just okay!  Maybe it was more that I didn't care about any of the characters.  I think what bothered me most about it was that it seemed to hint at that Shades of Grey thing.  Which is so uninteresting to me at my age (I was into those kind of books when I was 12 and 13) that I was just so turned off by the Grey-ish aspect of this one. 

OMG - SPOILER

In this case stands for Oh My Goth.  And I knew nothing about it when I downloaded it for a listen.  While it had a lot of dark themes-- another filicide attempt in this one (that is the spoiler) it was still a lighter read.  Can that be true?  Maybe I just feel that way because death doesn't scare me.  Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of sadness in this book, but the main characters are endearing. 

The Good Wife

Even though I had been told by Sweet Rebekah that The Wife Between Us was a mind twist, my mind still was twisted!  Really good and a great ending. 

Really, Really Good

When Elephants Fly is not an easy book.  It doesn't have a fairy tale ending either.  It is so well done.  There is a LOT going on here, but it is all so well, well done.  I know I read another book in which a mom who is mentally ill tries to kill her child...but I can't remember what it is.  And I need to find out!  Anyway, this was a very, very, very good read. 

Mr. Ripely Meets Social Media

Social Creature has been called "The Talented Mr. Ripley for a digital age."  Genuine Fraud was another Mr. Ripley reboot and I have to say I liked that one so much better.  Read GF for sure.  Although I did like this book.  But if you want to read a TTMR reboot and only want to read one, GF is a lot better.  For me this just went on a little too long. 

Beautiful

When My Heart Joins the Thousand was an exceptional book.  This quote:  “I wouldn’t give up a single minute of the time I’ve spent with you. Not even the difficult parts.,”   just said so much to me.  I feel this way.  And I hope someday someone (you know who you are) might feel the same way about me me, but I am VERY difficult so I don't know if that is realistic!  This book is about love.  And this book is about people who think differently than "the norm."  And this book is also about cowardly parents.  And this book is about winning.  In end, love wins, right? 

My Heart and Other Black Holes was good book.  And the only thing I didn't care for was that the ending seemed really rushed.  I totally get what happened and why it happened and how Aysel came to feel as she did, but I just wish Warga would have taken a little more time getting there.  I know that is not very like me!  I prefer a short book.  I think it really says a lot about how much I liked this book, given that I would want it to be even longer! 

Jonathan Stride

is one of those real characters.  I mean, the guy has made mistakes.  He is human.  I love him.  I also love the series because it is set in Duluth, of course!  Alter Ego was very good and it completely kept me guessing.  Great characters and a truly great mystery here.  If you haven't read a Brian Freeman book, I feel envious because now you MUST read them and you will love every minute of it. 

So glad

That I found this podcast, which introduced me to Monday's Not Coming, which led me to take another try with Allegedly, which was a great, suspenseful book.  It will be great to see what Tiffany D. Jackson writes next!