Always

been a fan of Bill Pronzini's Nameless series, so it was a no brainer to download The Violated.  As much as I enjoy the Nameless books, I never expected to enjoy this stand-alone book SO much.  It was just an excellent, excellent mystery.  Great characters and a mystery that kept me guessing.  Dude I did NOT like the mayor!  But of course, we weren't supposed to like him!  What a weenie!  And what an apt title. 

You Gotta Have Hop

this is a terrible, terrible song.  But Hope is a Ferris Wheel is a really, really good book.  This is Robin Herrera's first book.  I bet she just gets better and better.  I liked all of the characters in the book....well, not the dead-beat dads.  But we don't have much contact with them.
Star is ten she tells the story here.  She and her mom and her sister, Winter move from Oregon to a trailer park Northern California.
There's a lot of stuff going on here, but it is all blended together so well.  The book is so well written that it just flows like really life.  Winter and Star are the kind of sisters that make me wish I had a sister.  Very realistic, very good.