For The Love of Reading...What's On Your Bookshelf #WOYBS

Welcome to my What's On Your BookShelf post. The #WOYB link party is hosted by Deb, Jo and Sue....all gals I follow on a few other link parties. I love their blogs. Go check them out. #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge

In my determination to not forget to post and also to remember what I liked/didn't like about the books I read I decided to always have a draft going so I could add to it as I finish or start books. We'll see how that goes. 

EDIT: I started the draft, but didn't get around to it. Ha!! I'll keep trying. 

My rating system:

⭐ DNF (which there's a reason), story lacking any depth, grammatical or spelling errors (too many), just did not enjoy it and enough to it that I wouldn't recommend. Don't bother reading

⭐⭐ Story line is a bit all over the place, struggle to read it but maybe it had some redeeming parts. Characters  or story line weren't believable or too unrealistic. I wouldn't want to read it again. Too many storylines going on at the same time. Read it or don't read it.

⭐⭐⭐ Solid story line and characters. I liked it but didn't necessarily LOVE it, but I didn't HATE it either. I may have felt that it dragged on, or had parts that weren't necessary to the story. Maybe was a little hard to follow. Probably wouldn't recommend but it wasn't a total disaster.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A really great read that I enjoyed picking up each time. I enjoyed it from front to back. The characters and storyline were really good.  As someone said "a truly good book, but missing the cherry on top".  Go ahead and read it

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book knocked it out of the park and I couldn't put it down. OR it was a book that really opened my eyes to something or taught me something about someones life. One I have bookmarked and even taken notes. It left me wanting to read more by the author or more in the series. Definitely go read. 

May reads: 

The Puma Years by Laura Coleman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was one of my 12/12 books, recommended by my aunt. This is a memoir where Laura narrates her journey of discovering all that she is capable of and probably who she really is. As a young 20 something she embarks on a journey in Bolivia and finds herself at a wildlife sanctuary. There she meet an array of people and animals who help to open her eyes to her own life and those around her. Funny, heartbreaking, and eye opening. If you like memoirs and/or animal activism you would enjoy this. 

Hook, Line and Stinker by Maggie West ⭐⭐

I love cozy mysteries. I expect them to deliver like any other book I read, but sometimes they just fall short. I was hoping this one would be a great one, but, well, it was a bit of a "stinker"...the protagonist finds a dead body and of course, like all cozies, decides she can solve the crime better than law enforcement. It had potential, but kept disappointing me. Here's the thing, I want a cozy mystery to be relatable..you know, like if it happened in real life, to me. I shouldn't be saying "no way...no one talks this way". I want to laugh and say, "oh, that sounds like me, or so and so". The characters were likable enough, and there were some good spots, but, like I said, it didn't deliver!

Bird on a Wire by Adrienne Lockhart ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you like the possibility of a ghost with your cozy, this one might be one you enjoy. A friendly ghost of course. The protagonist, on a whim, changes vacation plans and instead of heading to Hawaii, heads to the small town where her twin sister lived and had died a year prior. She felt guilty about not being there for the funeral and even her sisters wedding and when she arrives, begins to believe that it might not have been an accident. It had me guessing the "who done it". 

Murder at the Courthouse by A.H. Gabhart ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one was a fun read. A lawman who comes home to the small town he grew up in after being "done" with big city crime. Complete with an aunt who raised him after his parents died when he was a teen. Crime never happens here until two people, a stranger, and a local are murdered. He sets out to find answers, with the help of a few others. Maybe not a true cozy, since we often think of the protagonist of a cozy as someone who is not even a part of law enforcement, but the characters and the setting make it a cozy for me. It kept me reading, I had my questions about who did it. The ending surprised me. 

No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was my book club read for May. I listened to this one on audiobook. It was narrated by the author and he did a great job. Sometimes it was hard to understand because of his Parkinsons Disease, but not impossible and usually only a few words here and there. He shares his journey briefly before PD, but mostly from it's early onset to the publishing. I love reading memoirs. Or listening to them. I think it's important to learn what makes people tick. It's so easy to see people in a public eye and judge them when we really have no idea of their day to day lives and struggles. 

Death of a Dead Man by Karin Kaufman ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think this is more of a 4.25 because I really liked it, but if the book says "suspicion falls on" a certain person I expect to actually have that voiced, but it never was.  A newcomer in town, the protagonist is drawn into an old case when, after a woman is able to officially declare her husband dead, a stranger arrives in town and stirs up trouble. She decides to help her neighbor along with a few others and much to the dismay of the local policeman dives into trying to solve the case, especially after a body is found in her backyard. It was a fun read. 

Currently reading in June:

Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris

I am listening to this book. WOW. I'm only about 30+% of the way through and it's good. I recommend listening on audio. It follows a group of women who have been separated from the men when they are captured by Japanese when trying to escape Singapore during World War II. The main characters are two sisters and a nurse. Others take their place in the story as well. This one will probably get 5 stars. 

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

I just started this one. My aunt gave it to me to read while I was on vacation. It is rumored to possibly be true, but it's not confirmed as it happened a long time ago. It takes place in 1900, in Melbourne Australia at an all girls school. After setting off on a picnic, 3 girls and a schoolmistress go missing after walking into the heavy bushes. It has been a bit of a slow start for me but I'm hoping it picks up. My aunt really liked it. 

My Father's List: How Living My Dad's Dreams Set Me Free by Laura Carney

I can't remember where I saw this book recommended. I just started reading it as well. After finding a list of "Things I want to do in my lifetime", years after her father dies tragically, the author sets out to complete them. I already have some spots highlighted. 

Continuing Reads:

I'm still working on these.

Untangle Your Emotions by Jennie Allen

This one is part of a weekly book study so it will probably be another month before I'm done. 

The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama XIV

I was making good progress on this one, but have been slacking 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin