Salt for AIr by MC Frank

    Ok, so first of all - look at that cover!  I mean, I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover but this one?  I had to have it.   I ran across the author on twitter and I was just intrigued.  So glad I decided to check this one out!   It's currently available on Kindle Unlimited, so if you have a Kindle, check that out.

I loved the world building in this story.  Mermaids and mermen were presented in a way that I had never heard of before.  Imagine that, a completely unique take on a very old story.   

Lizzie lives in Greece.  She is being raised by friends, she has lost both of her parents.   She meets Ky at school - sort of.  You can discover that part of the story for yourself.   I am not going to say too much about the plot, other than I really enjoyed most of it.  I had my issues with some parts - typical teenage angst and all - but for the most part I thought it was so well done!

And that ending?  Breathtaking.   It was oth totally out of the blue and comfortingly familiar all at the same time.  It had a Chronicles of Narnia feel to it.  I was delighted to discover this is not her only book and am currently busy checking out the others.  This was the perfect escape story for me.  Loved it.  Four stars. 

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

  I got this one in my book of the month box.   I have read other books by this author and usually enjoy her storytelling.   She is full of unpredictable twists and turns and this book is no exception.

Lizzie is a lawyer.  She used to work in the States Attorney's office, but she gave up her dream job to take a position in a private firm for more money, in order to get her family out of financial trouble.  One night, she gets a collect call from Rikers.  An old law school friend has been arrested and accused of murdering his wife.   He begs Lizzie to take his case.

This story has a lot going on.  We have the relationship between Lizzie and her husband, Sam  The story of Amanda, the dead wife,  as the story goes back and forth in time to tell us about the events leading up to her death.  We have the added stressors of the complicated relationship of Lizzie and Zach ( the friend in Rikers).   And add to all of that an unreliable narrator.

The book was fun, and like always, full of twists and turns.  The problem with this one was that there almost seemed to be too many and they really depended on your suspending belief of what was possible.  I gave it three stars.  It kept me turning pages and entertained.  But not her best work, in my opinion. 

The Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds by Suzanne Collins

   I have been waiting to read this one since they announced she was writing a prequel.   I guess my first commentary is that it wasn't the book I wanted.  I don't enjoy Coriolanus Snow - before or now.  I was sort of hoping for a book about Finnick and Annie or even Hamitch.  But Snow?  Not so much.

Still every villain has their origin story and the same is definitely true for Snow.  This is his.  Now,  I don't usually like to post spoilers but this book simply can not be discussed without them.  So if you haven't read it, stop reading.  If you are looking for a "should I read this"?  All I can say is I am a fan and didn't love it.   For those who read it and want to hear my thoughts, enter.....

SPOILERS!!!!!!

Ok.  So Coriolanus becomes a mentor.  Not that big of a shocker and I guess if it was going to happen, a girl from district 12 seems oddly appropriate. I was shocked at the beginning of the book at the different ways that the tributes were treated.  The description of the train and then the trip to the zoo was reminiscent of the Holocaust and I'm certain that was intentional.   Collins appeared to be making a lot of political arguments throughout the book and that was part of the downside for me.  Instead of letting the story tell itself, it was, in my opinion, somewhat preachy.

So, miracle of miracle, Coriolanus gets his girl, Lucy,  through the Games.  With a lot of help and machinations, it looks as if the love birds will actually be able to be together in the Capitol.  But then, Coriolanus is caught cheating and made to become a Peacekeeper.  Who would have ever seen that one coming?

Ultimately we know how Snow's story ends.  But still, you think there must be some intervening action that made him such a shit.  The long and short answer is no.  He really just is a selfish sot and even when he had the chance to really make a change in his life, he chooses power, money,  and comfort over love.  What a sad commentary.  Though I am not sure Lucy really loved him either.  Neither of them were particularly like- able but she was at least a character that I could relate to.  I'm almost sorry I read it. I gave it 3 stars.  It's well written, I just didn't care. 

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

  This was part of my work coronacation challenge.  This was for the category "a book you should have read in school but didn't".   Technically I did read it.  In 8th grade; however, it just wasn't my cup of tea so I sped read through just to get the gist and pass the test. 

Oddly enough, I was in Catholic school at the time.  This book was recommended - required - by one of the nuns.  Sister Eileen.  She hated me.  At any rate, as I was reading it this time,  I found it oddly hilarious that she recommended this book.  She must have missed the scene where the boys go to the outdoor "theater"  which turns out to be a house that leaves it's shades open - and watch the entertainment there, which is described.  LOL.    It was brief but definitely there.  I nearly fell out of my bed at that part, I was laughing so hard.

Strangely enough, I don't know why I didn't care for the book the first time.  I mean, true, it isn't my usual fare, but it is beautifully written.  Almost lyrical really.   I found myself to be very tense while reading it.  The scene where the boys are hiding in the storm grate as the fair has a parade through the town looking for them?  I think I held my breath for that entire chapter. '

This book is very much about the battle of good and evil, so in that sense, and through all the talk about souls - I guess I could see why Sister Eileen was so keen.   Still my take away from the book was that Bradbury didn't think a single act determined the darkness or light within - though it can start us down a path - but the culmination of little events rolled together that decide our fate.  I enjoyed it.  I'm glad I went back and actually read it, but it still isn't as good as Fahrenheit 451.  Just my opinion.  I gave it four stars.

Year One by Nora Roberts

   So, what do you read during a pandemic?  A book about a pandemic, of course! All that aside, there was something eerily comforting about this book.  Maybe because their pandemic is so much worse than ours?   Or the fact that it reminded me SO MUCH of the Stand?  Not sure.

I started this book a while back, when life was still normal.  It didn't hold my attention but I picked it up again about a week ago and here we are.  It's the perfect case of the right book at the right time.  The story is about a collection of individuals who are going through a world wide episode.  The Doom.  The disease is highly contagious - passing quickly and wipes out about 1/2 of the world's population.   Of those that remain, some are what are called "uncanny" - people who have powers. 

The camps of survivors, like in the Stand, seem to quickly evolve into those that are good and those who aren't.  The book follows different groups of survivors at different times, with most of them ultimately coming together at some point.

At the end, Roberts kind of strays away from the Stand feel with the birth of "The One".   I'm not sure how I feel about this development or how it will play out in future books, but I definitely enjoyed this one.  I could really relate to what so many of the characters were going through that it was somehow oddly comforting.  Worth a read.  5 stars.

Class Mom by Laurie Gelman

 This was my book clubs selection for the month of May.  What a genius pick!  It was just exactly what I needed during the ongoing coronacation.  This book is laugh out loud hysterical, especially if you have ever been a class mom or a teacher.  Absolutely priceless. 

Jen sowed her wild oats in her younger years.  She had two daughters, raised them and then fell in love.  After a few years together, Ron decided he would like a child.  So now Jen has two adult daughters and Max, a 6 year old just entering kindergarten.

Of course, Jen was involved with school while both of her older daughters were there.  She has a been there- done that - got the t-shirt kind of attitude.   Her friend, Nina, who is head of the PTA asks her to take on the role of Class Mom for Max's kindergarten.   Hilarity ensues.  From her class e-mails to a flirtation gone wrong to the occasional digs at Curves - this book has it all.

If you are looking for a feel good, laugh out loud escape from the zombie apocalypse this book is for you.  I gave it 4 stars. 

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

 So, this book is not my usual fare.  Still, when I was browsing the possibilities for my book of the month, something about it spoke to me, and here we are.

This book is about a young woman, Annabelle, who is the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar.  She is left to the charity of her male relative when her father dies. She convinced him to send her to Oxford, which has just been opened for women.  She tells him that she has received a scholarship, which in fact, she has.  What she doesn't mention is that it is for the suffragettes league. 

The plan when she gets to London is to help the suffragettes change the laws regarding women and their ability to inherit.  Along the way, she predictably meets a titled gentleman of money and affluence, who becomes her "target"  to help change his vote.

From this point on, the book was completely predictable, yet somehow still utterly delightful.  I usually don't enjoy romances.  But at this point in time, there is something to be said for a guaranteed happy ending. I gave it four stars.

The Mother In Law by Sally Hepworth

   This one just showed up on my interest guide on amazon one day and it looked appealing.   I mean, who hasn't had ups and downs with their mother in law?

Lucy's relationship with her mother in law has been troubled from the start.  Still , Lucy loves her husband, her father in law and the rest of the family.  Is it really as bad as it seems?

I really enjoyed the character development of Lucy, Tom and Diana.   I thought that Ollie was a little lacking but maybe he was only meant to be a bit character anyway.  I could relate to his sister Nettie and her troubles throughout the book. 

Sometimes I don't enjoy the back and forth between past and present in addition to character point of view.  In this case though, I think the technique works well to allow the author to develop both Lucy and Diana's character while telling their stories and back stories as she moves the plot forward.  The character development was well thought out -even if some of the "twists"  weren't much of a surprise.

I gave this one a three and I enjoyed reading it.  Entertaining but lacking the depth that I usually reserve for higher rated books.

Incendiary by Zoraida Cordoa

   I cam across this book by chance.  It just seemed like something that would appeal to me.  The synopsis: Renata was just a child when she was kidnapped by the King's Justice.  She was born with the rarest of all magical gifts - the ability to steal memories.   Later she is rescued by the Whispers and fights to save the land from the King.   But are her own memories really what they appear to be?

I enjoyed Renata because of the character development that she undergoes throughout the story.  She starts out as kind of weak - defining herself by the way that others see her.  But she undergoes a lot of changes throughout the story and comes into her own.

The book had some surprises in store and that really pleased me.  Usually with this kind of book, I can see all the plot twists early on.  I was happy to be surprised.   The book had a bit of a slow start, but definitely worth delving in as the story develops more later.  I am very intrigued to see where this story will go in the future. 
I gave it four stars and will definitely read more of the series.