I wanted to like this book. But it (ironically?) shows that the sequels are not always necessary. In the first book the story was compelling but the ending felt muddy, and unfulfilling. Now we pick up with Anna, a character from the first book, who was kind of an anti-hero, but now she is more difficult to root for. She has gone from tragic victim to paranoid sociopath with a high kill count. Just not a compelling story.

I enjoyed this book taking place in the south, nearing the end of the Civil War. A southern woman, her precocious niece, a freed slave who works for her and a wounded Union soldier leads to an intriguing story.

20 year old Hal, was drowning in debt after her mother’s death. A glimmer of a hope came to her in the form of a letter of a lost inheritance. She thinks they have the wrong person, but she needed the money, so what is a person to do?

I only picked this book because it met the challenge and the description sounded promising. I was wrong. The (biggest) twist was predictable from about the 5th chapter. When I first figured it out I was not sure if the author thought their readers were morons and would not see it, or if it was meant to be the biggest red herring ever (it wasn’t). Even for a mystery/thriller there was excessive and pointless death. If I could provide better advice, it would be to skip the epilogue. It was totally unnecessary and added plot lines at the bitter end that contribute nothing to the overall story, and actively takes away from it simultaneously. That is after seeing that the book was already 100 pages too long.

I really liked this one. Sloane is a self proclaimed liar. She doesn't lie to intentionally hurt people, but more to make herself seem more important and interesting. Unfortunately, she does manage to get herself into trouble.

This book was just OK. The first few chapters really drew me in and made me want to read more, but the ending was such a big let down. It moved quickly, but had such a disappointing ending.

This was strange in the best way — atmospheric, a little eerie, and hard to put down. Some parts dragged, but overall it was good.

Vera Wong lives above her teashop in San Francisco's Chinatown. One morning she wakes up to find a dead body in the shop. She decides to figure out who did it. It's cute and funny, especially listening to the audiobook.

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors. Although I prefer some of his other books over this one, I still rank this one as 5 stars. This book focuses on Ted and his relationships at 14 to 15 years old and at 39 years old. One of his friends is a famous artist, who became famous because his 14 year old friends forced him to enter a painting into a competition. As an adult, the artist meets an 18 year old who he sees as a kindred spirit, and introduces her to Ted. Their initially contentious relationship changes as the book progresses. As with all of Backman's books, much of the book focuses on relationships and the psychology of the various characters.

This story is set in China during the 1800s. The fate of girls and women were tied to male society. During that time mothers bound their daughters feet. Generally, the feet of girls born in the country were not bound. This story is about two young girls: Little Flower and Lingjing. Little Flower’s mother bound her feet to give her a good chance of marriage. Lingjing’s father interceded in the binding of his daughter’s feet so she was released from the process. When Little Flower’s father dies, her mother needs to make a deal for her daughter’s future. The fate of both girls is sealed. The look at Chinese culture as well as twists and turns in the life of the two girls was fascinating. I could not put this book down. I was engaged in all the twists and turns in little Flowers’ life.