Happy New Year!
And welcome to First Book of the Year hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney.
Join us as we kick off another year of great reading.
A Creepy First Book
My choice is Hidden Bodies. This is the sequel to You, one of my favorite books from 2014. It was dark, creepy, and yet compulsive. And in the end it left me wanting more. So I was thrilled to find out there was a sequel, and even more excited to get an advance copy of the book which publishes in February.
My Reading Buddy
This is Jentrie, one of my reading buddies. He investigates all new things as possible chew toys or perhaps something to eat.
Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
Charmingly murderous anti-hero Joe Goldberg continues his twisted quest for the perfect love in this thrilling follow-up to the “deeply dark yet mesmerizing” You. When Joe follows the woman he wants to marry to the West Coast, he never imagines that his obsession will lead him to such tragedy.
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© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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A Rapid Review
Publisher: Penguin | October
Format: Audio Download and eGalley | 16½ hours
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
Rating: 5 stars
The year is 2066. A Caltech intern inadvertently notices an anomaly from a space telescope – something is approaching Saturn and decelerating. Space objects don’t decelerate. Spaceships do.
A flurry of top-level government meetings produces the inescapable conclusion: Whatever built that ship is at least 100 years ahead in hard and soft technology, and whoever can get their hands on it exclusively and bring it back will have an advantage so large, no other nation can compete. A conclusion the Chinese definitely agree with when they find out.
The race is on . . .
Many of you probably know John Sanford as the author of the Prey series or Virgil Flowers books, but his newest novel is a departure from his usual thrillers. Saturn Run is a science fiction story set in the near future in 2066 and is every bit as compelling and entertaining as his crime thrillers.
This is realistic science fiction with well-developed, likable characters. It’s the type of story that could, just maybe, happen by 2066. Although there is some technical detail, the novel is well-researched and is more about the characters, politics, and the race to Saturn than ‘outer space’.
Science fiction fans will enjoy Sanford’s departure into a different genre. Non-scifi fans, don’t worry about understanding the technical jargon, the story is just as good even if you don’t know, or care, how a nuclear reactor works. I loved it – I hope he brings back the characters for a sequel. 
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Almost wordless: Yesterday was the winter solstice in North America. I took this photo several years ago while out on the Christmas Bird Count a few days before the solstice. Unlike this year we already had snow in 2009. Snows brightens it up a little, but it still portrays the grayness and waning light of the early winter months.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
We have been having a lovely December here in the Chicago area, probably the warmest on record. No snow, mild days in the 50s, and barely any frosty evenings. I don’t mind as I prefer summer and warmth. Unfortunately for me, we had a one-day cold spell on Saturday, the day of the Christmas Bird Count, with high temps below freezing. I participate in the count every year with my bird club, and about 20 of us braved the chilly winds and tried to find birds, most of which were smart enough to stay hidden.
I am still not ready for Christmas, but that’s not unusual and seems to happen every year. I just don’t know where the time goes. I still have some shopping to do and cookies to bake. And then I can enjoy the Holidays.
A few new books arrived last week . . .
New Arrivals
The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle from Harper.
This is a life told back to front. This is a man who has lied all his life. Roy is a conman living in a small English town, about to pull off his final con. He is going to meet and woo a beautiful woman and slip away with her life savings. But who is the man behind the con?
I’ll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable from Thomas Dunne Books.
After losing her fiancé in the Vietnam War, nineteen-year-old Laurel Haley takes a job in England, hoping the distance will mend her shattered heart. Laurel expects the pain might lessen but does not foresee the beguiling man she meets or that they’ll go to Paris, where the city’s magic will take over and alter everything Laurel believes about love.
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Yes, I know, I’m late posting today. I ran out of time yesterday and didn’t want to stay up late because I had to get to work early this morning. I’ve been working a temporary holiday job, plus I’m still volunteering at the bird shelter. The job ends this week, so things should start to get back to normal around here. Reading has been minimal the past month and I’m ready to sit down with a good book. I know I have more than a few to choose from!
New Arrivals
Try Not to Breathe by Holly Seddon from Ballantine Books.
An arresting debut novel of psychological suspense: a young journalist struggles to keep the demons of her alcoholism at bay as she finds her purpose again in tackling the mystery of a shocking headline-making crime, still unsolved after fifteen years.
The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson from LibraryThing.
A singularly compelling debut novel, about a desert where people go to escape their past, and a truck driver who finds himself at risk when he falls in love with a mysterious woman.
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: The late afternoon sun enhanced the remaining colors of autumn. It’s been a very warm lead-up to winter, which I hope takes its time arriving. Walking in the park has been very pleasant the past few weeks.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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