Review: Dog on It

Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very entertaining mystery. Involves Bernie, a private detective and his dog Chet.
Of course I always love a story where the dog is the protagonist.

There has been a kidnapping. Unfortunately the parents believe that its a runaway.
The father is in very deep with gangsters for a lot of money and they want their money back any way possible. Kidnapping is not beneath them. Did I mention they are the Russian mofia?

Bernie finds himself in some deep trouble and its a good thing that he has Chet, a very smart cookie.

An excellent read.

Review: Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book so much and I actually did cry a few times in the reading.

A teacher, Reuben, gives his junior students an assignment for extra credit. He asked them to come up with an idea that would change the world.

Trevor, the son of single mom Arlene, takes up the challenge and starts his own experiment to see if his idea could actually change the world. His simple idea is to do a good deed for three people. Those people are not to pay him back but must forward the good deed on to three people they find that need help.

You never know how something you do for someone will affect lives.

A gem of a book. Excellent read.

Review: The Secrets Between Us

The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a story that I absolutely loved. It was a surprise when I realized that it was the second book with the same characters and basically a continuation of the first book, The Space Between Us byThrity Umrigar. You could read this as a stand alone, but would be better to read the first book as well.

Bhima continues to do housework and cooking and raising her granddaughter in the slums in Mumbai, having lost her daughter and her husband to AIDS. We do get a much better insight into how Bhima lost her good job of many years with the same family and especially losing what she always thought of as her family. She was an integral part of that family and loved the children just as her own.

Years before Bhima's husband had left her and had taken their son with him. He had been doing a lot of drinking and Bhima had "shown" him up in front of his buddies. That left Bhima alone and had to face the death of her daughter and son in law on her own and assume the raising her her granddaughter.

An excellent read.

Review: I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful book. It is the one book that I think everyone should read, especially the young ones.

Caitlin at the age of twelve was given a project by her teacher to write a letter to a pen pal. Martin, a student in Zimbabwe was the recipient of her letter and he responded. This started an absolutely wonderful friendship that has stood the test of time.

Highly recommended, a superb read.

Review: I Liked My Life

I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very enjoyable debut novel. I liked my life opens with the aftermath of a wife and mother, Maddy, committing suicide. She is still in the atmosphere and is somehow able to transmit thoughts and feelings to her family who are completely devasted by her death.

Her family consisted on Brady, her husband, Eve, her daughter and Meg, her sister. Everyone loved Maddy and she was very wise. Each of the members of the family have to learn to continue living without Maddy to help and encourage them and each one has guilt feelings that they didn't do enough for Maddy and took her for granted.

The story is told in alternating voices in the first person and this was the best way to get close to each character and understand each of them.

A very unique story and good read.

Review: The Lightkeeper's Daughters

The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Terrific book. The setting is perfect Lake Superior and its easy to see that the author comes from that area in Canada. Her descriptions and the way she can make you "feel" the lake is fantastic.

My only complaint is that I feel I have read this story previously, or something quite similar. The Light Between The Oceans comes to mind. Although the stories are different, there did seem to be a "theme".

But anyway, back to this book. It is a terrific story and I could never have anticipated the ending. The main characters are twins Elizabeth and Emily. Elizabeth is now in a nursing facility and has been given a set of journals that her father wrote during his life when working as a keeper at Lake Superior near Thunder Bay. Since Elizabeth is almost blind, a young girl who is doing community service duties, has been reading from the journals aloud for her.

An excellent read.

Review: Don't Let Go

Don't Let Go by Harlan Coben
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have read many Harlan Coban novels and loved most of them.

Fifteen years ago Nap's twin brother was killed, or, he could have committed suicide. Nap has been searching for the reasons for many years.

Unfortunately I found the story was drawn out and very far fetched.