Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman (★★★★★)
E-Book • Library • Thriller • 2024
Short synopsis: When a pilot suffers a heart attack mid-flight, a commercial airliner crashes into a nuclear power plant in Waketa, Minnesota, triggering the world’s first Level 8 nuclear disaster.
T.J. Newman really knows how to write a terrifying thriller. I read this on my cruise (I know), and I made sure to find out where the nuclear power plants are located in Florida. Luckily, none close to me! This book got a bit more technical than her other novels as she really got into the nitty-gritty of what happens when something destroys parts of a nuclear power plant. It was a bit like reading an Andy Weir novel. The important parts of the story are the characters and it’s okay to skim some of the more science-y sections. There were a lot of characters and sub-plots in this book but I felt like I could keep track of everyone easily (probably because all of the storylines were so different from each other!). The novel definitely had me on the edge of my seat and I just can’t believe T.J. Newman keeps knocking it out of the park again and again!
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake (★★☆☆☆)
E-Book • Library • Contemporary Romance • 2024
Short synopsis: Five years after being left at the altar, Charlotte Donovan is thriving in New York with her string quartet, the Rosalind Quartet. But when she agrees to spend Christmas with a bandmate’s family in Colorado, she’s blindsided to find her ex, Brighton, also there.
This is the first time I’ve read a book by Ashley Herring Blake that ended up being a major disappointment. This book was rather boring. It’s a second-chance romance, which isn’t my favorite trope, and it was hard for me to get on board for this one. Leaving someone at the altar is such a dick move, and I don’t think Brighton’s excuses were enough to warrant a second chance. I also didn’t really feel any sort of chemistry between the characters and I felt like I never really knew Brighton and Charlotte. They were one-dimensional. It was hard for me to believe that these two people were going to move from not speaking at all to suddenly putting their past behind them and falling in love in the space of a few days. It just didn’t work for me. I needed more of a build-up and more of a reason to root for these women.
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)
E-Book • Owned (Amazon) • Mystery • 1938
Short synopsis: In Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, the holiday turns deadly when wealthy patriarch Simeon Lee gathers his family for a tense reunion, only to announce he’s cutting their allowances and changing his will. When Simeon is murdered, Poirot must unravel the web of family secrets and rivalries to catch the killer.
Oh, how I love a locked-room mystery and Agatha Christie seems to do a lot of these. For the first time when reading a Christie mystery, I kept a list in my Notes app about the characters so I could keep everyone straight since I always seem to get lost in the sea of characters and forget who is who. (Of course, this time, there weren’t too many characters to keep track of and everything was pretty straightforward.) I liked this mystery a lot, though! I was super surprised by the “whodunit” and this is one of the first times I couldn’t figure out who it could be. Everyone had a motive and I love when an author can hide the murderer in plain sight, like she did for this one. This is a quick, fun holiday mystery that I would definitely recommend!
What are you reading?
Ha, I agree with you on that second book- after Charlotte is jilted at the altar, I’m not sure I could put together a believable plot that would get these two characters together again. The first book sounds good! And I’ve read that Agatha Christie- I wonder if I could read it again, or would I immediately remember the ending? It’s been a long time.
I haven’t read this Newman book yet but I plan to! I was hoping to read a holiday-themed book this month but didn’t add any to my hold list in time to read them in December. So I’ll probably read a holiday book in like February. Ha.
Right now I am reading “High Tide in Tucson” by Barbara Kingsolver – it’s a collection of essays. The one I am in the middle of right now is about visiting a nuclear missile sight in the Tucson area. I’ve enjoyed nearly all of the essays. Next I will read our January book club book (The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida).
I’m not reading anything spectacular, but I just want to note that I think you’re an absolute badass for actually reading holiday themed books around the holidays. I always end up reading them in April or something. Way to be organized!!
Wait – Newman has ANOTHER book. Wow, she cranks out page turners like nobody’s business. I liked both of the first books, so I bet this will be another winner!