The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison - loved this book!

The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book with the One Group One Facebook online book club at Facebook. It was a 4 star book for me; I reserve 5 stars for books which I think are really outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was very well-written and a good story. It is written by a man and is from a man’s point of view, which is interesting to me, for this type of book. There are a number of issues that this book deals with: loss, love, being a single father, defending oneself against an accusations by high school students, trying to find happiness, and being loyal to a beloved wife who is in a nursing home after a devastating accident. Neil, the main character has a lot to deal with in the years after his wife’s accident. I cared about everyone in this book. Even though there were a lot of things happening in this book plot-wise (there were a lot of twists and turns), I think it is more of a character-driven book. I usually race through a book reading fast, but this one I savored and read more slowly. I don’t know if I would have discovered this book on my own, but it is on my favorites list now, and I will definitely look for other books by this author, Jon Harrison.

Read-a-Thon has started!!

                                            Opening Meme

 1). WHAT FINE PART OF THE WORLD ARE YOU READING FROM TODAY?

Midlothian, Virginia!

2). WHICH BOOK IN YOUR STACK ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD?

 In Movement There Is Peace. It's about a journey walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela route in Spain, something I wish to do myself when I turn 65!! Ever since I saw the movie, The Way, with Martin Sheen, I've been inspired to walk it.

3). WHICH SNACK ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

Animal crackers, lol.

4). TELL US A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF

I can't wait to retire (4 more years) so I can travel and read more!

5). IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE LAST READ-A-THON, WHAT'S ONE THING YOU'LL DO DIFFERENT TODAY? IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST READ-A-THON, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

This is my first one. I'm looking forward to it all. Can't wait to see what kind of challenges there are.

Dewey's 24 hour Read-A-Thon!

This will be my first time participating, and I'm excited! I have a list of 9 possible books to read on my Kindle, plus finish an Audible book (The Wool Omnibus). Also, I have 30 library books I can choose from! I'm looking forward to the games and prizes and challenges and the cheerleading. Unfortunately, I'll have to take a 3 hour break to attend a friend's funeral. So sad. She was a Red Hat friend, and breast cancer support group friend.

My favorite on-line book club at Goodreads -Historical Fictionistas

We read such good books here, and the challenges are the best ever!

Historical Fictionistas
6698 members
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! We want to experience all different kinds of HF with all diff...

Books we've read

Girl With a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier
Start date: August 15, 2009

The Heretic's Daughter
by Kathleen Kent
Start date: September 15, 2009

View this group on Goodreads »

Collision by Kate L. Mary
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*I received a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.*

I read this book in one sitting. Kara, a freshman college student, is on her way home for Christmas break when she is in a car accident. While in the hospital, it is discovered, because of her blood type and that of her parents, that her father cannot possibly be her father. Her mother admits that she had an affair with someone else while she was broken up with Kara's "father." When she broke up with her lover she went back to Kara's "father" and then discovered she was pregnant with her lover's baby. She got married and never told her husband or Kara that he was not the biological father. Kara now wants to find out who he is, but her mother refuses to tell her, citing that it's better she not know and to leave it alone. Her husband also cannot deal with this lie, and leaves for awhile. Of course, Kara cannot leave it alone and starts sleuthing to find out who her father is, and ends up going to Kent, Ohio to track him down, based on clues she finds and people she is led to, who then lead her to other people. She basically ignores her mother and her admonitions. Meanwhile, before she heads out, she meets a guy, Derek, in a bar. It turns out he knew her from high school and had a crush on her, but she did not remember him, even though he sat behind her in a class and she smiled at him all the time, and was nice to him. It turns out that during their senior year his parents and brother were killed in a car crash and now he is all alone. He and Kara almost immediately fall for each other when they meet, and he goes with her to find her father. This part is a bit unrealistic, in my opinion, how quickly they fall for each other and have sex, but I guess it can/does happen!

At the end, she does find out who her father is, and that she should have left it alone, like everyone told her. But, of course, she did not. The book ends as it should, but it could also lead into a sequel, if the author desires to write one.

The book was okay, fast paced, and it entertained me. I would probably read any sequels, if written.

What a great thriller/mystery crime novel!

Spectrum by Alan Jacobson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what a great mystery/thriller! This book was so well-researched, with lots of complexity. I never heard of this author before (how did I not?), and will definitely read others in the series. It kept me on my toes, and although I sort of figured out the end beforehand, I wasn't sure. I highly recommend this book, and predict it will be a big hit. I don't know what else to say, except that it is so well-written, engaging, awesome plot, interesting characters, believable dialogue.

*Thank you to Net Galley who gave me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*