100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

 Overrun: Dispatches from the Asian Carp Crisis is environmental journalist Andrew Reeves' in-depth look at just how the Asian Carp species that were brought into the United States to help solve one environmental issue ended up causing one of the biggest threats to the Great Lakes to date.  Reeves gets to the heart of the matter by going back to the beginning when the first carp were brought over as well as looking into what invasive species are as a whole and their impact on the environment. 

 As the war rages on in 1942, a group of Jewish musicians are being rounded up onto trains by Nazis. Through the relentless work of resistance members and friends, they are hidden away and freed from the trains.  At the same time Pope Pious XII is debating what to say publicly about the massive loss of life at the hands of the Nazis.  Making the difficult decision to retain neutrality, Pope Pious XII quietly assists in the relocation of thousands of Jews, including a special group of musicians.  With the assistance of Father Biaggio Sanguinetti, the group of fifteen Jews finds a new home and new identities in the small Italian town of Bellafortuna where they find how to create music together.  When the German's occupy Bellafortuna, the residents use their ingenuity to keep everyone safe and when the Nazi's threaten the Roman Ghetto, the Pope's network and the Italian people come together to save as many people as they can.

 As her homeland of Sirapirat is being conquered by the Winter Queen and it's people being fed to the ghost kiln, Nuawa is given a tiny shard of glass to swallow by her mother.  Nuawa survives the ghost kiln and is taken in by her Aunt.  Nuawa trains relentlessly to be a fighter and one day avenge her homeland and mother.  Her chance comes with a tournament where the prize is to be trained by General Lussadh, the Queen's right hand.  Nuawa easily qualifies for the tournament and moves forward, gaining favor with General Lussadh who quickly recognizes Nuawa as a glass-bearer. 

 John Voltaire returns to his childhood home of L along the banks of the Mississippi in order to settle his parents estate.  John thought he escaped the backwards confines of L long ago, but he is right back where he started.  Now, L is experiencing a strange plague of drownings.  More than usual, the water seems to be taking more lives than usual in an array of unusual and terrifying circumstances.  Locals are in disagreement of the cause- increases in drunken accidents, a supernatural force, a serial killer or natures revenge.  John's return coincides with the uptick and on top of the unusual circumstances, John's siblings, Cristo and Laura aren't helping much with the sale. 

 Suzi Eszterhas  is a wildlife photographer on the Masai Mara Preserve in Kenya. Suzi is asked if she would like to foster an serval kitten that was brought in by a tourist group after a fire. Suzi readily accepts and takes on the additional role of wildlife rehabilitator to Moto, the serval.  As Moto's adopted mother, Suzi must learn how to care for Moto and teach him how to be a serval in the wild, just like Moto's real mom would have done so he can go back to the wild once more.  

Two small villages in Cornwall, 1820 have been feuding for years after the murder of Charity Perrow's mother.  Jethro Ennor's father was accused but acquitted of the crime.  Now, Charity takes care of her father and brothers, but feels trapped in her home.  Jethro is a farrier who desperately wants to leave his violent and drunk father, but needs to wait until his little brother is of age.  While roaming the woods collecting mushroom for the town bonesetter, Charity and Jethro meet without knowing who the other is.  Even after they find out, Charity and Jethro can't stay away from one another.  However, another danger lurks in the woods.  Henry Blight, a returned soldier from Waterloo has come back to seek revenge against those who made him commit an unspeakable act years ago.  

When Jingjing finds a memoir written by her mother, she discovers that the world her mother, Rushi and Aunts Yuanyuan and Xiangjun grew up in was cruel and traumatizing.  All three women were sold as children to thin horse breeders, or slave traders.  They were taught music, art, dance and poetry in order to entertain men who would pay for their company.  The women were now objects to be bought and traded as men saw fit.  Their lives take many twists and turns, but the sisterhood that they forged with matching kerchiefs helps them through.  

During World War I on a tiny island in the Seine sits The Little Palace, a restaurant run by master chef and cheese maker, Narcisse.  Narcisse happens to be a cat who believes in equality and service for all.  The stress of the war has allowed for animals and humans to communicate in ways unknown before. With the help of a very special group of animals, Narcisse has made The Little Palace an oasis for good food, company and a refuge for artists.  In the cafe animals and humans work side by side; however, one of the servers at The Little Palace believes that animals and humans should not be equal.  The server hatches a plan that damages the reputation of The Little Palace.  At the same time Narcisse gets word that her father has been injured in the war.  

Life has never been easy for Jimmy and Kelly Lansford. Their parents never had much money and what they had was spent on drugs and alcohol.  When they are teens, their father commits suicide and their mother continues to spiral.  Jimmy is kept afloat with the help of local detective, Mike Carlisle and finds his way to Arizona State on a track scholarship. Jimmy doesn't like leaving Kelly behind with their mother, but Carlisle promises to look after her.  Jimmy excels at college and is able to become a successful trader.  He marries and is able to buy the house of his dreams and build the family he always wanted.  On his daughter's twelfth birthday, Jimmy begins to recall his childhood and the events that shaped him.  After that,  Jimmy begins to see and feel things  He begins to wonder if he inherited something from his father or if the family ghost has come for him.

Soli Hansen's life changed when the German troops invaded Norway in 1940.  For four years Soli has seen the consequences of the occupation; however, she was still able to go to art school and find work at a small art shop in town.  One day on her way to work, Soli finds that the shop helper, Mrs. Gunderson has died right outside the shop in a terrible accident. Inspector Nikolai Lange brings Soli in for questioning and leads her to believe that Mrs. Gunderson's death was a murder related to the artwork in her shop.  Soli is intrigued and continues to help Inspector Lange.  Soli is brought into the Norwegian resistance as she discovers the Nazi's plan to confiscate all of the valuable artwork from Jewish homes.  When Soli and the underground discover a priceless Baroque piece, Soli is willing to risk everything to keep the artwork safe and out of Nazi hands.

Mark Lane is about to put in place a decision that will change the life of his family, a corporation and possibly history.  Mark has invented the Time Box in conjunction with the Janus corporation headed up by billionaire Robert Devereaux.   When Mark learns that Robert will only use the Time Box for evil, he makes a difficult decision to sabotage the company, steal the working Time Boxes and disappear into the past with his family. Mark, his wife Mary and children Jordan, Laura, Jeremy and Ashley travel in haste to 1865 Virginia.  The family tries to fit in and rebuild a life as best they can.  However, Robert Devereaux will not let Lane's betrayal slide.  Devereaux's team rebuilds a Time box and sends a hit man into the past  to enact revenge.

Pollinator numbers in the wild have been decreasing.  With most of our food sources relying on one pollinator or another, this is a problem that we all have to be aware of and begin solving. Protecting Pollinators: How to Save the Creatures that Feed Our World  presents the information on our declining pollinator species including insects, birds and bats.  Told through stories and specific studies, the information is presented in a way that is interesting and easy to understand.  Each study highlighted focuses on a different species and cause for their decrease.  Focused mainly on native pollinators in the Western Hemisphere and the invasive species that pose a threat to them from the Eastern Hemisphere, this book will mainly appeal to people in North America.  In addition to learning more about the ecology of our many native pollinators, I enjoyed learning about the people who are fighting for them, the studies they are carrying out and what I can do to help these animals myself.  Inspiring, enlightening and easy to follow, Protecting Pollinators presents what is happening to our pollinators, why it is happening and how we have to help them now.

Micah Dixon wants it all.  Above all he wants to know what happened to his best friend, Mason and his sister, Evelyn.  Two years ago, Micah asked his father with help protecting them, but it was all lies.  With membership to New Orleans secret society, The Elite, Micah will be able to figure out a way to make up for it all.  The Elite have control of both Mason and Evelyn, and together they are going to find a way to bring it all down.  First, Micah has to take care of his task. Then there is  Sabella, the twin sister of Wrath and the girl that everyone believes that Envy has killed. 

 Greed is the last book in The Elite Seven Series and needs to be read last.  Micah's story brings together the suspense that has been building within the past six books.  The brothers are finally ready to take The Elite into their own hands by taking out the old order.  For this book, the story switches between Micah and Sabella's point of view.  The women's characters have been just as influential in the story as much as the men's.  Sabella regains her self confidence and builds her strength with Micah and becomes just as much a part of the group.  I'm glad that their romance was slower and took the time Sabella needed to find confidence again without losing any of the steamy scenes. The ending is exciting, violent and accomplishes what it needs.  I do wish there was a continuation of what this set of brothers achieve afterward.  

Rush Dempsey doesn't care about much in life except finding out the truth about what killed his mother.  He knows that the secret society, The Elite has something to do with it.  It isn't until his father mentions that Rush is a candidate for the very same group that he is compelled to do something again.  Rush knows that getting into to The Elite will be the only way to destroy it.  His task to become a member of the group is to desecrate Archbishop Savoie's daughter, Isabelle on the alter of the church.  Rush's task becomes easy when Isabelle is pushed into her hands and taking down The Elite is in sight.  No one expects the laziest member of the group to have planned so carefully.