Night Shift

Shirley J.         Adult Fiction             Demons, vampires, weretigers and witchy virgin sacrifice

Night Shift (Book 3 in the Midnight, Texas series) by Charlaine Harris  400 pages

Most excellent trilogy about the paranormal goings on in the small town of Midnight, Texas.  There has been a demonic voice talking to and sometimes taunting local witch, Figi.  There are always weird things going on in Midnight, but, now people and animals are going to the crossroads in town and offing themselves by their own hand/paw or committing suicide via alternate sources.   The townies are on a 24/7 suicide watch for anyone or anything acting a little "squirrely," no pun intended.   Figi loves living in Midnight, she loves the people, well, most of them - the folks that own the diner creep her out worse than ever now that she walked in and found him in her house!  So much going on and Charlaine wraps it all up in the end.  I hope she reconsiders and brings these characters back.   I recommend this book to all paranormal fans especially those who love the Trueblood folk as much as I do.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up.   

Rumble Tum

 

Shirley J.                         Juvenile Literature                             Falling in love with a new kitten

Rumble Tum by Stephanie True Peters   32 pages

OMgosh!  The illustrations in this book look so real they could step off the page, literally they are 3-D like.  And the story is one near and dear to me, meeting a new kitten for the first time.   Awwww!  So precious!   When Beth meets her new kitten for the first time, she doesn't just love him, she love, love, loves him!  She names him Rumble Tum.  The book talks about Beth learning to care for her kitten and of course they play together all the while Rumble Tum is growing and getting stronger and more CURIOUS.   When the front door is opened Rumble Tum makes a break for it and is out the front door and disappears.   Wouldn't you know a rainstorm occurs!  YIKES!  Poor Baby Kitty!!!!  But all is not lost.  That baby knows where his grub comes from!  : D   I loved this story but, bad adult opening that door without looking when there is a baby kitten in the house!  I recommend this book to pre-schoolers on up.   A sweet read for parents, teachers and all relatives who love kids and kittens.

Welcome to the Big Kids Club: What Every Older Sibling Needs to Know!

Shirley J.            Juvenile Non-Fiction                 Everything Big Brothers and Sisters Need To Know

Welcome to the Big Kids Club: What Every Older Sibling Needs to Know! by Chelsea Clinton  32 pages

This really is an everything you need to know if you are the older brother or sister.  This book should be a manual given out at the hospital with every birth to families with other children in them.  Literally this is all need to know stuff for how to deal with the new role as older sibling to a baby.  It is wonderful.  I had to check to see if Chelsea has children of her own because she was an only child but she is a mom of three so she knows of which she speaks and it is all such great information for kids that will get them through every situation with the new kid on the block.  Well done, Chelsea!   I recommend this to pre-schoolers on up.  Parents, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and Teachers will want this one, too.  It is EXCELLENT.  
 

Patchwork

 

Shirley J.          Juvenile Non-Fiction        Inspiring Read for Youngsters showing career potential

Patchwork by Matt De La Pena    48 pages

Excellent book for youngsters exploring the thought that what you are about and doing today may look very different in their future, ie. the class clown may grow up to be an inspiring teacher, a young ballerina may grow up to do wonderful things with computer technology like encoding, designing programs for all sorts of life improvements, etc.   Very well told and chock full of inspiration for youngsters wondering what the future might bring and what part they will play in it.  I recommend this book for pre-schoolers on up.   Grandparents and teachers will enjoy it too and it may spark ideas for others to inspire our someday presidents.

Lincoln in the Bardo

Shirley J.                Adult Fiction             Abraham and Mary Lincoln and the loss of their son Willie

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders   200 pages (I did not complete the book)

I know this is a work of fiction but the grief and despair described was so intense and so incredibly sad I decided not to go further.   That is a testament to the writer's talent that he can convey such raw and abysmal agony of a tortured father's and mother's soul.    The story begins with the time just before Willie Lincoln's death at eleven in the White House.  It shows the utter love the parents feel for their children (Todd and Willie), it discusses the finite perfectionist's attention Mary gave to each and every detail when entertaining and the very public life they had to live even in the darkest of family moments.  It is a very well told tale of a father's heart being ripped from his very fiber to the point he goes to the boy's tomb to hold the tiny lifeless body once again, night after night, trying to hold onto his son as long as he possibly can.  It also tells the tale of displaced souls cooling their heels in a state of purgatory or as the Tibetans call it "the Bardo" which takes place in the cemetery where Willie's body is interred.   There are conversations between Willie's spirit and the other specters "haunting" the place.  The feeling is Abraham's misery and longing is what is holding Willie in that in-between place lest he move on to the "light."   Many other characters from all walks and times of life are there, decent folk and not so decent ones.   The conversations among them are witty and funny, but, it made me wish I could have somehow helped Mr. Lincoln who was in such dire need of comfort and relief from his burden of guilt over purchasing his beloved son a pony to which the boy wanted to be on the pony so long and so often that bad weather didn't phase him to the point he made himself ill from exposure only to die from his illness days later.    A sad story made even sadder in the telling.  I couldn't enjoy the comical dialogue for the pallor of misery in poor President Lincoln's devastation.   Easily the saddest book I have ever read though I suppose it tries not to be.  Since this is such a verbal foray into death and its effects I am reluctant to recommend it.

Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life

Shirley J.                Adult Non-Fiction                Biographical Look at the life of one of the stars of                                                 Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life by Jonathan Van Ness   272 pages

A deeply emotional story of highs and lows, love and activism.  Jonathan is a bubbly bundle of energy like a fiesta waiting to happen though he has his tragic moments (cat lover that he is he brought his beloved cats with him on a gig only to lose a dearly loved kitten when the air went out at his hotel and he opened a window to get some air not considering the curiosity of this little one who fell to his death.  A tragedy Jonathan still has not completely recovered from.   He talks about suffering abuse as a child, HIV as an active participant in sex with multiple partners for many years in his 20s, how he loves to do hair, how much he enjoys doing his podcast, his deep love of figure skating and the stars of figure skating and Olympic figure skating, he also talks about his latest adventure in doing stand-up comedy for a living.  His life is one exciting career after another even adding a floor routine at the start of his comedy set just to wake the audience up and let them be surprised!  He finds a great balance of yin and yang - negative and positive to share with his fans, his readers.   He does an excellent balancing of finding the funny in most everything but proves he has the chops to be serious and a strong voice for the causes he believes in.   A good read and insight into a celebrity that the reader will enjoy getting to know better.  I recommend this one to mature teens on up as some content might not be for younger folk.

Day Shift

 

Shirley J.              Adult Paranormal Fiction               Not all the good stuff happens at night in Midnight.

Dayshift by Charlaine Harris  (Book 2 of the Midnight, Texas series)  

People who actually live in Midnight, Texas tend to keep their personal business to themselves.  Not a lot of sharing feelings nor confiding in town.   Everyone seems to have secrets,  town psychic, Manfred Bernardo is in Dallas doing private one on one sessions reading Tarot, scrying the crystal ball and holding seances.  When he contacts the dead husband of one of his longtime best customers, she dies!    Small world that it is, he runs into Olivia Charity another Midnight resident who just happens to be conversing with what may be a swinger couple in the hotel restaurant.   Oddly enough that couple ends up dead shortly thereafter.   What are the chances these are just coincidence?   It takes a village or in this case a town to come together to find out the story and try to keep those two out of the slammer!  Nothing is ever easy in Midnight but it sure is always interesting.   I recommend this series to teens on up to seniors.   A very good read.   And what are those folks running the diner up to?   And that little boy with the Rev?  He's already grown out of 3 sets of clothes and shoes and it has only been 2 weeks! Good grief!  He'll have wrinkles soon at this rate!

Midnight Crossroad

 Shirley J.                   Adult Paranormal Fiction           A Small Texas Town of Otherworldly Inhabitants

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris (Book 1 of the Midnight, Texas series)   384 pages

A tiny town in Texas (3 1/2 hours from Killean) that has very few inhabitants but all of them have a quirk and that quirk is either paranormal or akin to paranormal.   The one kind of human townie has a special skill set that any hit man would be envious of.   There is a resident witch, a newly arrived psychic, a couple no one knows the scoop on yet that runs the diner, a vampire who can't glamour but he can suck blood or energy, a reverend that has a secret scary power, a couple of gay angels and more.   Welcome to Midnight, Texas.  An excellent story.  I fell under Charlaine Harris' spell with her Sookie Stackhouse series and now she has another great property here.   There are so far 3 books in the series and I am now up to the third book.  LOVE IT.  Paranormal fans, fans of the weird and wonderful, you will thoroughly enjoy this series.   I recommend this one to teens on up.

100 Things to Know About the Oceans

 Shirley J.            Youth Non-Fiction                 Facts about the oceans, sea life and maritime info.

100 Things to Know About the Oceans by Alex Frith, Minna Lacey, Alice James, Shaw Nielsen Dominique Byron, and Dale Edwin Murray   128 pages

Fascinating book that will really open your environmental eyes when you read there are more pieces of plastic in the ocean than there are stars in the galaxy!  It also talks about the floating islands of plastic debris floating in the oceans there are two maybe more.  One is 5x the size of France!  This debris traps sea life drowning them and there are over 5,000 plastic fish nets abandoned in the seas by fishermen that also trap and drown sea life.   There are subjects where the reader is asked questions about various topics and what the reader thinks the best answer would be when sometimes more than one answer could be correct and sometimes is.   There is survival on the ocean info here, background on sea creatures all the way down to single cell ones.   There is mysterious information shared on the vents in the ocean that produce toxic molten temps from underwater volcanoes and so much more.  This is a treasure trove of information and so interesting.  I recommend this to second graders on up to senior citizens especially to the environmentally conscious and those who love the ocean above and below.

The Moon Over High Street

The Moon Over High Street by Natalie Babbitt 148 pages

Please don’t hate me when I tell you I have never read “Tuck Everlasting.” When it was originally published in 1975, I was already a grown woman and never felt the need to read it.

I’m not sure how I wound up with a copy of Babbitt’s “The Moon Over the High Street.” This short novel is aimed at what I call middle-schoolers, grades 4-9. Its themes of family, friendship, rich versus poor and the working class still resonate with readers all these years later.

Twelve-year-old Joe Casimir has only known his grandmother as his family. His parents died in an accident when he was a baby, and the only other family is a cousin of Gran’s, Aunt Myra.

When Gran breaks her hip, she sends Joe to live with Aunt Myra in Midville, across the state. I didn’t envy his long bus trip. Anyone who has taken a long bus trip knows how awful it can be. Midville is a tiny town with clearly delineated lines of where its citizens reside based on class. Class is an important theme in this story.

Joe meets and becomes friends with the girl, Beatrice Sope, who lives across the street. Through Beatrice, Joe meets the town’s millionaire, Mr. Boulderwall. Boulderwall takes a shine to Joe and offers to adopt him. He wants Joe to be his protégé. Joe is forced to decide whether to live a life of wealth and abandon Gran and Aunt Myra or stay with his family and chase his dreams.

There aren’t a lot of characters in this book, but the supporting characters provide Joe with the skills necessary to make this crucial decision.

I thought the book was a quick read with surprising depth. However, it does tend to meander a bit. That’s why “The Moon Over High Street” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Utter Catastrophe

The Utter Catastrophe by Sandra Hutchison (Book 3 in the Lawson Trilogy) 400 pages

Hutchison has done it again; she has written a book that sweeps the reader into its fictional world!

In the third and final book (much to my dismay) of the Lawson Trilogy, the topics are much, much heavier—the opioid crisis, drug addiction and recovery—yet it is tempered by a romance.

It’s the summer of 2016. Winslow Jennings is now Lawson’s Chief of Police. He and the other chiefs in the nearby small towns are overwhelmed with drug-related deaths. Winslow doesn’t realize it, but the crisis is about to hit home.

Everyone in Lawson has noted that Winslow’s cousin, Dave Cantwell, and Dave’s wife, Peggy, have been acting strange. They seldom leave the house anymore, don’t interact with their old friends or their extended family. It’s been a bad year for them with Dave hurting his back at work. But they still manage to make it work. Or so they thought.

The Cantwell’s have three children: Megan, Mike and Zach. Megan, twenty-one and just home from college, has noticed that her parents were acting stranger than usual, but she shrugged it off as to her being away. When they overdose in a nearby town after making a buy, it is up to Megan to become the adult. Mike is in Afghanistan and Zach is a middle-schooler.

As Megan tries to sort out her parents’ financial affairs and save their farm, there is another problem looming on the horizon. Seems her first, and only so far, love, Noah, is back in Lawson. He has recently been discharged from a rehab center and is home to bury his wife and raise his daughter. But can Noah say clean? Megan still has feelings for him, but it would not be smart to get involved with a drug addict.

At times, “The Utter Catastrophe” was a tough book to read, but Hutchison managed it with compassion. I really liked that Hutchison focused on those left behind to clean up the mess(es) and muddle their way through life instead on the addicts themselves, and how they could not get off that road.

I also like that Winslow and Mary did not take center stage in this chapter, but they were strong supporting characters. The Somali refugee family (whose names I can no longer recall) are also supporting characters who help to frame the story of a small town in big trouble,

“The Utter Catastrophe” is another 5-star read in Julie’s world!

 

The Poet's House

The Poet’s House by Jean Thompson 320 pages

Author Jean Thompson is new to me. I really enjoyed her writing, and in reading about her and this book in various book newsletters and magazines, it sounds as though I am missing something by not reading her work.

While poetry is at the heart of this novel, this book is not about poetry. Art, yes. Poetry. No. There is also a mystery in the story that mostly stays in the background until near the conclusion.

Twenty-one-year-old Carla is a landscape artist. She has no plans; nothing seems to excite her, except hard work. A community college dropout, Carla feels stupid and unteachable. Unfortunately, she is suffering from un-diagnosed form of dyslexia; she doesn’t process the written word as others do. 

Carla likes her job. It makes sense to her. However, she life is drastically changed when she hears one of her clients, Viridian, reading her poetry aloud. She gets it!

Like Viridian’s friends and colleagues, Carla is drawn to the seventy-ish Viridian. She just wants to be around her, and Viridian notices her. For the first time in her life, Carla feels noticed. She begins to find excuses to go to Viridian’s where she meets all kinds of interesting and quirky people.

And if art is the heart of this novel, the mystery of a lost collection of poetry is its pulse. Viridian’s past lover---the great poet, Mathias---supposedly burned his last poetry collection. But no one seems to believe that he would do such a thing. Most people believe that Viridian has hidden it. But no one can claim to have ever seen it or where it could possibly be. And most don’t understand why Viridian doesn’t haul it out and put it on the auction block, since she is struggling financially. And as her physical health declines, what will become of the lost masterpiece?  Only readers of the book will know.

I enjoyed reading “The Poet’s House,” and it receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Steal

The Steal (Book 1in To Catch a Leopard series) by C. W. Gortner and M. J. Rose 135 pages 

I was drawn to this novella because of the cover. The woman reminded me of Grace Kelly and Cary Grant when they made the movie “To Catch a Thief.” However, the movie is not based on this book as it was published in 2021.

When readers first arrive in Cannes for the 1957 film festival, they see the area through Jerome Curtis’ eyes. But he hasn’t come to enjoy the scenery, gawk at the film stars, play in the casinos or to watch the new movies. Instead, Jerome is there to investigate a jewel robbery. A robbery that, if he cannot solve, will cost the company he works for millions of dollars. He is confident that he can solve the case.

The jewels have been stolen right under the nose of their owner, Ania Thorne. Her father is the world-famous jeweler, Virgil Thorne. Ania has studied under him since she was child, and at 29 has also designed iconic pieces and is ready to take over the company’s majority.

Jerome is not the suave, elegant Cary Grant figure; he is more of a Colombo. Immediately he suspects a notorious jewel thief whose moniker is The Leopard because he always leaves a leopard print glove behind. Naturally, there is no such glove at this crime scene, which happens to be the fabled Carlton Hotel.

Jerome and Ania work every lead and every suspension that comes their way, whether it be in Cannes, Paris or New York. Their arrival in New York unearths startling evidence and gets them close to the thief.

Of course, I cannot forget the attraction that leaps between the Ania and Jerome. It’s fun to watch them steer around each other, trying to maintain their professionalism.

I’m looking forward to reading Book 2, “The Bait.” “The Steal" receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.  “The Steal” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

Grant’s Last Battle: The Story Behind the Personal Memoir of Ulysses S. Grant

 Grant’s Last Battle: The Story Behind the Personal Memoir of Ulysses S. Grant by Chris Mackowski, PhD 192 pages

One of the books on my bucket list is “The Complete Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.” I have put it off because the two-volume set is intimidating, especially to a reader who enjoys historical fiction than total history.

When I saw this small book on the shelf at the library, I thought I would try it. I’m glad I did. The reader/writer in me loved the first sentence: “Frederick Ward was a sociopath, but no one knew it at the time.” Doesn’t that make you want to read more? I was certainly hooked.

Most of us know Grant as the Union general who defeated General Robert E. Lee in the Civil War and who went on to become a tow-termed United States President. Two terms. But Grant had a full life off the battlefield and after his presidency. Author Mackowski does an excellent job in summing up the before the war made Grant a household name without getting in the way of this extremely personal story.

This succinct history takes place between May 4, 1884, and mid-July 1885. It is the story of Grant’s financial ruin, his tortured battle with throat cancer (from twenty cigars a day) and a drive, plus the urging of Samuel Clemens, which made him complete his memoirs before his illness killed him.

In the compulsively readable book, readers get to go behind the scenes in the life of a public man to learn about what drove him in this last stretch. And what drove him was Clemens’ assurance that the sales of his memoirs would provide financial security for his family. The memoirs were an instant hit when they were released in 1885 and remain one of the few books that has never gone out of print.

Mackowski has authored a book that is “Filled with personal intrigues and supported by a cast of colorful characters that included Mark Twain, William Vanderbilt, and P. T. Barnum, ‘Grant’s Last Battle’ recounts a deeply personal story as dramatic for Grant as any of his battlefield exploits.”

When I finished reading, I closed the book with a greater sense of respect and admiration for the “Hero of Appomattox.” 

“Grant’s Last Battle” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world

Li Chi

Li Chi: Book of Rites, translated by James Legge, 949 pages (2 vols)

The Li Chi (pinyin Liji) is a collection of Confucian texts compiled in the Han dynasty dealing with matters of classical Chinese ceremonial.  Much of it concerns the minutiae of proper observance, including difficult questions when unusual circumstances impose conflicting obligations.  Other texts consider the nature and value of ceremony against those who would reject it as mere outward show, maintaining that ritual is essential to the proper ordering of emotion, evoking the proper feelings in those who lack them and restraining the passions of those who cannot control themselves.

The Li Chi is one of the "Five Classics" of Confucian philosophy.  As such, it has been studied, interpreted, glossed, and debated by legions of scholars for thousands of years.  Legge attempts to condense some of this conversation into the footnotes, along with notes on difficult translations and the claims of textual critics, and he succeeds in doing so without burying the text in the commentary.  Most readers will find it to be primarily of antiquarian interest, which is hardly surprising given that the motives of the authors and compilers was itself antiquarian, a search into the past, not due to idle curiosity or academic ambition, but out of a love of wisdom and a deep need for models to be imitated.  

SLPL August 2022 Team Totals

 

In August, 3 people read 24 books for a total of 8427 pages.  Shirley had the most with 20 books and 7228 pages.   Congrats to Shirley for finishing Infinite Jest!

Live Love Lead: Your Best Is Yet To Come!

 Shirley J.        Adult Non-Fiction Memoir            The Beginnings of HillSong Church/Music Memoir

Live Love Lead: Your Best Is Yet to Come! by Brian Houston    272 pages

Brian Houston was raised up in the HillSong Church his Dad established in the HillSong area of New Zealand.  They later moved to Australia and established another HillSong Church there.    Brian describes his life growing up, his father's ministry, living in New Zealand and Australia, meeting his wife (they both grew up in the church, Brian's ministry and outreach and the development of their musical ministry known around Australia as the HillSong sound then later HillSong as it is known world-wide today.   Brian talks about establishing HillSong churches around the world, visits and ministering at each, how during his first sermon in a high school gymnasium he was losing his way in his sermon he was so nervous, he saw a man looking down at his phone knowing he was losing his congregation's attention he thought what can I do?  Then he saw a rope hanging down from the ceiling that the kids would climb, he ran over, grabbed it and swung out in the audience and started preaching like his spirit was on fire.  He woke that crowd up as he swung up to the guy looking at his phone.  That man brought in over 30 converts telling them all about his preacher who swung out in the audience on a rope!  In faith Brian divulges some deeply personal family information that was a catastrophic tragedy to his family and the church family but he goes on to say how God got him and all of them through it though it was devastating and still humiliating to this day, but his faith is strong and God has gotten them all through it to show bad things don't just happen to the other guy it happens to every one.  A tale of faith and love, offering guidance, uplifting advice, sharing how to live according to Bible principles, sharing the word of God, proclaiming the miracles of the Bible and God's never ending love for His children who are called by His name, who will become leaders of men when adhering to a Biblically principled life.     I recommend this book to teenagers on up.     

Vassa In the Night

 

Shirley J.             Young Adult Fiction                                 Witchcraft, Enchanted Beings, Brooklyn

Vassa In The Night by Sarah Porter   304 pages

I kept picturing Mayim Bialik as the main character (Amy Farafalla-Big Bang Theory; Blossom) in this modern fairytale.  I think it was the dialogue, fast and witty not Gilmore Girl fast, but, quick and funny.  Vassa's Mom was a well to do (should I say rich?) artistic witch, whose best friend, also a witch, created a special doll for Vassa named Erg who just happens to talk and talk tough.  She sounds like a moll from a 40s gangster movie, she has an insatiable appetite for food, she is fierce and loyal holding an all encompassing love and protective streak for Vassa.   Now after Vassa's parents split up and later her Mom passes away Vassa ends up in Brooklyn and that is where the story takes place.   There are 2 step-sisters, an enchanted store that moves and walks, a store proprietress who kills shoplifters and occasionally shoppers, there are furry lawyers and a mysterious possibly alien motorcycle rider who is mostly silent and fades into the night.   In the beginning of the book I thought, If Lewis Carroll and Timothy Leary co-authored a story this would be it.  It has elements of Alice in Wonderland, and acid trip and the Twilight Zone all wrapped in one telling.   After the initial WTFudge...?  I loved it by the end.   Maybe thinking of Mayim Bialik was what did it.  While the book is said to be geared to the YA crowd, Vassa cusses from time to time, which is not unknown to that age group but gave me pause to think perhaps this is meant for an older reading crowd.   I guess I will stick with the YA recommendation but get ready kiddies for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!  I think after the initial shock wears off all ages will enjoy this one.  

Livin' the Dream: How Dreams in the Night Can Lead to a Set-Apart Life

 Shirley J.             Adult Non-Fiction                        Dreaming with Intention to Focus on Messages    

Livin' the DREAM: How Dreams in the Night Can Lead to a Set Apart Life by Melissa Jacobs  132 pgs.

The author, Melissa Jacob lives in St. Louis and she and her husband started the pro-life advocacy group,  BOUND4LIFE.   She is a Christian, a mother of 7 children - 6 biological, 1 adopted,  she also is very active in promoting adoption, she homeschools her children, she is an author, a blogger and a dreamer.  She is such a dreamer in fact that she recommends every one pay attention to their dreams because God often communicates to us through our dreams and if we focus on the things we would like to know or problems we would like direction and answers to that we can dream with intention and receive the answers we seek.   She cites scripture verses from the Bible where God has given warnings (ie. to Joseph to go to Egypt immediately because Herod was killing male children birth through age 2 to try to wipe out the perceived threat to his throne), prophesy of what was to come (when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary telling her of the Savior's birth), direction (Joshua after Moses died was told to lead the children of Israel to the promised land) many more examples she also talks about her own dream to adopt a daughter that came true.   She said in her dreams about her daughter she would see her clearly and knew her when she saw her.   She formed a dream group with other like minded people from her congregation who discuss their dreams with each other in group to help decipher their meanings and symbiology.    Many times another person from the groups sees meaning the dreamer may have missed.   Thought provoking to dream with intention.   I recommend this one to mature teens on up due to discussion on abortion.  

The Game Never Ends

 

Shirley J.         Adult Fiction            Mega Wealth,  New Identities,  Drug Lord Takeovers

The Game Never Ends (Book 2 in The Game Series) by Zaire Crown     288 pages

Tuesday Knight (introduced in Book 1) was a stripper/entrepreneur who rose up in the club to be given the reins to run the elite (key club) gentlemen's club.    She ends up becoming wife and business partner to Marcus King, owner of the club.  She wanted for nothing.  Marcus had a daughter and together he and Tuesday have another daughter.   When things go foul, she and Marcus have to run for their lives with the girls but when Marcus is killed, Tuesday finds out everything is in her name and it is up to her to protect their daughters and survive.  The past never stays in the past long in this fast life style and soon her cover and new life is blown.   As she careens trying to hang on to what she can to go forward, her husband's daughter is kidnapped!  The game really never ends once you start playing you can't stop.  But Tuesday wants her family back, her life back and a woman pushed to the edge is a force of nature to be dealt with.  Good book.  I recommend this one to adults on up.