UnSweetined by Jodie Sweetin

UnSweetined by Jodie Sweetin, 235 pages

In UnSweetined, Jodie Sweetin shares the story of her life after Full House: a frenzied descent into drug and alcohol addiction. She is sincere and unflinching as she shares some of her painful personal battles, stories that often end up with her in physical harm and hurting those she loves. After several years and many unsuccessful attempts to get sober, Sweetin finds the strength to begin truly healing when she discovers she's pregnant. 

This memoir predates Fuller House and the birth of her second child so I would be very curious to see how Sweetin's sobriety is going.  The narrative and flow of this book was a little monotonous, but I think I may have been unduly influenced by the raw, mordant construction of Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died. A+ for the title punnage, though. 

Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende

 

Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende-322 pages

Violeta is telling her life story in the form of a letter to someone she loves.  She is born in 1920, the youngest of 6, the previous 5 being boys.  Her mother is sickly and spends most of her time in bed throughout Violetas life..eventually succumbing to consumption.  Her father dies when she is fairly young.  The Great Depression has a lot to do with his death and between the two events the family is forced to live in the country with some distant relatives.  They ride a train into the countryside with as much as they could pack from their previous lives.  Violeta goes from a life of privilege to one of hard work.  But she realizes that this is the best time of her life and will reflect years later on how she came of age and how it taught her valuable lessons that will see her through the hard times. 

She lives through a Great War and the fight for women's rights.  She survives not one but two pandemics.  She is married, and yet has many passionate affairs.  She experiences love and tragedy through her two children.  Through it all she is strong and a survivor.

I enjoyed it very much.  Though I must confess I got lost with all the different names because I was not familiar with any of them.  I like to think about all of the changes that people who lived during these years went through.  They truly were the toughest generation.

  

Distortion by Terri Blackstock

 

Distortion by Terri Blackstock-362 pages

(Series: Moonlighters #2)

Do you think you really know your husband?  After Juliet witnesses her husband being gunned down right in front of her eyes she is in disbelief.  But as the clues unravel she begins to see that she really didn't know him at all.  How many different lives did he lead and why??  Many twists and turns in this thriller.  And yet through them all, family bonds were the thread that held it all together.

I enjoyed it.  A little unbelievable in parts.  

Smoke in Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz

Smoke in Mirrors by Jayne Ann Krentz - 321 pages

Meredith Spooner was a con artist whose last con was to swindle over a million dollars from a small college trust fund.  Now Leonora Hutton is paying for her friend's sins.  She must recover the money and then try to discover why Meredith was killed.

I enjoyed this book.  It was a quick romantic mystery to read.

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick - 340 pages

Adelaide Blake has started a new life in Burning Cove after escaping from a sanitarium where she was held against her will.  There she meets Jake Truitt who is vacationing with exhaustion.  They soon get caught up together when a psychic is murdered after predicting her own death.

I listened to this on audio.  I enjoyed the story.  The narration was a little distracting at times.  The narrator tried to distinguish between the voices and the choices for a couple of the male characters grated on my ears some.

Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway

Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway - 384 pages
Lucy Black Series Book 2

Detective Lucy Black of the Derry, Northern Ireland police force is called in when the body of a young girl is found on the railroad tracks north of town.  Black investigates the girl's last hours and discovers that the girl's so called friends may have turned out to be her worst enemies as she uncovers a web of sex, drugs and kidnappings that reach back into the past to rip apart families, including Black's own. 

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig - 276 pages

Miriam Black knows that information is power, but in her case it is a curse.  All she has to do is touch you to know how and when you are going to die.  It may be hours or decades away but she sees it all.  This window into darkness has led Miriam to a nomadic life on the fringes of society where she crosses paths with a con man, a trucker with a heart of gold, and a violent criminal conspiracy.  This is a very dark and violent look at the nature of fate and whether redemption is possible when your life has gone down a very twisted path into the heart of darkness.  Miriam is an unapologetic antihero that you don't want to root for, but you will. 

Dark Light by Jayne Castle

Dark Light by Jayne Castle - 387 pages

Reporter Sierra McIntyre is shocked when guild boss John Fontana suggests they get married.  It's all a ploy to figure out what is happening to retired hunters who are disappearing.  Does it have something to do with the motorcycle gang selling drugs on the street?  Or is the aliens returned?

This is one of Jayne Ann Krentz's futuristic romances set on Harmony.  It includes paranormal aspects with the various characters have psychic powers.  It was an interesting romance and a fairly decent mystery.

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick - 340 pages

Adelaide Brockton is working as a tearoom waitress and mixing herbal teas when a pyschic is killed.  She is drawn into the murder investigation along with her neighbor Jake Truett when it appears that a drug her parents researched is involved.  Now Adelaide must determine whether she can trust Jake with her past before it kills her.

This book is a sequel to The Girl Who Knew Too Much in that it contains some of the same secondary characters and is set in the same town.  I think I liked this book more as it was a little more complicated in its cast of villains and how they all fit together. 

Charlie All Night by Jennifer Crusie

Charlie All Night by Jennifer Crusie - 256 pages

Allie thought her career (and life) was over when she was reassigned to produce a new radio show.  Instead of working on the top morning show she is now producing the late night show of the slacker who doesn't want to become famous.

This is another of Jennifer Crusie's early romances.  I really enjoyed this one.  It was funny with just enough of a mystery to keep you guessing.

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz - 467 pages

Raine is going through her aunt's house to get ready to sell it when she stumbles upon a crime scene.  Turns out a serial killer is using the house a base for his operations and there is a girl locked up in the basement.  Luckily the girl is still alive. However, this leads to the killer fixating on Raine as she is the niece of the local witch and he is determined to kill all the witches.  Meanwhile, Raine must also deal with her family's past when psychic investigator Zack Jones hunts her down in the course of his latest investigation.

This is one of the contemporary novels in the Arcane Society series by Jayne Ann Krentz.  (There are also historical entries under the name Amanda Quick and futuristic entries under Jayne Castle.)  This was a good entry in the series.

The Hot Zone by Jayne Castle

The Hot Zone by Jayne Castle - 338 pages
A Rainshadow Novel

Sedona Snow has just started feeling safe on Rainshadow Island when the new Guild boss Cyrus Jones shows up.  Sedona has been leery of the Guild ever since she was kidnapped on his last Guild job and subjected to experimental drugs.  It turns out that Cyrus is interested in Sedona, however, he wants to protect her from the men who originally kidnapped and experimented on her.

This is one of the futuristic paranormal romances written by Jayne Ann Krentz under her pen name Jayne Castle.  I listened to this book on audio and did enjoy the story.  However, the audio production values were poor.  There were weird pauses during the narration.  This was in addition to the fact that the narrator had a cadence like William Shatner.  It was very distracting from the story itself.

The Midnight Line by Lee Child

The Midnight Line by Lee Child - 384 pages
Jack Reacher Book 22
- Published 11/7/17

I was fortunate to score an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.  This book finds Reacher still living his nomadic existence and he stumbles across a West Point class ring in a pawn shop in Wisconsin which leads him on a cross country odyssey to reunite the ring with its owner.  Reacher wants to satisfy his curiosity about what caused the owner to give up the ring.  His quest leads him into the dark underbelly of the opiod epidemic that has destroyed so many communities. 

This is another solid entry in a very popular franchise.  My minor quibble was that I was thrown out of the story just a little bit when at two different times adult American characters had to explain what Bigfoot is to other adult characters which to me seems like it is common knowledge.    

This Was a Man by Jeffrey Archer

This Was a Man  by Jeffrey Archer  pages 416


In this final installment of the Clifton Chronicles all of our favorite characters are back and we discover some truths that we were wondering about from the last book.  As our beloved characters are getting older there are some sad turn of events at the end..so be prepared.  I enjoyed the whole series very much and now that it is over I am awaiting what is next for Jeffrey Archer.

Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography by Andrew Helfer and Randy DuBurke

Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography by Andrew Helfer and Randy DuBurke-112 pages

I had not read much on Malcolm X, but was intrigued when I saw this graphic biography. I have heard some about his life, but wanted to read and know more. It was definitely an interesting and somber read. He had a tough upbringing and childhood/young adulthood. He spent years in prison and converted to the Nation of Islam while in prison. He became an outspoken and, at first, liked leader of the NOI, but soon ran afoul of the leader Elijah Muhammad and was thrown out of the NOI. He created his own new group(s) and was assassinated by members of the NOI at a speaking event for one of his groups. He was much more revered after his death that while living and to this day many still hold him in high regard. He was a Civil Rights leader, albeit a controversial one. It is sad that many of the Civil Rights leaders were assassinated.

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick - 359 pages

Ursula Kern is devastated at the death of her employee and friend.  She is also convinced that it was murder.  With the help of adventurer and archeologist Slater Roxton, Ursula determines to discover who killed her friend and why.

I listened to the audio version of the book.  It was very well done.  I enjoyed the narration and the story immensely.

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick - 359 pages

Ursula Kern is launching an investigation into her employee and friend's death.  Slater Roxton determines to assist her as he thinks the investigation is dangerous.  Turns out they are both right as their investigation turns up mob bosses, drugs, prostitution, and more.
I really enjoyed this historical romance by Amanda Quick (a.k.a Jayne Ann Krentz).  I think the historical romances under her Amanda Quick pen name are much better than her contemporary romances under her real name lately.  The plots are a lot more original than the contemporary books.  I also enjoyed seeing a minor character in many of her previous historicals show up in this novel.

Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines, by Nic Sheff

  Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines, by Nic Sheff, 336 pages

This could also be subtitled 'growing up on all of the drugs,' because Nic Sheff leaves no drug unabused.  This is a brilliant portrayal of addiction- his actions are SOOO frustrating, but that is just the nature of drug abuse.  He is a likable guy, with so much potential- but going on the journey with Nic will really try the reader.  If you've never had an addict in your life, though, I really recommend reading this- I think it's a really realistic depiction.

Blacksad: A Silent Hell (v 4), by Juan Diaz Canales, 112 pages

Blacksad: A Silent Hell (v 4), by Juan Diaz Canales, 112 pages

The Blacksad books are simply beautiful works of graphic art- Juanjo Guarnido, the illustrator, does the whole piece with watercolors- which is a challenging medium that he makes sing.  The story itself is also quite good- Blacksad is a 1950s PI so it has a noir feel, with mystery and twists and a fair amount of bittersweetness.  When Blacksad is hired to find a missing jazz pianist in New Orleans, he thinks it will be routine- but he gets swept into a mystery involving drugs, poison, corruption, and a couple of near-death experiences.  This is an outstanding comic with incredible detail- the bonus was that at the end, the author and illustrator showcase some of the preliminary sketches and explain the choices in color and techniques- a really interesting look into the "making of."

Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life by Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life by Melissa Joan Hart - 276 pages

This is Melissa Joan Hart's memoir of her life in show business.  She talks about her childhood as attending school in the suburbs while moonlighting as a commercials and theater actress.  She then talks about her two big series - Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  She makes it plain that a lot of her "clean" image is simply from the fact that nobody ever got photos of her drunk or doing drugs - which she did quite often before marrying.  She also talks about her marriage, her sons, and trying to work as a mother.
The book is written in a very conversational style which makes it extremely easy to read.  I don't usually read biographies / memoirs, but this one was fun.  She tells enough stories and names enough names to make it interesting without really trashing anybody too much.  A fun read!