River Readers

This was an interesting twist on the original story. A mixed race, blended family is at the heart of this rendition appropriate for a 150th anniversary. The graphics are good and the modernization doesn't take away from the original.

This was a nice story about a young girl's journey to find her place among her friends. Olive has lots of friends which is great for a fifth grader, but when a talent show is scheduled, relationship change quickly. At such an awkward age, finding the right spot is never easy, but when Olive does, she goes for it with a gusto.

A debut graphic novel about friendship and finding where you "click" in school.

This was an intriguing listen and nothing like the story I grew up hearing. However, with the "evils" of gold, this telling makes perfect sense. The fact that Red is tied in to this story too, makes it a nice addition to the series.

It was fun to re-listen to this additional book in the Heroes of Olympus series. I had forgotten how funny Hermes snakes were and I am still intrigued by the story that was written by Haley, Rick's son. I think it would make an interesting series of stories.

This story continues to flesh out the three Hudson sisters, their aunt, and the men who are crossing their paths. Des and her love for dogs, especially those who've been abandoned, plays a large part in this story. This connection leads to her reevaluating what she wants in life, where she wants to be, and most of all, who she wants to be with. The glimpses in to the past of the theater and how it's being restored are intriguing too. I can't wait to see how this all wraps up and especially what is going to break the destructive cycle that Allie is living in.

This was a nice story. The illustrations were amazing and I really liked the dresses. Some would be quite fashionable even now. The dreams of a person can change with circumstances, but their basis is always the same. One must decide how much to give up to achieve them. Yourself or the dream. It's nice when you can get both.

Being a child of the vinyl record age, I had to laugh at the idea of a fight club of girls. But now in today's arena, it would be much more of an idea. Who knows maybe I would have been intrigued to join this type of group back in the day.

While this was a nice tidy mystery with great recipes like the rest, I was a bit disappointed. The story spent so much time on the drama and build up, that the murder was solved in just a couple chapters. Not the usual red herrings and clues to make the reader think about different outcomes. This one was very pat and not all the clues were given in such a way that led to the conclusion until the killer was there in your face and way to obvious and not at all satisfying. I guess after 23 other books, the author needs to find new ways to spice up the stories.

This was a book with a bit of a scare to it, because it was not obvious where the evil of the hall was coming from and in the end I was surprised at the main culprit. It is a sad story in many ways, but it also makes you think about how you would feel about the people you leave behind. I'm not sure I would want to be tied to a place for eternity. Makes you think about what the afterlife might bring according to your beliefs.

This was a good "ending" to the series. However, this book could be read as a stand-alone because Krentz is great at fleshing out her characters in each book. I liked the chemistry between Winter and Jack and Zane is even more warped than in the past. The fire theme is very strong in this story and while the ending is a little out there, it makes sense in the long run. I always enjoy her stories no matter which name she writes under and am looking forward to her next novel. This book makes you believe you're watching a movie with its details and would probably make a nice one!

While did enjoy this audiobook, I felt like a needed a "Clue" type score card to keep track of who was who, what day it was, and what happened when. When it all wrapped up it made perfect sense. I did like the way it ended with hope for the future. I was still a bit confused on what happened to some of the characters since there were multiple endings each day, but sometimes it better not to know for sure.

The Rules of Blackheath: Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

CREEPY STORY ALERT! This was a very good mystery, but it gave me the creeps as I tried to work my way through it. Awful thoughts of how Ellie disappeared and Poppy was born, make you wonder about the true character of a couple people. All is explained and there is still and OOH factor, but not as bad as I at first imagined. The story is told in past and present voices which took a bit of getting use to, but did make it easier to understand all the different characters and what was happening during the same time period in various lives.

This book is not a glowing review for health spas! It was a little long and drawn out, but Moriarty did give each character a detailed story with background and futures. Some were very pat and easy to figure out, others much more complex and worth investing your time in following. No surprise when there were a couple of new relationships that came out of their shared ten day experience. It is enjoyable in the end.

Jane Eyre was not one of my favorite stories, but I liked this updated graphic version of the story. When a small town girl dreams of New York and art school, she finds the big city and herself out of place. A job as a nanny leads to a romance with a man who is a member of the elite. She finds secrets and deceptions and has to decide who to trust.

This was a sweet book about a young girl and her life-long best friend. It goes through the changes that life and school brings to young lives and relationships. Figuring out how to be yourself while belonging to a group and how to stand up for yourself with people who claim to be your friend are just a couple of the issues faced in this delightful graphic.