A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read (Psych #1) - William Rabkin - DTB

This was my older daughter's recommendation for my 2017 reading challenge.  It's based off a TV show, our favorite comedy, and is the first in a series of five books.  The other four titles are Mind Over Magic, The Call of the Mild, A Fatal Frame of Mind, and Mind-Altering Murder.

Shawn and Gus have just solved another high-profile case and embarrassed another member of the justice system.  Now, Gus's company car has been towed and getting it out of impound results in attempted murder.  Gus has a close call with a car, and Shawn ends up with an obsessed follower.  When the impound lot attendant turns up dead, the guys know they're going to have to solve the case to clear their names.

You'll need to have prior knowledge of the show to read this book.  I don't know why you'd pick this up if you've never watched the show, but if you do, I think you'll hate it.  You won't understand that you have to put just the right amount of sarcasm into Shawn's voice, and just enough panic and frustration in Gus'.

If you love the show as much as I do, you'll probably love the book.  The author does a good job capturing the personalities of the characters, and even adds a little flashback at the beginning.  Overall, a great read that I ate up in two days.  Good Book!

The Complete Father Brown Mysteries (Illustrated) - G. K. Chesterton

I picked this book up because I'd watched BBC's version of Father Brown (starring Mark Williams) and enjoyed it thoroughly.  I knew a bit about Chesterton, but hadn't read anything written by him.  I'd mostly heard about him at church.  Normally, I wouldn't read something that's related to TV/movies.  I usually try to do one or the other: read the book or watch the movie.  Less chance of being disappointed.  With this, I had the feeling it wouldn't be the same anyway, so I wasn't judging it based on the TV show at all.

This collection includes 24 short stories, but they're not the kind of relaxing reading where you can be doing other things as you read.  You really have to pay attention to keep up with what's going on.  There's long paragraphs of descriptions, sometimes to the point of being a bit too much.  Knowing these were written in the early 1900s, this makes sense.  The language also comes across as a product of its time.  There's some language in there that is considered highly prejudiced now, and it wasn't really that nice back then.  Just be aware it's in there.

I wouldn't read this if you're expecting it to be like the TV show.  You'll be disappointed.  While a few of the stories are represented in episodes, most aren't and the only secondary character you'll run into is Flambeau, and he changes quite early on from what you're accustomed to seeing on TV.

If you want to read through this, expect Father Brown to pick up on things you're not noticing and solve the mystery for the police.  The writing definitely reflects the period in which it was written, making it a bit tedious at times.  Also be aware, the "illustrations" are a collection of random photographs and drawings, and they're located in the back of the book.  I enjoyed some of the stories, and others I felt like I was slogging through.  Overall, I'd give it 3 stars.  It is what it is.

A Dangerous Engagement (Regency Spies #3) - Melanie Dickerson

This is the third book in the Regency Spies series.  The first two are A Spy's Devotion and A Viscount's Proposal.

Felicity is practically on the shelf, and her lack of fortune will keep her there.  She receives an invitation from an aunt, and her family thinks it's a good idea.  The aunt seems to have a suitor in mind for Felicity, one who doesn't care about her lack of wealth.  Once she arrives, there's a lot more men than women, and she soon finds out why: they're planning a revolution.  And she's just engaged herself to one of them.

Philip has managed to infiltrate the group, but he didn't plan on having to look after Felicity.  He reveals himself to her, hoping that she'll make decisions to keep herself safe, but Felicity wants to do more.  She wants to help.  He could use her assistance, but he's afraid for her safety. They end up skirting danger a few times, and there's always the risk of being exposed.

I wasn't 100% convinced after I read about Felicity fainting the first time.  I'm not a fan of the "wilting violet" heroines, but I loved this book!  Felicity fights against the faints, and her determination to be strong and courageous in spite of them had me convinced.  I loved the way she was a quick thinker and got herself out of so many scrapes on her own.  I also liked Philip's character, the way he balanced the weight of his mission against his feelings for Felicity.  All in all, Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Waterfall Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. from Paris - Marc Levy

I got this book free through the Kindle First program.

Mia is an English actress who has fled from her cheating husband and wants to try and put her life back together on her own.  She's staying with her friend in Paris.  She ends up messing around on a dating site and makes a profile.

Paul is an American who moved to Paris after his first book was published.  Now, his books are big in Korea, and he has a long-distance "relationship" with his translator that he sees twice a year.  When Paul's friends visit from America, they set him up a profile on the same website and then a blind date with Mia - without his knowledge.

I put this one down about 1/3 of the way through.  There was some language in there, but that wasn't why I stopped reading.  I disliked these characters.  Paul was just plain boring, and Mia was whiny and her thought process was annoying.

I also wasn't a fan of the writing style.  I dislike when a character is introduced and the author feels a need to devote paragraphs to their backstory.  It disrupts the flow of the story, and most times, these introductions aren't relevant to the actual story.  In addition, the dialogue would run on so long without a break that sometimes I would lose track of who was actually talking.

I really need to stop feeling like I need to pick up one of the Kindle First books.  They might be free, but that doesn't mean they're going to be something I enjoy.  Major pass for me.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance Chronicles #1) - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman - DTB

This was the book my younger daughter recommended for me.  Actually, both my daughters read this series, and the original paperback is old and didn't fare well going back and forth to school in both their backpacks.  I had to cover it in tape just to read it.  The original paperback belonged to my husband, printed in the 80s.

An unlikely band of heroes has agreed to come together five years after their last adventure. One of them doesn't show, and the rest return to a world changed.  Draconians (dragon-like people) and hobgoblins are taking over.  And something else is terrorizing the land that the heroes didn't even think existed: dragons.

Joining the group are two barbarians who have a strange staff with healing powers.  The group will attempt to figure out what their purpose is in the fight against the dragons and how to defeat the evil.  There's lots of magic spells, fantastical creatures and fighting.

From a writing perspective, I had to get used to the point of view changing all the time.  And it did. Once I got past that, it was a pretty good book.  There were moments that made me smile (mostly involving Tasslehoff), and times that actually tugged at my heart strings a bit. What I didn't expect was to find moments of truth scattered throughout the book.  I had the DTB version, so I didn't mark them, but here's one from the end:

"Still," the kender said softly, "we have to keep trying and hoping.  That's what's important - the trying and the hoping.  Maybe that's the most important of all."

We play lots of board games, and many of them have a fantasy theme, so I wasn't shocked that my girls liked these books.  I was just surprised that I liked it.  Will I read more of them? Probably not.  They're a little on the long side for me, but it was still a fun read.  I rate it a Good Book! on its own.

(In case you're wondering, a kender is similar to a halfling - Tasslehoff was a kender, a troublemaker and a great comedic character.)

The same cover as my paperback, but without the damage and creases!

Crown of Souls (Tox Files #2) - Ronie Kendig

This is the second book in the series.  There's a novella, The Warrior's Seal and then the first book, Conspiracy of Silence.

Tox is hit by a sniper, but it's not someone who wants to kill him.  It's an old brother-in-arms who wants to get his attention.  He's still feeling guilty about things in his past, and it's threatening to interfere with his relationship with Haven.

Tracking down his friend isn't going to be easy, especially since he has an artifact in his possession.  As his friend becomes more unstable, Tox is determined to try and save him.  Tox sees many similarities between his friend and himself, affecting his decisions.

As usual, Kendig tells a good story.  My one complaint is the interruptions with the glimpses from the past.  I know why they're in there, I just don't like them.  For me, it's like I'm rafting down a river, and then BAM! I hit a rock.  It interrupts the flow of the story, and I've given up reading authors for doing it.  Personal preference.

This is a good book, and I did enjoy it.  There's another one on the horizon.  While I stick with my original opinion that the series is continuous, there were enough reminders in this one that if you hadn't read the first one (or it's been a while), you wouldn't feel lost.  Good Book!

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.