The Book Bit: August 2017 Ed.

  This is a little late and I do apologize, this month has been very interesting.  Our youngest had a five night stay in the hospital and was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy.  We had to adjust to new meds and frequent doctors appointments quite quickly.  And sleep has not really been something I've been getting.  Needless to say, I haven't had much reading time.  But, I checked out three books and finished them; a few days late, but I finished them!  Also check out my new awesome book shelf!  I mean, it's almost installed and finished, but I couldn't resist putting this month's picks on it and seeing how they look, and I'm loving it.  These were all great picks this month, so let's dive right in!





"Ill Wind"- Nevada Barr

  This is book three of the Anna Pigeon series.  The first time I was introduced to her I popcorn picked the books so they were not in order.  This is one of those series you can get away with doing that, but it's always nice to go in order and learn about the main character the way the author intended.  Anna is a park ranger, a very rare breed for women, and she seems to always find herself in the middle of an investigation.  She moves from park to park, being nomadic has its perks, but now she finds herself in Mesa Verde.  There are tales of ancient spirits and wonderful history in the old ruins, but when another ranger turns up dead with no clue as to how it happened, rumors start to fly.  This book, as well as all Nevada Barr books, is well researched, has a nice edge of mystery and Anna is always witty.  I highly recommend any book in this series, but since I've actually been to Mesa Verde, this one had an extra appeal to me.




"The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes"- Diane Chamberlain

  My mother in law actually picked this one out for me.  You know, sometimes I can have a hard time choosing books and this time I had extra trouble.  So I read her some titles and she said "pick this one, it sounds good!" And I'm so glad I did!  This book was terrific.  We meet CeeCee while she is working as a waitress, slowly scraping together enough money to go to college when she meets the man of her dreams.  Before long CeeCee finds herself so in love with Tim that she'd be willing to do anything for him.  And she does.  We flash to twenty years later when the remains of a woman are found and Tim is facing the death penalty.  Then we truly learn how far CeeCee went in the name of true love.  You will not regret picking this book up, I really enjoyed it.  It's the perfect mix of mystery, deceit and above all multiple love stories.





"Tiger Lily"- Jodi Lynn Anderson

  Ok, time for another Peter Pan retelling!  Except this time the story is about Tiger Lily and it's told by our very own Tinkerbell.  In most of the Peter Pan stories I've read and grew up with, Tiger Lily is always an extra character and almost a plaything of Peter's.  The main lady has always remained Wendy Darling.  It was nice not to have to read the same story that we've heard over and over again.  Not only is Peter almost a side character, but we finally get to hear where Tiger Lily came from, about her family and her tribe.  We also get to find out where Tinkerbell came from.  In my opinion these are the two most important women in the Peter Pan stories, and now they finally get their own stories told.  It was so wonderfully written and had its own historical value as well.  Even though we are in Neverland, we still have the entrance of the "white man" and the introduction of white values versus native values.  It was so interesting, to me, that Anderson put that in the story.  All around this book was great and I really enjoyed it.  If you want my opinion on another Peter Pan retelling wherein Peter is not the main character, you can find that here.


  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you found something new to read!  If you have any suggestions, I always love to hear what other people are reading!  Got a few good books lined up for September and then it will be my favorite month!  October!  Yay, fall!  See you next time.