Recent Reads

83. The Shadow Tracer
Sarah Keller and her daughter Zoe are not who they seem. After Zoe gets into an accident, things quickly spiral out of control, and Sarah and her daughter start running. Cults, FBI, car chases, shoot outs - the story has them all. On the plus side, it is a fast read and the pace kept me turning the pages. However, the characters have no depth, and a lot of the plot lines just had me shaking my head. You know how a snack can be tasty while you eat it, but after you are done you are left feeling empty? That is how I felt after I was done reading this book. I did however get some good tips on how to stay off the grid if I ever have to go on the lam. Rating: 2 stars.

84. The Wave
The subtitle: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean says it all. 

I listened to the audio book wonderfully narrated by Kirsten Potter. If you are even remotely interested in oceans, waves, ships, surfing, or just want a really great read, check this one out. I found this an informative, entertaining and page turner of a read. What more can one ask of a non-fiction book? Rating: 5 stars

85. And the Mountains Echoed
I am a Hosseini fan. The man knows how to spin yarn, but I was disappointed with this book. At no point in the reading did I drop into the story, and I kept waiting to be sucked in. 

An important thing to know before reading this book, is that it is really a collection of short stories, that are connected by people. I liked the stories of Pari and Abdullah the best, but the jacket cover singles them out, and I think that is misleading. Yes everyone is connected, sometimes very loosely, to these two characters, but they are in no way the main event so to speak. 

Themes explored include family, love, loss, betrayal, belonging, and while I did like the multi-generational, multi-location saga attempt, I do not think that the author pulls it off. Rating: 2 stars.