Review: “Nogged Off” by Barbara Ross

‘Nogged Off’ was not my first book by Barbara Ross and not my first book from the series, ‘A Maine Clambake Mystery.’ Precisely the reason I wanted to read it.

I will say that I was not overly thrilled about the beginning of the book. It seemed a bit contrived and even soggy. I re-read the beginning to see if maybe I had somehow missed a bit of information or clue. No, sadly, I had not.

Every book in the series before had drawn me in quickly. So I had higher expectations, maybe. The soggy start, the start in another city, both threw me off. As the plot moved towards the middle, it seemed to form more of a reason for being. I kept reading because I wanted to see if there was a reason our heroine was going through the hoops and some loops. (Also, this is a NetGallery review, and I wanted to complete my task)

There was a reason, and it made more sense once I read to the end of the book. Still, I wish the story would have flowed better in the beginning as it did near the end.

Ms. Ross usually has a good plot and a well thought out story, unlike ‘Nogged Off.’ Will, I read the next book in the series, yes. I expect the next book to be back to the series usual goodness.

Only (three green books): 📗📗📗

Review ~ “Barack and Joe: The Making of An Extraordinary Partnership” by Steven Levingston

Nowadays, it is common to see the words, ‘Don’t you miss these guys?’ when referring to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Indeed, I think we do miss them. Even the other side of the aisle in Congress probably wishes the political world was a be more polite as it was with the former President and the former Vice President.

In this book, Mr. Levingston goes into deliberate detail as to what made Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden, the team. And yes, it was a team, yet it was a long time in the making.

The book acknowledges how these political men were different, and yet as time tells, the subtleties of their beliefs became apparent. How these similarities played out is what makes them the dream team.

Mr. Levingston tells and shows how they worked out their differences to provide the best they had for the country. Their prime focus was taking the country into a stable place in the world. While Obama needed Biden’s international experience, Biden needed Mr. Obama’s fresh take and youthful energy.

“Barack and Joe” is not a ‘buddy’ or ‘bromance’ book. It is a book that shows you how it all happened, and most importantly, why it needed to happen. The writing is clear, concise, and entertaining. You can see how it all played out, and you enjoy the ride getting there.

I have recommended: (five green books) 📗📗📗📗📗.

Updated (6 Oct 19)Review: On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Synder

Updated 6 Oct 19:

My copy of ‘On Tyranny’ will not be sold or given to the local library.

I will continue to review and appraise my involvement in my local, state, and federal governments in regard to the standards ‘On Tyranny’ sets. It is that important and I believe that once you read it, ‘On Tyranny’, will be that important to you too.

A must-read for anyone concerned about our place in the world and place in history.

We should be concerned about our ability to remain a democracy.

An intelligent and well-researched book.

Highly Recommended (five books): 📗📗📗📗📗

Quote:

“The president is a nationalist, which is not at all the same thing as a patriot. A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A nationalist, “although endlessly brooding on power, victory, defeat, revenge,” wrote Orwell, tends to be “uninterested in what happens in the real world.” Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others. As the novelist Danilo Kiš put it, nationalism “has no universal values, aesthetic or ethical.” A patriot, by contrast, wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves. A patriot must be concerned with the real world, which is the only place where his country can be loved and sustained. A patriot has universal values, standards by which he judges his nation, always wishing it well—and wishing that it would do better. Democracy”
― Timothy Snyder

 

Book Review: “Murder Past Due” by Miranda James

The cover of this book hooked me. I mean a cat, books, and well, books in a library! What is not to love?

Murder Past Due is set in a small Mississippi town named Athena. Athena is a small, quiet town where Charlie and Diesel live. Charlie had recently moved back and brought Diesel with him. As they walk the streets they make quite a pair. Charlie and Diesel tag team in the library. Charlie works there, and Diesel sleeps there. The perfect setup for the impending trouble.

Small town gossip flies as Geoffrey, the best-selling novelist, slides into town on a book tour. Then things and life become interesting for Charlie & Diesel.

This book is the first in the new (new to me) series, Cat in The Stacks. At first, I found the book sluggish. I believe it was the characters and not the plot. After a period of the time, the characters did develop, and the plot moved sufficiently forward that I could see the characters more clearly in my mind’s eye. In saying that, I did not find myself sympathetic to some of the characters as I knew I was supposed to feel. Those few characters had much to do and say in the plot, but I felt they were more two-dimensional than the book needed.

Let me add this, Charlie does an excellent job of sleuthing, and several people have taken notice. I will read the next book in the series. And if you read /follow my reviews you know that I will not complete a set if I do not like the first book I read whether it is the first book in the series or the last book in a series. So yes, I think ‘Cat in The Stacks’ books are worth my reading time and dollars.

Book Review: “Old Money”, a Jake Crosby Thriller by Bobby Cole

“Old Money” is the third book in the Jake Crosby series. I have not read a ‘Jake Crosby” book, so I new to his world with no backstory or understanding of the deeper details other than what was hinted at in the current book.

The plot was good and well thought out. The characters are fleshed out and are engaging. The crispness of Jake being a Game Warden in Mississippi had a realness to it.I found the writing to be a bit stalling. Let me explain my reasoning for using the word. ‘stalling’. The novel seemed to drag out in certain parts of the story line as if the author was waiting for the characters initiate action, such as Jake’s ex-girlfriend.  She returned home and was remembering old times with Jake. Then as the book moved forward to its conclusion, she suddenly was not thinking about Jake and taking matters into her hands regarding her family life. But I did not feel her resolution to stop thinking about her old boyfriend nor did I believe she even made a decision. I felt the door had closed, and I never understood how she came to that conclusion.
Overall, I would recommend “Old Money” to anyone who enjoys mysteries and the South. Both are well played in this story. I will also state the book would make a great movie. The flow of words and motion even feels like a movie.
*I received the novel/ARC free for an honest review. My opinions are solely my own.