The Girl in Blue (YA) (4.5/5)

The Girl in Blue (YA) (4.5/5)

Sarah leaves her family farm to join the army during the Civil War. To do so, she has to dress like a boy. She is eventually found out and then is sent to become a spy for Pinkerton. Good historical fiction. Rinaldi does it again.

The Big Dirt Nap (4.5/5)

The Big Dirt Nap (4.5/5)

This is the second book in a cozy mystery series. I didn't read #1 but I will now sooner rather than later. This book stood well on its own. Paula owns a gardening business. She also freelances writing articles about plants and flowers. Paula goes to a hotel with her friend Lucy to write about a corpse flower. She ends up dealing with a corpse instead. A lot of twists and turns in this book--kept me guessing right until the end. Good characters in this book--Paula is a good main character and there are a host of good supporting characters (Babe, Lucy etc). I will continue this series.

Loving Frank (4.5/5)

Loving Frank (4.5/5)

This book is based on the true story of Frank Lloyd Wright's affair with the wife of one of his clients. It tells their love story, both the good and the bad points. The ending of this one knocked me for a loop; I did not see it coming at all. I didn't really know anything about this real-life couple prior to reading the book. I enjoyed the writing style of this book.

Outlander (4.5/5)

Outlander (4.5/5)

I have had this book on my shelf for years. Coworkers raved about it. I finally started it and loved it. Claire travels back in time and meets Jaime, a highlander, and the two fall in love. This is an epic novel of their romance, the troubles the face and how two people from very different times and places can connect. I will continue this series.

A Flash of Hex (5/5)

A Flash of Hex (5/5)

Second in a paranormal series. I didn't read #1 but I want to now. Tess is an agent with magical powers. She needs to find and stop a serial killing demon. Tess is in a forbidden romance with Lucian, who can bring back the dead. Derek is Tess's partner and her co-guardian of Mia, a 14 year old who is on her way to becoming a vampire. Lots of action, mystery and romance in this one.

Ricky

Feeling a little sad today, missing my big guy, Ricky. Ricky is my Maine Coon who died last year from FIP. He was my lap cat, always sucking on my sweatshirt. He was a good boy. His sister, Lucy, turns 12 in August. She's slower but so far she's hanging in.

Fade (YA) (5/5)

Fade (YA) (5/5)

This is the second book in this series and this one was another good one. Janie is a "dream catcher"; she gets sucked into other people's dreams and can see their innermost thoughts. She works, along with her secret boyfriend Cabel, undercover for the cops. In this book, Janie and Cabel are trying to figure out which of their HS teachers are sleeping with students. This has some rough scenes in it but it is a good mystery and will keep readers hooked.

CR: Outlander

CR: Outlander

I have had this book on my shelf for years and have had co-workers rave about it. It's a long book (almost 900 pages) and I'm about a 1/3 of a way through and am enjoying it so far. Claire has traveled back to the 1700s and has met Jaime, a Scottish highlander. So far, so good.

Max in the hammock

Max is in the cat hammock in this picture. Out of our 6 cats, he is the only one who will go in the darn thing. He likes it.

The Other Queen (3.5/5)

The Other Queen (3.5/5)

This one didn't hook me as much as the others of Gregory's that I've read (The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance). The chapters, in alternating points of view, were almost too short and choppy to get a real reading groove going. I do like reading about Mary, Queen of Scots. She was an interesting figure.

CR: The Reformed Vampire Support Group (YA)

CR: The Reformed Vampire Support Group (YA)

A group of vampires fear that their secret will be revealed when one of their support group members are killed by a slayer. I'm about 100 pages into this book and it's good so far.