Baer Books, books, authors and everything biblio

I have been a reading fiend. Well, when am I not? In any case, I read several great books over the last few weeks. I posted this picture, since it's apropos to the first book I'm reviewing. The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor My first book by Jillian Cantor and definitely NOT my last. I  am huge fan of WWII books and this was one of the best I've read this year. The story involves two timelines. Los Angeles, 1989 with Katie Nelson going through a divorce while taking care of her father, recently placed in a nursing home due to dementia. Katie's father was a stamp collector, always looking for a gem. Katie takes his collection to a stamp expert named Benjamin to see if there might be a gem in the collection. Benjamin finds something of interest and that takes Katie and Benjamin on a quest. The second timeline is Austria 1938 with Kristoff, a stamp engraving apprentice and the Faber family who are Jewish. Kristoff is learning the trade from Mr. ...

It's been a bit longer than I intended since my last blog post, but that certainly does not mean I have not been reading!! I was preparing for my daughter's college graduation. She graduated on May 6 from Florida State University with a BS in International Affairs and Sociology. Yay!! Now what did I read since the end of March? Before I Go - Colleen Oakley 5* I purchased this book, because the author was coming to talk about her newest book at my local indie bookstore. I really found myself connecting with the characters and enjoying their story and read the book in two days. I cannot believe this was Oakley's debut novel! Don't think that by the synopsis this book is a sad tale of a young woman's lost battle with breast cancer. It is so much more and how the author handled it without anything feeling maudlin shows she really has great writing chops! It was a funny, upbeat, emotional, and real story. Well done. ...

My review of Quicksand by Malin Persson Giolito:     I am glad I was able to get the ARC of this fiction book. It reads like a true story. I really enjoy Scandinavian Noir and this book was part mystery, part legal thriller, and is told from the perspective of one of the main characters. Maya Norberg stands trial for the deaths of several people in her high school class in Sweden. It's one of the worst massacres in Swedish history. Maya is telling the story and we go back and forth between then, before the killings, and now, as we hear about her trial and her time in jail. The big question, is Maya guilty? No spoilers here, but this book translated (the first of this author's to be translated to English) from Swedish was a page turner. Maya's voice resonated with me and felt genuine. All the things that we think in our head, but don't speak aloud are articulated here. The feelings we had when we were 17 or 18 and our r...

Suspense!! Quite possibly my favorite genre. Peter Swanson, I am waiting for your next book. I know you just published your third, Her Every Fear in January 2017, but write fast. PLEASE?!  I kept watching all the news, reviews, and buzz about Peter Swanson's books. For some reason I only got wind of him when he released The Kind Worth Killing in February 2015, but he burst on the scene and the reviews were phenomenal. His books, when I read the description were just the kind of thriller or suspense books that appeal to me. I just had a full book reading schedule! I did a Peter Swanson marathon when I was away for three weeks in February. It needed to be done and I decided to do it right. I started at the beginning with The Girl With a Clock For a Heart . What a title! It was very unique story. A situation where the girl, Liana, may not be who she says she is. She and George meet and become an item in college. George really falls for her, but he's not completely gu...

  My second book by Ms. Di Maio, and it was better than her first, in my opinion. She expertly weaves two stories and two time periods. The 1940's story of Della Lee in prison for the murder of her sister, Eula Lee and the present day story of journalist Mick Anders and Dr. Paloma Vega who are brought together in the little border town of Puerto Pesar, (Port of Regret) where Della and Eula were brought up and where tragedy seemed to guide their lives. While this book might be considered romance, I really love the lighthearted way in which the author treats romance. It takes a back seat to the story of the the heartbreak of Della's life and the connections that Mick uncovers between Paloma, her grandmother, and Della Lee who is released from prison to return to Puerto Pesar after 70 years in prison. The story shows how the two stories mirror each other and you will find yourself wanting to know more about these connections across the decades. Thank you C...

  I was very happy to get to read my first Pam Jenoff book. Why had I never read anything by her before? I honestly don't know. She has written at least fourteen books, mainly historical fiction, and many focused on Eastern Europe and WWII. A genre that I enjoy and read a lot of. In any case I was christened as a Pam fan with The Orphan's Tale. The story follows Noa, a young Dutch girl whose father kicks her out of the house after she becomes pregnant with a Nazi soldier's baby. She ends up in a home for unwed mothers and her baby is taken away. Noa then escapes and begins work cleaning the bathroom at a train station, eking out a living. The author conveys such a sense of the absolute bleakness that was prevalent in the time and place of the book. One day while cleaning, Noa hears a faint cry from one of the box cars. She slides open the door to find the car filled with what she realizes are Jewish infants. They have been separated from their parents, most are dyin...