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 Nations Will Be Judged

Nowhere Boy is something else.  What a book.  What a really accessible book.  It's set in 2015-2016 and tells the story of a young refugee from Syria.  Set in Belgium, the other main character is an American boy whose parents have moved him to Belgium because of his father's job.  Very real and well drawn characters.  One of the best books I have read.

Author Binge

Obviously I am on an author binge with Robert Cormier.  After the First Death was harder for me to get into at first, but once I was hooked, I was HOOKED.  It was brutal.  It was very well done.  It raises a lot of questions about service to one's country and what that might mean. 
Powerful. 

A Real Horror Story

As I have mentioned, Minnesota is my favorite state.  And Duluth is a beautiful city.  I love driving across this bridge and entering my favorite state!
The setting is just one of the reasons why I love the Johnathan Stride books.  Another reason is that Brian Freeman is just a darn great author.  Darn great.  Darn great.
I love the character of Stride.  How he and his wife, Serena, have shown such grace toward one another during their sometimes rocky relationship.  They are both human.  And I love how they love and accept one another's humanness.
One of the best lines in this book, which I can't remember totally because I bought the audio, is from Stride, talking to an FBI agent who has made a serious and deadly mistake, but an honest one.  He says something like, "Does being a part of the FBI mean you have to perfect" or something like that!  Jonathan is just such a good man.
The really scary thing about this book is that it shows the reality that hate breeds hate and violence breeds violence and technology (in this case, social media) can really be used in thoughtless and also malicious ways that can lead to horrible, horrible hate and violence.
Like the Boston bombing, someone has set a bomb off at the end of the Duluth Marathon, which I guess doesn't really exist, but is a combo marathon with Superior, WI.
The aftermath is just a horrible snowball of hate rolling and destroying lives.  And this can happen and it does happen.  And that is what made this book a horror story, but so sadly, one that really happens.  A cautionary tale, but not preachy.  With an ending that will take your breath away. Fantastic on so many levels.

I Survived the 1954 Oscars

I didn't.  But anyway...I Survived is a pretty popular series right now.  The author, Lauren Tarshis is coming to Sewickley in early March and I am pretty excited!  I have only read I Survived...the Attacks of September 11, 2001 and I thought it was okay, I only gave it three of five stars, but I think that was because I remember 9/11 so well and well, any book about it, written for kids that weren't even born is going to seem to not do the horror of it justice.  How can you do the horror of it justice?  Is that even an appropriate way to word it?  It was just such a horrible, scary, unreal day.  It was just beyond words.  And I know that this was a kids' book and so it couldn't even come close to capturing the horror of it all.  So for me, because of personal stuff, I just didn't love it.  I am going to read more in the series though.  I am going to do that right now.  It is interesting because at the end of the book, Tarshis says that she didn't plan to write about 9/11, but her readers asked over and over again for her to do it.

I Know This is a Spoiler

but I feel like I have to write it, because it is just so horrible, I wouldn't want anyone to read this book and not be aware of the DEATH OF THE CAT before doing so. Yes, Roger, the beloved cat that we all come to know and love DIES. His death is DESCRIBED! Yes. So if you don't like cats, maybe you will want to read this book.
Although even before I got to the GRAPHIC description of a DEAD and BLOODY, BELOVED CAT, I was losing interest in My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece. I was getting what Bud describes as "book dust" in my eyes every time I picked up the book. It was a short book, but I found it to drag. Up until the DEATH OF ROGER, I thought I would still give the book 4 stars because I was thinking, "well it's an important book and maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind and Sunya is a wonderful character and so is Jamie, really. And his sister is such a fine, fine person..." But then, ROGER WAS KILLED. And I know that the author used ROGER'S DEATH to bring Jamie and his father together, to get Jamie to understand the tremendous grief that his father has felt since the death of his daughter in a terrorist attack in London, to get his father to finally start the healing process...yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. But really?
Don't get me wrong, if over all the book had been amazing, I would have forgiven this. Let's not forget what happened in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.

Did Woods Really Write this?

As you know, I love the Stone Barrington books by Stuart Woods.  Rip on them all you want, they are great fun.  But Severe Clear?  This is good!  I am only half way through the cd, but man....this story is really gripping. The Arrington is opening in Beverly Hills, named after Arrington Carter Barrington, of course and built on the site of the Calder home.  It is going to be a MASSIVE grand opening deal!  The presidents of the US and Mexico will be there, even.  And so will some bad guys, trying to avenge the death of Bin Laden.  This book has suspense and humor and a great mystery.  Stone and Dino haven't been in it too much, but Ben and Peter are there, Holly Barker, Felicity Devonshire, a little bit of Herbie Fisher.  The President of the US is still Will Lee, his wife is the head of the CIA, so they are there, too. This is such a great book.  I don't know if Woods is back to writing or if he has a great, new writer doing his stuff, but so far this book is great fun and great in general!
Dino and Stone have found a place to eat and hang.  It was weird that the book didn't start out with "Elaine's.  Late."  Now they are hanging at Patroon and owner Ken Aretsky makes an appearance, saying that Elaine told him to look out for Stone and Dino.  I wonder if Elaine really did tell Aretsky to look for Woods!
In the book there is a reference to an actress/singer who is so wonderful she is described as a combination Meryl Streep and Barbra Streisand.  To me that equals Judy! :)
Great book!  Now that I've finished it, I can say it was great, cover to cover!  Thanks, Stone!
This book was both LA and NYC, equal parts, so I will not count it!