ReadingGrrls Paper Safari

Title:   Croak by Gina Damico Publisher: Audible Studios Format: Audible Length: 8 hours 16 minutes Narrator: Jessica Almasy Genre: YA Sci/Fi Synopsis:  Fed up with her wild behavior, 16-year-old Lex’s parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure. He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach Lex the family business. She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can’t stop her desire for justice - or is it vengeance? - whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills? (59) Review: I really enjoyed this book.  The narrator Jessica Almasy is fabulous at reading, she really he...

Title: Eden (An Archer & Bennett Thriller) by Candice Fox Publisher; Kensington Books Format: I receive this book as an advanced ebook from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Pages: 320 pages Genre: Thriller This book is due to be released on August 25, 2015 Synopsis:  Most homicide detective teams run on trust, loyalty, and the shared desire to put killers behind bars. Frank Bennett's partner, Eden Archer, thrives on darkness and danger. She has a rare talent for catching killers - but her idea of justice has little to do with courtrooms. Now three girls are missing, and Eden is going undercover to a remote farm where the troubled go to hide and blood falls more often than rain. Frank’s job is to keep an eye on his partner while she's there - but is it for Eden's protection, or to protect others from her? Walking a tightrope between duty and desperation,  Frank confronts a threat from Eden’s past—the sadistic crime l...

Title:   Conspiracies: A Repairman Jack Novel, Book 3 by F. Paul Wilson Publisher: Brilliance Audio Format: Audio Book through Audible Narrator: Christopher Price Length: 11 hours 28 minutes Genre: mystery/ supernatural Synopsis:  Looking for clues to the mysterious disappearance of leading conspiracy theorist Melanie Ehler, Jack attends a convention of bizarre and avid conspiracy theorists. It’s a place where aliens are real, the government is out to get you, and the world is hurtling toward an inevitable war of good versus evil incarnate. Jack finds that nobody can be trusted - and that few people are what they seem. Worse yet, Jack’s been having vivid dreams that make him wonder whether he’s headed for a clash with his own past - maybe The Tomb’s evil rakoshi beasts aren’t through with him quite yet. (57) Review: Jack always finds himself entangled in mysteries that start out normal and quickly turn into something else.  Because of this I find myself...

Title:   The Collector by Anne-Laure Thieblemont Publisher: Le French Book Format:  Advanced e-copy from the publisher through  netgalley.com  in exchange for an honest review Pages: 211 pages Genre: Mystery This book was released on August 11, 2015 Synopsis:  In the merciless microcosm of Paris art auctions and galleries, some people collect art, while others collect trouble. Marion Spicer spends her days examining auction catalogues and searching for stolen works of art. She is a top-notch investigator when it comes to eighteenth-century art. But for her it's just a job and her life is well ordered. All this changes when she inherits a huge and very prestigious collection of pre-Columbian art from a father she never knew. There are conditions attached: she must first find three priceless statues. That is when her troubles begin. Her father’s death sparked much greed, and Marion finds herself facing sharks, schemes, fences, traps, scams, and atta...

Title:   Black-Eyed Susans: A Novel of Suspense by Julia Heaberlin Publisher: Ballantine Books Format: Advanced e-copy from the publisher through  netgalley.com  in exchange for an honest review Pages: 368 pages Genre: Thriller This title is due to be released August 11, 2015  Synopsis:   A girl's memory lost in a field of wildflowers. A killer still spreading seeds. At seventeen, Tessa became famous for being the only surviving victim of a vicious serial killer. Her testimony put him on death row. Decades later, a mother herself, she receives a message from a monster who should be in prison. Now, as the execution date rapidly approaches, Tessa is forced to confront a chilling possibility:  Did she help convict the wrong man? (55)Review: This is a tough book to review without giving too much away.  I loved it, disturbing with a good flow.  Each chapter goes either back in time to when Tessa was first found and current time while ...

Title:  Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World by Gary Chapman & Arlene Pellicane Publisher:  Northfield Publishing Format: E-book Pages:  241 pages Genre:  Parenting/ Christian Synopsis: In this digital age, children are spending more and more time interacting with a screen rather than a parent. Technology has the potential to add value to our families, but it can also erode a sense of togetherness and hinder a child's emotional growth. In  Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World,  you'll learn how to take back your home from an over-dependence on screens. Discover the five A+ skills needed to give your child the relational edge in a screen-driven world: affection, appreciation, anger management, apology, and attention. Today's screens aren't just in our living rooms; they are in our pockets. Now is the time to equip your child to live  with  screen time, not  for...

Title:   Graduation Day: The Testing, Book 3 by Joelle Charbonneau Publisher:  Recorder Books Format: Audio book Length:  9 hours 17 minutes Narrator: Elizabeth Horton Genre: Dystopian YA Synopsis:  She wants to put an end to the Testing. In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor Cia Vale vows to fight. But she can't do it alone. This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves - and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates. Who can Cia trust? (53)Review: I actually liked this book the best out of the whole trilogy. While Cia still seems perfect in many ways, this book starts to show her humanity and her flaws and how this whole thing is aff...

Title:   Sophia's Broken Crayons: A Story of Surrogacy from a Young Child's Perspective by Crystal Falk Publisher: Amazon's digital Services Format: E-book Genre: Surrogacy, Children Synopsis:  Why is the sky blue? Why do dogs bark? When will I be tall? Where do babies come from? Kids ask a lot of questions. Some of them are easier to answer than others. Explaining why someone would choose to become a surrogate or why a family would choose a surrogate to help grow their family are even harder questions to answer. Sophia’s Broken Crayons can help you answer those questions.  (50)Review:  A simplistic story to explain surrogacy to a young child.  The book is geared toward ages 2-6 and would be great to help children of surrogates understand why the baby isn’t staying with them and also to help the child that is born through surrogacy understand the process.  It doesn’t get into great detail it just talks about how one family shared their tummy t...

Title:  About a Girl: A Novel (The Metamorphoses Trilogy) by Sarah McCarry Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Format: Advanced e-copy from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review Pages: 272 Pages Genre: This title was released on July 14, 2015 Synopsis:  Eighteen-year-old Tally is absolutely sure of everything: her genius, the love of her adoptive family, the loyalty of her best friend, Shane, and her future career as a Nobel prize-winning astronomer. There's no room in her tidy world for heartbreak or uncertainty--or the charismatic, troubled mother who abandoned her soon after she was born. But when a sudden discovery upends her fiercely ordered world, Tally sets out on an unexpected quest to seek out the reclusive musician who may hold the key to her past--and instead finds Maddy, an enigmatic and beautiful girl who will unlock the door to her future. The deeper she falls in love with Maddy, the more Tally begins to realize that the un...