Every Waking Hour by Joanna Schaffhausen

Another instalment of the dynamic duo, Boston police detective Ellery Hathaway and FBI agent Reed Markham....

...so we know that Schaffhausen's character Hathaway, has some serious Bad Thing in her past that winds up shaping who she is. So am I the only one who wonders why the good people at Boston PD think it's a good idea to give her a case where the very same thing could have happened to someone else?

Regardless of that, it is a good story with plenty of excellent suspects for us to follow and be confused by.

But lets be straight here, all we are really interested in is the fragile relationship between Hathaway and Markham...

...can it, and should it survive what the world keeps throwing at them?

The Library Enthusiasts Thoughts on True Love...

The Magpies by Mark Edwards

If you struggle with your neighbours because they are a little loud on a Saturday night, or maybe they forget to bring their bins in after bin day, take a moment to breath and appreciate just how much worse it could be...

...time for you to meet Chris and Lucy, the neighbours from hell in Edwards The Magpies, trust me, you don't want to be living anywhere near this couple.

This book does what all good books do, it makes you feel, it allows you to emotionally invest in it. And boy is Edwards clever at dialling up the psychological tension, creating some pretty unpleasant situations and experiences for our other young couple, Jamie and Kirsty.

It is an uncomfortable read at times, and having discovered that Edwards himself has had personal experience of hellish neighbours allows us to appreciate and understand why this is such a good read...

I am the Library Enthusiast and...

 

Mark Edward's The House Guest

Having recently discovered Edwards books, I decided to give this one a try, whilst I didn't love it, it did keep me interested to a degree...

...it's a tale of a young couple house sitting in an unfamiliar city who allow a stranger to stay with them in said house....seriously why would you 

a- agree to let a complete stranger move into a house that isn't actually yours?

and

b- allow this stranger to insert themselves into your life and relationship?

Anyways, this is indeed what happens, which leads to one half of the couple disappearing along with the stranger...

...I'm not totally convinced about the ending, and I didn't really consider it to be particularly mysterious or suspenseful. Having said this, it hasn't put me off reading Mark Edward's books, he may not have delivered what I'd hoped for in this one, but we all have off days.

The Library Enthusiast's Third Reason To Love Libraries...

Kim Liggett's The Grace Year

 

This is so not my usual genre of choice, I can't remember why I had it on my 'to read' list but I am kind of glad I did. 

It is described as a haunting, feminist, YA speculative thriller, and whilst it is a little eerie and has several twisted memorable moments it really isn't a full blown thriller...just my point of view. 

Imagine if you will, a place where females are feared for their magic, so much so that in the year that they turn 16, their "Grace Year", girls are marched off to an isolated camp in the wilderness. 

Why, you might ask, well it allows them to release their magic powers into the wild, and return "pure" without upsetting any of the males...and by upsetting I mean it won't tempt the said males to be lured away from their marriages...cos it's obviously the female's magic that makes them become unfaithful, right?

There's a great deal of good stuff in Liggett's tale, I personally just found the lack of background, the lack of history about this particular society disappointing. The reasoning behind the sending of 16 year old girls away is never really explored. 

The Library Enthusiasts Care for Collectables...

...another excellent workshop available at our local libraries is an opportunity to meet with an Objects Conservator specialist and learn how to care for your precious family items and antiques. 

Wanting to keep something precious, regardless of its monetary value, to pass it on to our future generations is how we stay connected to our past, and how we share our history. Having the skills and knowledge of how to look after these collectables ensures we can do this...

Into The Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner

 

Book #2 about our heroine Caitlin Hendrix, who once again identifies the bad guy because she is pretty good at getting into the 'mind' of a killer...or the FBI technical term "behavioural analysis."

What Gardiner does so well is give us not only Caitlin's point of view, but the killer's too. Also unusual, but it works well is the fact we know who this particular killer is...so begins a game of cat and mouse and how to catch him!

So if you want to dive into the mind of a serial killer, then this is your next 'must read'

The Library Enthusiast on Kindness...

...if you can be anything, be kind. This is how we can all change the world, a simple hello or a smile can change someone's mood. The challenges of the pandemic mean now, more than ever is a great time to be kind.

• Reach out and check on friends and family.
• Give a parent a break by offering to babysit.
• Give a shout out to a local business by leaving a positive review after a good experience.
• Donate good condition clothes to charity stores or towels and blankets to animal shelters.
• Send a thank-you email to a colleague.
• Volunteer your time to a worthy cause.
• Help a neighbour by mowing the lawns or picking up groceries.

Unsub by Meg Gardiner

 

A great twisty psychological thriller of a book...just what the Doctor ordered after the disappointment of some of my latest reads...

...meet Caitlin Hendrix, she's a Narcotics detective, driven and determined to discover the UNSUB (unknown subject) a killer known as the Prophet, who destroyed her family and left a city in fear twenty years ago.

This is the first of Gardiner's series centred around Caitlin, I will definitely be reading more...

The Library Enthusiasts Kitchen Pharmacy...

If like me, you can sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the different diet trends...be it paleo, vegan, low-carb, low FODMAP, Keto...it is beyond confusing to attempt to eat healthy. Your local library 'Events' might just be able to help you discover how to make food choices that support your body.

Create home recipes to manage day-today ailments through experimenting with healing foods and herbs in your kitchen...sounds the perfect recipe to me!

Hostage by Claire Mackintosh

 

As I told a fellow work colleague, don't read this if you are considering taking a plane trip anytime soon...

...this is a tense, thrill-ride of a book, with that all important alternating of narratives to keep you engaged...and on your toes!

I have really enjoyed some of Claire Mackintosh's books and was excited to finally get round to reading this one...did I love it?

Well...almost.

Almost because of the epilogue, which I felt was a little off. 

It felt like it came from a totally different book genre. I do understand what Claire was doing here and I admire her skill in making me connect with her characters strongly enough that I felt so pissed about how she chose to end them!

 

The Library Enthusiast & Live Music...

...children's entertainment, arts, workshops, food and a licensed bar! 

In a town not far from me, the local library is involved in a fantastic and free community event, to help celebrate the opening of the town's renovated Entertainment Precinct. There will be free creative workshops, such as donut decorating, coconut fibre weaving and face painting as well as live music and delicious food trucks...now that's what I call a party!

Kit Frick's I Killed Zoe Spanos

 

I'm still not sure why I decided to read this one...I mean it's another podcast style tale and I really should learn to stay away from those kind of stories.

Anyways, I did read it and it's not in any shape or form much of a 'mystery' or 'thriller', don't be fooled by the hype...it is a story with very similar characters and very little in the way of a BIG REVEAL...it was actually very underwhelming and somewhat annoying.

Enough said!

The Library Enthusiasts & Community Courses...

...now here is something to talk about.

Libraries and their amazing range of workshops and programs...

*Money Management 

*Conversational English

*Toy Libraries

*Book and Film Clubs

*Storytelling Classes

*Baby Rhyme-time

To name a few, don't forget to check out what your local library has to offer.