2017 Book #45 – The Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler

51RzRwlEwRL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_Title: The Mediterranean Caper
Author: Clive Cussler
Date finished: 5/14/17
Genre: Fiction, military
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication Date: July 16, 2013 (40th Anniversary reprint)
Pages in book: 220
Stand alone or series: #1 in the Dirk Pitt Adventure series
Where I got the book from: Terryville Public Library

Blurb from the cover:

On a quiet Greek island, a U.S. air force base has come under attack—by a World War I fighter plane . . . a famous yellow Albatros supposedly lost at sea in 1918.
Now it is up to Dirk Pitt, Al Giordino, and the rest of the NUMA team to root out the elusive truth behind the incident—and find out how it’s connected to mysterious acts of sabotage against a scientific expedition, an international smuggling ring, and a dark-haired beauty with some dangerous secrets.  The search for answers will lead Pitt from a lavish island villa, to a moving freighter eerily empty of crew, to a massive underwater cavern housing the heart of a criminal operation that is larger and more elaborate than he ever could have imagined . . . a lucrative operation that its mastermind would kill to protect.
With its fearless and dashing hero, high-stakes action, and non-stop excitement, The Mediterranean Caper is classic Dirk Pitt . . . and classic Cussler.

My rating:  1.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I read this book for the Terryville Library’s Fiction Lover’s Book Discussion group discussion for this month (May). This was a military adventure type novel, supposedly in the same vein as an Indiana Jones type novel. Dirk Pitt is called out to a Greek island with his friend Giordino to help with a problem that’s come up. Along the way, through a series of events that could only be arranged by fate, Pitt gets involved in a larger issue: major drug deals and a dastardly villain who is the very definition of evil.
Overall this was not my favorite book. The hero was so cocky and arrogant, I hated it. And it didn’t make any sense how he kept figuring out the scheme/story behind every twist and turn, I couldn’t understand how Pitt seemed to be this all-knowing character. I mean yes he was smart but it was ridiculous how much he knew about each facet of other people’s plans just by guessing. And I think part of the reason I didn’t love this book was because it was written so long ago there were certain things that just were cringe-worthy. In the first 40 pages of the book, Pitt meets a beautiful but sad woman on the beach, backhands her, and then has sex with her all within like a page and it was just so ridiculously unrealistic. So overall not my favorite but I can where it would appeal to certain readers.

The bottom line: This book was not my favorite, it just didn’t capture my interest. The hero’s character didn’t appeal to me personally but I am sure this book would appeal to some.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Bout of Books 19 Update & WRAP UP

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Day 7 was mostly spent with family and I also spent the morning volunteering but I managed to read about 2 hours at night before bed. My Sunday’s progress is below followed by my wrap up of my overall Bout of Books accomplishments:

Updates

Sunday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 110
Total number of pages I’ve read: 1,076
Books read today: I finished Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler, review will be up tonight!
Challenges: Sunday was a free day so there was no challenge

Time Devoted to Reading

My goal was to devote at least 2 hours a day to reading and I unfortunately did not reach that goal every day! I read about 17 hours over the course of the 7 days which was good, but last year for this challenge I read 27 hours so there was a definite decline. And I only read just over 1,000 pages compared to over 1,700 pages so while I accomplished a lot in one week I wish it had gone a little better!

My Goals

My goal for this read-a-thon was to do the daily challenges, read about two hours a day and have fun! I posted a update every day on how the previous day went and I also did Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday‘s “challenge” post.  I really had a lot of fun with Thursday’s “Character Dating profile” post!

Books to Read

Overall I think it was a pretty successful week considering how many other engagements / work projects I had going on. I had a great time participating and I will definitely want to participate in another Bout of Books in the future!

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 6

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Day 6 was not my most productive reading day. I had planned to get up early and read before the plans we had with our family but I ended up sleeping in so I only really ended up reading for like an hour before bed. So anyways, my Saturday’s progress is below:

Updates

Saturday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 70
Total number of pages I’ve read: 966
Books read today: I continued reading Mediterranean Caper
Challenges: I did not participate in the Saturday challenge, there just isn’t enough time in the day, and also similar to Friday I didn’t feel like digging through my boxes of books

Today (Sunday) is the last day of the read-a-thon and I spent time volunteering this morning and then spent the afternoon at my little cousin’s First Communion and then having brunch with my family! I am going to try and do some reading now but seeing as how its already almost bedtime I’m not sure how much I’ll get to read. That’s ok though, Happy reading everyone!

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 5

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Day 5 of Bout of Books 19 and I have to say I thought things would move a little faster for me. I tried to schedule a bunch of time for reading this week but other plans got in the way! I read probably about 5-6 hours yesterday though so that I think I’ll count as a good day. So anyways, my Friday’s progress is below:

Updates

Friday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 316
Total number of pages I’ve read: 896
Books read today: I finished The Simplicity of Cider (I loved it, you can see my review here) and started Mediterranean Caper
Challenges: I did not participate in the Friday challenge, the challenge was to make a book spine rainbow and all my books are currently packed up in boxes until the library is done. I didn’t feel like digging around in the boxes.

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the last day of the read-a-thon and between family plans today and tomorrow (Mother’s Day and my little cousin’s First Communion) and a Lions event that I’ll be helping with, I’m not sure how much reading I will get done, but I will try my best! Happy reading everyone!

2017 Book #44 – The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert

61EYgKWCiDLTitle: The Simplicity of Cider
Author: Amy E. Reichert
Date finished: 5/12/17
Genre: Fiction, women’s fiction
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: May 16, 2017
Pages in book: 336
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Fall in love with The Simplicity of Cider, the charming new novel about a prickly but gifted cider-maker whose quiet life is interrupted by the arrival of a handsome man and his young son at her family’s careworn orchard by the author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie.
Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.
Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance—or fate—led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.
Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places—friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac—until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.
From the warm and funny Amy E. Reichert, The Simplicity of Cider is a charming love story with a touch of magic, perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Gayle Forman.

My rating:  4.5 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Sanna Lund, who lives with her father at their family orchard. The orchard has been their family’s land for generations, with their normally large family all living together in the large farm house. It’s narrowed down to just Sanna and her father, Einars, now though and they rattle around the house and the land, trying to keep their orchard afloat. Sanna has a talent for making cider and her father decided to invest in a great renovation of their barn to install more cider machinery. Unfortunately neither of them know how to get the word out though so the orchard is now pretty deep in debt. Despite that, when father and son Isaac and Sebastian roll into town Einars decides to hire them to help out. Isaac feels an immediate attraction to Sanna, but his life is complicated enough with what he’s running from. With all their complications, is there really any chance for them to have a happy ending?
Overall I really just loved this book. There was just a touch of magic in the book and it really made it come alive for me. I loved Sanna’s character, she was strong and proud but also so loving and generous. And the cidery and orchard added such an interesting aspect to the story. The author really did such a wonderful job too of weaving this romantic and touching love story, Sanna and Isaac’s story really reached into my chest and just squeezed my heart tight. And I loved the ending and how creatively the author made a happy ending not only for Sanna but also for so many of the other characters in the story as well. This was such a great read and I would really recommend it!

The bottom line: I just loved this book, this was a beautifully woven love story with just a touch of magic to it. This one is a must read for the summer, I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 4

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I had a really busy work day yesterday and then Kris and I went out to dinner and watched a movie, so I definitely didn’t get to even read for two hours, I’d be surprised if I read for one hour. Luckily today (Friday) I have off so it will be a catch-up day for reading. Anyways, my Thursday’s progress is below:

Updates

Thursday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 30
Total number of pages I’ve read: 580
Books read today: I continued reading The Simplicity of Cider
Challenges: I did the Thursday challenge, which was to create a dating profile for a character from a book. I picked a character from a recent read, Vasya from The Bear and the Nightingale

Today (Friday) I’m home reading and hope to get a lot done. Especially since the upcoming weekend will be such a busy one! Happy reading everyone!

Day 4 Challenge: Character Dating Profile

I decided to do a character profile on a character from one of my recent reads, The Bear and the Nightingale. I really loved this book and how fantastical it was, I thought the main character of the book would be a great inspiration for this post!

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Name Vasilisa (Vasya) Vladimirovich
Height 5’9″
Eye Color Green
Hair Color Black
Age 18

Hometown the edge of the Russian wilderness

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Family I have three brothers, one sister, and one half sister. My mother died in childbirth but my father is loving. My stepmother is the same kind of crazy as me but super mean

Occupation Well it isn’t a paid position but I keep the town safe. At least until the new priest came to town and started mucking up everything.

Hobbies Talking to wood nymphs and guardians of the stove (domovoi) and the stables. Adventuring in the woods. Talking to horses. 

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Looking For A man on a brilliant white stallion with startling blue eyes who I met in a dream when I was young

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 3

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Well Day 3 was a pretty busy workday for me so I didn’t get much reading done. I was in a training all day and then I had to catch up on work after it so I only managed to read about 1.5 hours probably. I did finish a book and start another though! So my Wednesday’s progress is below:

Updates

Wednesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 90
Total number of pages I’ve read: 550
Books read today: I finished The Perfect Stranger (LOVED IT – you can see my review here) and started The Simplicity of Cider (it’s really good so far!)
Challenges: I did the shelfie challenge for Wednesday, you can see my Twitter post here

I have a pretty busy workday again today but then I’m off tomorrow! Looking forward to sleeping in and then reading all morning!

Bout of Books 19 Update – Day 2

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Well Day 2 went better than Day 1. I still had to work but I ended up reading for 3-4 hours (mostly thanks to a devoted reading break after the dentist but before Lions). So my Tuesday’s progress is below:

Updates

Tuesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 251
Total number of pages I’ve read: 460
Books read today: Continued reading The Perfect Stranger (IT IS SO GOOD)
Challenges: I did the Not a Font challenge for Tuesday, I posted it on Twitter here

I’m hoping to make good progress through the rest of today. Today is a busy workday for me but I spent some time reading before work and will also read before bed. I’m looking forward to a day off on Friday! Happy reading to you all!

2017 Book #43 – The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda

51MUPopm41LTitle: The Perfect Stranger
Author: Megan Miranda
Date finished: 5/10/17
Genre: Fiction, suspense
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Pages in book: 353
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

Confronted by a restraining order and the threat of a lawsuit, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs to get out of Boston when she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who has just left a troubled relationship. Emmy proposes they move to rural Pennsylvania, where Leah can get a teaching position and both women can start again. But their new start is threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears days later.
Determined to find Emmy, Leah cooperates with Kyle Donovan, a handsome young police officer on the case. As they investigate her friend’s life for clues, Leah begins to wonder: did she ever really know Emmy at all? With no friends, family, or a digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Soon Leah’s credibility is at stake, and she is forced to revisit her past: the article that ruined her career. To save herself, Leah must uncover the truth about Emmy Grey—and along the way, confront her old demons, find out who she can really trust, and clear her own name.
Everyone in this rural Pennsylvanian town has something to hide—including Leah herself. How do you uncover the truth when you are busy hiding your own?

My rating:  4.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book tells the story of Leah Stevens, a journalist who has recently relocated from Boston to rural western Pennsylvania to escape the mess she’s made of her life. Starting over with a teaching position, she hopes to leave her failure behind her. Leah moves in with a friend that she’s recently reconnected with, Emmy. She and Emmy lived together for a few months right after Leah graduated from college, when she became a new person and began to form the structure of her adult life. After not seeing Emmy for eight years, she suddenly reappears just when Leah seemingly needs her most. But then a dead body is found by the lake and this small rural town in western Pennsylvania starts to feel a little less safe. And as the bodies, and the secrets, start piling up, with Emmy missing and Leah left to connect the dots, the truth unravels and Leah learns that the danger really is everywhere.
AHH Overall, my gosh, I loved this book. I was addicted, on the edge of my seat, didn’t want to put it down. I found myself continually looking around trying to “find the danger” when I wasn’t reading. Leah as a character was great. She’s on the edge of losing it and she gets so deep into this that the reader even starts to question if Emmy is real or not. I loved the mind-games that this book plays with the reader, the danger really is everywhere and Leah is in much more trouble than she could have ever imagined. The way that the author presents the different relationships within this book I found to be really interesting too. Leah realizes later on in the book and its true but relationships are all about perspective. Your specific perspective of that person and what they present to your relationship could only be one facet of them as a person and of their lives, which I found to be a thought-provoking aspect to this story. This was a great and interesting book with great plot twists and a constant threat of danger. This is going to be a must read for this summer, I would definitely recommend!

The bottom line: I loved this book, I was on the edge of my seat and I just loved the twists and turns in the plot. This one is a must read for the summer, I would definitely recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page