A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Books for Adults

Portrait of a Spy

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Daniel Silva is a new author to me, and don’t know the main characters in this story, but after reading Portrait of a Spy I find myself wanting to get to know them better.   🙂  When I looked him up I was astonished that I had not heard of him before.  Okay library, here I come!!   Mystery, international intrigue, the art world, and determination to protect.  All make for a winner!  

portrait of a spy

Basic Details for Portrait of a Spy

Title: Portrait of a Spy
Author: Daniel Silva
Series: Gabriel Allon
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 464
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: mystery, international intrigue, spy, terrorism, Suspense, thriller
Available formats: hardcover, paperback, audio, kindle

Author and Summary

Bombings in Paris and Copenhagen have agents Gabriel and Chiara drawn into the world of terrorism.   Can they stop this newest threat?   At the center of the threat is an American-born cleric in Yemen to whom Allah has granted “a beautiful and seductive tongue.” A gifted deceiver, who was once a paid CIA asset, the mastermind is plotting a new wave of attacks.  Can they find a someone to walk the line between the Islamic terrorist and the West? Enter in the daughter of an old enemy. 

Daniel Silva is a New York Times bestselling author having written over 25 novels filled with spies and international intrigue.  He’s an American, married, and worked as a member of the press.  He worked for CNN until his success as a novelist was secure. 

What Did I Think?

I love a good mystery novel.   Mr. Silva writes a novel that combines the human element (dismay at not being able to save the life of innocents) with a strong willingness to defend and protect.   Keeping the people of his nation safe is of paramount importance!   

It was interesting watching the process of discovering who the threat was and their approach to dealing with it.  It felt realistic. 

I have to admit, I had this disconnect with the whole reclusive couple in cottage in some small town.  It made no sense to me why that was important to write about. 

The interplay between the characters made sense and the sense of danger was real. Admittedly the action is slow with lots of dialogue, but the dialogue established the threat and response.    

There is a bit of a side story with the world of international art, and detecting what’s real art and what isn’t. An educational side trip for sure!  🙂 

I am looking forward to reading more in this series, should be a fun journey eh?  

The Beast Player

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The Beast Player is another book I read last summer while on vacation that has just stuck with me, so I’m going to tell you about it.   We have interpersonal connections,

The Beast Player is a story about a young girl, bereaved of her family, who finds herself in the unique position of being able to talk to terrifying beasts while living far away from her people. A coming-of-age story where change is vital for man and beast.

The beast player

Basic Details for The Beast Player

Title: The Beast Player  Book 1
Author: Nahoko Uehashi, translated by Cathy Hirano
Series: The Beast Player
Publisher: Square Fish
Pages: 368
Intended Audience: 12-18 years
Genre: fantasy, epic fantasy, women and girl issues, 
Available formats: hardcover, paperback, audio, kindle

Nahoko Uehashi is a Japanese author who primarily writes fantasy books. She is an associate professor at a Japanese university.  She attained a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology.  The indigenous peoples of Australia are of interest to her.   Writer of several books, The Beast Warrior is the second in this series. 

the beast player

Digging Deeper

One of the things I appreciated in this read was that it didn’t read like a translated work.  The story proceeded as I expected it to without feeling stilted due to translation issues.  You could tell it came from another culture, but it fit so well with the storyline, so it felt like part of the story. Just like you would expect with any book written by someone raised in another culture.  Your culture influences everything about you doesn’t it? 

I also just liked this journey of discovery.  Enjoying seeing Elin develop an understanding of her past, and learning how to be the person she was meant to become was just intriguing.   She was pushed out, pulled in, and learned over time to ask for better.  And in the end, her people learned and did better.  A good thing that eh?  

Artwork and more

Artwork is minimal and varies from chapter to chapter as part of the heading.  Simple drawings that have something to do with what the chapter is about.   

You’ll find the chapters have smaller chapters/sections within them, all numbered.  This breaks the long chapters up into readable sections. 

I loved how each of the main characters stayed true to themselves.  Elin’s mothers devotions to her beasts (to the extent she died for them).  Joeun, who took her in, and then the teachers at the Beast Academy, the leaders of the land, and the living shields who protect her.  Each glimpse of these people just open up their characters a bit more.  My favourite character I think was the Ialu one of the royal shields. A strong, silent man with a love of carpentry and a fierce deadly intense quality to him.  A quiet thinking man with reflexes quicker than a cat.  Such an interesting character, I could read a book just focused on him.   Isn’t it great to have books with fascinating characters in them? 

At times I found the story a little bit slow and I just wanted things to move along.  Helped me develop a bit of patience I suppose that eh?  🙂   You will learn a lot about a variety of animals, mostly the Toda and the Royal Beasts.  Animal care is a big focus of how the story develops.   Be prepared for some politics, there are people in battle just so you know.  

I’m glad there is a second one in the series called Beast Warrior.  The second picks up the story 10 years later.  I hope it will give a solidly satisfying ending, I’ll find out when I get it eh?   But Beast Player is do definitely worth the read!  

Whiplash

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One of my pleasures in life is reading books.   I’m studiously working through my “to be read” pile that sits beside my bed.  Since I’m often working when I’m home (or half asleep in my chair) I’ve been bringing my “to-be-read” books to work to read on my lunch break.    My latest lunchtime read is Whiplash.   

Whiplash is an FBI novel featuring Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich, married FBI agents.  They are working a case with what seems to be a ghost, when another case drops into their laps.  Both require their attention, so this mystery book features a two-mystery scenario rather than the normal solve this one mystery read. 

Whiplash by catherine coulter

The Basic Facts for Whiplash

Title: Whiplash
Author: Catherine Coulter
Series: An FBI Thriller, book 14
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Pages: 80
Intended Audience: 7-11 years
Genre: FBI, Mystery, Thriller, Ghost, political thriller, 
Available formats: hardcover, paperback, audio, kindle

Catherine Coulter has written 97 books!!!   Wow… I was shocked to read that!  🙂  She gained her skills writing historical romances.   She eventually branched out into writing thrillers.  In this series she’s written 27 books.   She lives in the San Francisco area with her hubby, loves to hike, watch football, and amuse herself writing novellas. 

So What Did I Think?

One doesn’t get to be a New York Times bestselling author by putting together shoddy work.  Whiplash is no exception.  It’s a well-paced story with interesting characters. 

I was SO not expecting an F.B.I. agent that could talk to ghosts.  Admittedly, I’m very skeptical when it comes to that sort of thing but I can work with it as part of a storyline.  Just seemed a bit … Surprising I think is a good word. 

The agents seemed to be good at their jobs not just because of the training they receive, but also due to their innate abilities to pay attention to details. Those details matter when you are tying details together.   Coulter managed to surprise me with who the bad guy was in the second mystery case.  it’s good to be surprised once in a while eh? 

So because the story had great pacing, surprised me, and I liked the characters… I laughed, I gasped in horror, and quickly turned pages.  🙂  Go read it!   A fun who-done it! 

Medici Heist

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Medici Heist through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Take a trip into the past with Medici Heist.   Back into Italy in the days of the Medici brothers and political upheaval, where revenge, friendship, and family are all put to the test.  Secrets abound, and difficult situation raise ugly heads, and through it all, a bit of history is revealed. Medici Heist keeps you on your toes wondering who will win out in the end. 

Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan

General Info for Medici Heist

Title: Medici Heist
Author: Caitlin Schneiderhan
Publisher: Square Fish
Pages: 432
Intended Audience: grade 9-12, 13-18 years
Genre: Renaissance Historical Fiction, Young Adult, LGBTQ, Historical Romance
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover, Audio, Paperback
Received: ARC Paperback
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Author and the Story

Ms. Schneiderhan loves Terry Pratchet books and grew up on them as a 13 year old.  They remain as part of her adult library (I don’t blame her at all).  She’s also an writer for the TV show Stranger Things. 

In Medici Heist she brings us into the world of Florence in 1517.  The Medici brothers rule Florence getting richer while the poor get poorer (with the church taking part in the wealth distribution). Into this world of opulence and intrigue drops in Rosa Cellini, a con woman with a mission.  She wants to steal the money back!   She assembles a rather motley crew of skilled misfits including a tinkerer, a fighter, and a master of disguise.  Artist Michelangelo even plays a role.  But the Medici’s have their own crew, and this crew has it’s own problems.  What will happen?   You’ll have to read to find out!  🙂 

Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan

Taking a Closer Look

Mystery presented to us within the historic world of the Medici brothers in Florence, Italy.  We know the Medici brothers are wealthy, and wanting to become more wealthy and getting more money through the church would be helpful to them.  Helping the church sell indulgences may be part of their biggest pay out yet!

But we have a small problem.  There’s a lot of political unrest, more guards are needed to keep the people under control, and unbeknownst to the Medici brothers there’s a lady out for a payout of her own with… just a touch of revenge mixed in.  She’s assembled a crew and as the story progresses we get to hear them all. 

Clear up warning… some of the stories are hard to listen to.  Brutality and hardship abound in the lives of the crew.   Pain is managed and not always talked about, until it is. 

Character Development Pivotal

Relationships within the crew are flexible and not always as clear cut as one might wish.  Same gender relationships are part of the mix.  I was admittedly surprised by one of them.  

Good character development and lots of history is included.  One can well imagine being in the heart of Florence in 1517.   

I do have to admit I didn’t quite get all of the Michelangelo stuff.  He was an important figure but I had too many unanswered questions about him.  Part of that is of Michelangelo’s historic relevance right?  You expect bigger things and more details about him and his work.  It’s kinda hard to explain, but of all the characters, I found his development the weakness.

Ms. Schneiderhan’s writing style is easy to read, with a compelling desire to find out how the story ends.  Will Sarra’s prediction that her tinkering skills will be needed with the wagon?   Khalid’s past… will it catch up to him in a solidly bad way for him?  Does the life Giacomo lived through prevent his future from becoming a reality?  Will Rosa get her revenge or will that desire jeopardize everything?   These questions will fuel the desire to finish the story.   You need to know the answers eh? 🙂

I received an ARC copy to review, so I don’t know if the greyscale artwork will remain as such in the final review copy.  There are three distinct parts of this tale with the artwork remaining consistent for each part.

Should you read it?

Other than the one surprising to me same gender relationship that kinda spoiled the ending for me, I enjoyed this read.  I loved the history, the mystery, and the interplay between not only the main characters, but the little add-on ones as well.   

As a former homeschooler I would want my highschooler to see just how accurate the author was in depicting Italy and the Medici brothers in 1517.   I don’t know my history well enough to tell you how accurate it all is.  🙂  But the sights and sounds feel historically accurate. 

I enjoyed the story of Medici Heist, the stories of the crew drew me in, then the events they were going through swirled around me.  Their life stories brought the struggles and dangers they were to life in a tangible way.  Well-written and interesting. 

Children of Anguish and Anarchy

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product Children of Anguish and Anarchy through Raincoast Books. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so, and it is so much appreciated. 🙂

Sometimes you read a book that is part of a series and you enjoyed the book but keep thinking, man, should have read this series in order.   THAT is how I feel about Children of Anguish and Anarchy.  Good story, but reading this series out of order didn’t work for me.  I keep thinking, I’m missing something here, there is stuff I don’t quite understand. DO NOT misunderstand me… It’s worth the read.  Sacrifice, determination, a fair amount of grit, mistakes and misunderstandings, and so much concern for each other.  It’s a good team. With a real enemy you can dislike intensely.  All these things make a story work.  This story works, I just wanted to know more.  🙂 

Children of anguish and anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

General Info for Children of Anguish and Anarchy

Title: Children of Anguish and Anarchy
Author: Tomi Adeyemi
Series: Legacy of Orisha, book 3
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pages: 368
Intended Audience: grade 10-12, 14-18 years
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Prejudice & Racism, Sword & Sorcery Fantasy
Available formats: Kindle, Hardcover, Audio, Paperback
Received: ARC Paperback
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

About the Book and Author

Tomi Adeyemi an American whose parents came over from Nigeria. She is a Hugo and Nebula Award winning author.  At the Writer’s Roadmap she teaches writing skills. Children of Anguish and Anarchy is the third book in her series, Legacy of Orisha.  Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance are the first two books in the series. 

This last book in the series outlines the final battle against Baldyr and his forces. Zelie, Amari, and Tzain need to find their way through turmoil, pain, and uncertainty to fight to save civilization.  

Children of anguish and anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

Looking More Closely

You will discover highly developed characters with their own quirks and foibles.  These people for the most part felt very real to me, though, I didn’t always find them like-able.  BUT one doesn’t need to like every character right?

Whose point of view we were witnessing changed among the main characters.  Chapter headings clearly let us know who was speaking.  They switched between Amari, Inan, Tzain, and Zelie, and not always in the same order. Through each of them we saw different aspects of the situation facing them. 

The writing style was very clear showcasing the danger they faced.  The images given were not always pretty or easy to read.  They faced some solid danger. 

I did find the end result to be disturbing.  Just left me feeling like “meh, shouldn’t have read that”, but at the same time I’m glad that good prevailed over evil. 

For those curious, there is some same-gender relationships happening, but it wasn’t pivotal to the story or made to be a central theme. 

Overall, I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had read the previous two books in the series.  I felt like there was too much that I missed, that wasn’t satisfactorily explained in this one.  Some books do an excellent job of rehashing the previous story, this one left me hanging a bit.   

If you have read Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance, be sure to snap up this compelling final installation in the Legacy of Orisha.

Born Survivors

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When I picked up Born Survivors I thought I would be getting a novel telling a story about three fictious women in war-torn Europe.   Instead I got a story that was more of a documentary about women who actually survived the Nazi reign of terror.  I met the most amazing women Rachel, Priska, and Anka.  I am so inspired by their outlook on life and how their perspectives helped them to survive.   All links provided are to amazon of which I am an affiliate.  Costs you nothing, helps me provide you with reviews!

Born Survivors by Wendy Holden

The Basic Details for Born Survivors

Title: Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope
Author: Nicki Pau Preto
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Pages: listened on audible 13 hours and 8 minutes
Intended Audience: adult
Genre:  WW2, history, Holocaust, Jewish, documentary
Available formats: Audio, Hardcover
Read: Audio book on Audible.   Give audible a try for free, get a free book each month with a paid membership! 

What Did I Think?

This story takes us into the world of three women surviving till the end of the war under the reign of the Nazis.  Young women with husbands and extended families.  None had been married long, all were well attached to their extended families, none were orthodox Jews.   And then the Germans came and life changed.  Bit by bit, push by push until ghettos were formed and concentration camps filled. 

They focused on their life perspectives: one of which was “find the beauty in the everyday.  Look for the beauty in life”.   Through love, family, focusing on goals, following their instincts, and sheer determination, they survived.   And I am so privileged to have heard their stories. 

They avoided the trap of Josef Mengele and his “are you pregnant” questions.  Miracles occurred when towns intervened to feed unfed prisoners, when Zyklon-B tanks ran empty, and when forgotten women were found and medical intervention happened for starving infants. 

It was lovely to be able to follow their lives post-WW2, reunions and meetings.  Learning of the other babies born in concentration camps who survived and just how these women built up their lives after suffering so terribly.   

I am not going to say Born Survivors is easy to listen to.  There were times when it is so hard to listen to what was done to them.  BUT there were also times when you could see the miracles, and feel the love, and see the growth that hardship wrought.  THAT is worth listening for!

Give Born Survivors by Wendy Holden a listen and see if you to might be inspired by their courage and determination as well!  

The Watchman

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This is my first Robert Crais book ever!  I think I will have to read more of his Joe Pike books!  Just think, there are 20 in the series so that should keep me busy for a while eh?   This particular book is entitled The Watchman.   It involves Joe looking after a young adult witness so she survives efforts to kill her. 

The Watchman by Robert Crais

The Basic Details for The Watchman

Title: The Watchman
Author: Robert Crais
Series: Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, book 11
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 292
Intended Audience: adult
Genre:  mystery, thriller, suspense, action, adventure 
Available formats: Audio, Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle
Read: Hardcover

What Did I Think?

I enjoyed it!  I did.  Was it perfect?  No.   Were some scenarios predictable?  For sure, but that’s not a bad thing eh?  I knew the bad guys would want to kill the witness, and I also knew that Joe would save her.  You know these things are going to happen right?

That doesn’t stop the read from being a good one. Action, mystery, throw in some suspense.  A man with determination, a witness with a need to mature in some areas.  Seeing hidden strength emerge and knowing the bad guys… even the ones hidden behind a screen will the found out in the end.   That makes for a good read in my eyes.

You’ll find it to be a fast moving story with various elements that work well together.  It’s funny in parts, especially with the science guy needing to step up a bit. 

I also happen to like Reacher books, so if you like him, you’ll like this Pike book “The Watchman“.