Whatcha Readin’?

Well, here is what I have been reading since I last wrote a books post. As you see, I had a little binge on Freida McFadden, who is pretty popular and writes thrillers. 

• Sunset Beach – Mary Kay Andrews – A little bit of romance, a little bit of living on the beach, and a mystery. Good read. I gave it four out of five stars. Recommended more for the ladies.
• Never Lie – Freida McFadden – Good one. A couple shopping for a home is trapped in a spooky old house they visit in a blizzard. The house was owned and lived in by a renowned psychiatrist who disappeared. Four stars plus.
• Looking for Alaska – John Green – I read this young adult book for a banned book club I just joined. It is a great book, funny with some fascinating teenage characters at a boarding school. Why banned? Well, I don’t think any book should be banned. Not appropriate for grade school kids, since it deals with depression and suicidal thoughts. Older teens and adults will enjoy it. Four stars.
• Every Tom Dick and Harry – Elinor Lipman – I read this because I read most of Lipman’s books. She writes the type of books I like although this one wasn’t very riveting. She graduated from the same college as I did a year before me, and I vaguely remember her from then. And she made it quite big as an author. This one is about a realtor, her roommate, and a house of ill repute. I didn’t love it, but a lot of people did. Three stars from me.
• Do Not Disturb – Freida McFadden – To avoid spending her life in prison, a young woman runs away, stopping at a creepy motel…called a Hitchcock-type thriller. Four stars from me. 
• The Perfect Son – Freida McFadden – A high school girl has vanished, and suspicion arises against the boy who last saw her. The police suspect murder. The boy’s mother wonders if her son could have actually done it. Four stars.
• The Inmate – Freida McFadden – A nurse practitioner begins a job in a maximum security prison. And unknown to the other employees, one of the inmates is her ex. Five stars.
• The Housemaid’s Secret – Freida McFadden – A maid with a past is hired to clean a penthouse. She needs to keep this job. But what about the wife who is in the bedroom? Four stars.
• The Teacher – Freida McFadden – A high school is rocked by a student-teacher affair. Five stars. It is a thriller. No sex involved as far as I can remember!
• A Brief Welcome to the Universe – Neil deGrasse Tyson – I gave this book four stars because I know it is a good book. I don’t remember much about it or how much I understood it. It talks about the universe. How did it begin? Why is it constantly expanding? It gives a good picture of just what infinity means.
• Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe – Heather Webber – A cafe in the mountains and magical blackbirds. The granddaughter of the late owner comes to take care of the cafe and probably sell it, but she falls in love with it, deciding to change her life plans.  It was a good book, but not great. Three stars.