DREAMLAND.....PREPARE FOR A DOUBLE SHOT OF SPARKS-IAN HEARTWRINGING.....(*****)

 Dreamland By Nicholas Sparks (2022)   (*****)

           If, like me, you count the days, awaiting the release of the next Nicholas Sparks book, then you'll really want to dive into this one......since it offers a kind of 2-for-1 Sparks-ian double feature. 

           In alternating chunks, two separate Nicholas Sparks novels seem to unfold here......but both of them, each very different from each other, will bring up instant memories of  some of the author's previous. best loved work. 

            In a Florida beach resort, there's an inevitable, sweetly tender love story between two people whose backgrounds and futures appear predestined to send them on different paths, no matter how deep their passion for each other.  Colby's a hardworking North Carolina farmer and aspiring singer-songwriter who's vacationing during the day and  at night, playing his music to appreciative crowds at a local beach bar. From out of his audience he meets and falls hard for  Morgan, fresh out of music college and a truly gifted singer songwriter herself..  Morgan holds big dreams of Nashville stardom, while Colby shoulders heavy obligations to both the farm and the aunt and sister who raised him.  (Need I say more?)

            And then, in other chapters, 'Dreamland'  delves into a suspenseful thriller about Beverly, a battered wife who's gone on the run with her young son in a desperate escape from her abusive husband. Living in dread and ever increasing paranoid terror, Beverly's sure it's only a matter of time before her free-with-his-fists husband hunts her down, since he's part the Federal law enforcement community - with access to security cameras everywhere.

            While reading these two parallel plots, you can't begin to imagine what they're doing in the same book. what they possibly could have in common, and how in the world they're going to intersect..

            And that's the last I'd dare say about it, except  that everything you'd expect and want in a Nicholas Sparks novel is checked off here - the couple to root for, their romance to ache for,  the woman and child to fear for and all the heart wrenching emotions involved in both storylines...All of which made "Dreamland" a definite 5 star read for me.

AMERICA......A GENERATION COMES OF AGE IN TURBULENCE OF THE 60'S....(****)

 America by Mike Bond (2021)

                This is one book I couldn't wait to dive into since I personally lived through the era it covers, as a child of the 50's and as an adolescent and young adult of the tumultuous 1960's. 

             What I didn't realize was that the book is only only the first of a sprawling, multiple book saga.  The timeframe I really wanted to read about - the upheavals of JFK's assassination, the Vietnam war and the youth revolution. really doesn't commence until the last few chapters of this first book.

               The story primarily begins at the beginning, with the childhoods of the four major characters, Mick, Troy, Lara and Daisy, all of them growing up in a rural, farmland area of New Jersey. 

                 Having to plow through the Huckleberry Finn-Tom Sawyer life of the two boys certainly wasn't what I signed on to read, but Mike Bond is one hell of a writers. He made these characters and their world come to life and I found myself completely engaged with all of the coming-of-age chapters. 

                 Later on, as the these four people move through their teen years, the story picks up real steam and becomes even more compelling, with the author seamlessly working in all the issues and events that defined and separated the confident America of the 1950's from the America whose very foundations were shaken at 60's progressed. 

                  It's an ambitiously conceived saga and when the last chapter ended, I found myself hooked......there's no question that I'm eager to read the next book in the series.  And for anyone afraid to take on an epic like this, I can only say that I found Mike Bond's writing swift, accessible and filled with knowing observations and viewpoints on those monumental times.  Overall, a great read. 4 stars (****)

AN AFFAIR OF SPIES.......SPIES VS. NAZIS RACING FOR THE A-BOMB...(YOU HAD ME AT HELLO) (*****)

 An Affair Of Spies by Ronald H. Balson (2022)

What can I say? Thrilled, and blown away by this one.

            This book hit multiple bullseyes for me personally. I've always been obsessed and fascinated by  that particular episode of history that deals with the formulation and creation of the atomic bomb and all the participants involved,......I've pounced on and devoured every book and film on the subject, both fiction and non-fiction.

             And there's nothing I enjoy more than a behind-enemy-lines, suspense filled World War 2 spy thriller.  Any novel that involves courageous, daring spies going into the heart of occupied Europe to thwart the Nazis becomes an automatic 'must read' for me. 

            "An Affair Of Spies" combines both those things together -  American's desperate race to achieve an atomic bomb before Hitler''s Germany and a breathless, impossibly dangerous mission to to find out how far along the Nazis nuclear program has progressed, as well as help a German scientist escape to work on the Manhattan Project. 

            Nathan Silverman, a German refugee, whose parents arranged his own escape to the U.S. as a child is now a trained U.S. army soldier, preparing' for the eventual European invasion. But Silverman, the son of a brilliant physicist still trapped in Berlin with the rest of his family, is selected for a mission by no less than Gen. Leslie Groves, who's overseeing the race for an atomic bomb. 

            Silverman's 'mission impossible -  penetrate occupied Europe, bring the defecting scientist back to the U..S., discover the current status of the Nazis atomic efforts and learn the fate of his father, mother and sister.

             (I think the only thing missing from this mission was asking Nathan to cure cancer along the way....)

             Since Silverman has little or no knowledge of nuclear physics, he's accompanied by Dr. Allison Fisher, a young scientist who's been working within the Manhattan project and will know what vital data to collect and bring back with them.......if they can avoid relentless Gestapo agents who excel at hunting down and torturing spies.

           I wouldn't dare spoil all of the non-stop excruciating suspenseful episodes that follow  Nathan and Allison as they plunge into the lion's den of Berlin. Of course, nothing goes as planned and the surprises and sudden reversals-of-fortune thrown into their path really dial up the anxiety. As if there already wasn't enough nail-biting scenes packed into the book  this dynamic duo's attempts to pull off an outrageous plan to gather the top secrets they've been tasked with stealing had me squirming in fear for them.  

            Unquestionably a stay-up-all-night thriller for me, one of the best 5 star page-turners for all suspense thriller fans.  (*****)

THE GIRL IN CELL 49B......A YOUNG VICTIM VS. THE FORCES ARRAYED AGAINST HER...(*****)

The Girl In Cell 49B by Dorian Box (2021)

               This may be the first book in a long time that I devoured in one sitting. What a heroine, what a story......and a narrative that had me turning the pages at warp speed.  Yes, I lost hours of sleep to finish this one.

           The force-of=nature teen girl Emily Calby is almost like a young superhero with an array of powerful forces arrayed against her.  At twelve years old she survived a horrific home invasion that ended in the slaughter of of her mother and little sister. And now at 16, after a life on the run, she finds herself incarcerated for her self defense killing of a pedophile rapist who picked her up hitch-hiking.

              The odds against her are vast........first she has to somehow survive all the dangers of juvenile prison, the brutality of both the guards and her fellow inmates. As if that isn't enough, with the help of an ailing public defender, and the prison's law library, she's got to prepare a trial defense. And she's up against a hateful, ruthless prosecutor who's not above legal misconduct to ensure Emily's convicted for first degree murder.

                This book is a total thrill ride from the first page to the last. All the twists and turns of the story kept me glued to the book for hours on end and the final pages are particularly suspenseful, heartfelt and hugely satisfying.  No question at all about the rating here - it's a five star read all the way.  (*****) Until this book crossed my path, I was unaware  that is was the second part of Emily's story (but "Girl In Cell 49B works as a stand-alone)  

              Having finished this book, I instantly bought a copy of the first book "The Hiding Girl", which I can't wait to dive into......I think that says it all!   (And check out The Sandy Quill's  4/18/22 review of the 3rd book in the series. also a 5 star winner, "Target: The Girl",

ERNIE: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY.......A MOVIE ICON TOURS HIS FILMS (****)

 Ernie: The Autobiography by Ernest Borgnine (2008)    Here's the guidelines I've always followed before picking up a biography or autobiography of an actor. Any actor.

         *  Only if it's about an actor I've always loved, admired or always been intrigued, interested or weirdly obsessed by. (Right away, this rule eliminates thousands of actor biographies currently on bookstore and library shelves)

         *  If I do decide to read an actor's bio, there's a 90 per cent chance I'm going to skip all the opening chapters about their childhood and adolescence.  I want to get right to the good stuff.....the inside scoop and dirt and behind the scenes reveals about their careers. To hell with their tortured childhoods. Who cares.....things are tough all over.

             (For those who think that last paragraph was a bit on the cruel side, understand this. As a writer of musicals for children's theater companies, I worked closely with actors for over a decade. By the very nature of their profession, it's almost a given they're self absorbed and driven by pure ego.......this leads them to believe that every moment of their lives constitute dramatic keepers worthy of sharing with the world.......uh....nope.)

             The only actor whose biographical childhood chapters I bothered to read was Tony Curtis......only because, if you're inclined to believe him, he enjoyed vast amounts of sexual encounters from the very moment he hit puberty.......

              But on to Ernest Borgnine, one of the busiest, most prolific and memorable character actors who ever worked in major films.  I did skim through a few of his childhood chapters, and I get the feeling, from how quickly they went, do did Ernie. 

             Here's what I loved.......early on, he announces the book will now launch into what we readers came for......a film by film breakdown of his memories and impressions of every movie  and TV show he worked on.......the classics, the junk, his encounters with fellow icons.... the good, bad and ugly.

           Everything you'd hope to read about is in here......his groundbreaking role as vile Fatso Judson in "From Here To Eternity", his academy award winning performance in "Marty" and his experiences in working with directors like Robert Aldrich and the wildly rambunctious Sam Peckinpah.

          The actor's style here stays gracious and congenial, even as he briefly mentions his five marriages, including his doomed-from-the-start, famously ridiculed 5 month union with the braying Broadway diva Ethel Merman. No doubt he possessed a hot temper, but you'll detect little or none of it this book. 

          If, like me, you've enjoyed a lifetime of watching Borgnine in the movies, then you should find "Enrie" quite an entertaining read. He knows what everyone wants in an actor's biography and he cheerfully delivers it all. 4 stars (****) 

THE IT GIRL.....A SLOW JOURNEY TO WHODUNIT....(**)

The It Girl by Ruth Ware (2022)     It's a tribute to Ruth Ware's loyal fan readership that this book managed to park itself on the New York Times bestseller list.

             True enough, her solutions and revelations about the book's murder are Agatha Christie-worthy.......I've no doubt Dame Agatha would approve.

             Getting there is the problem. 85 per cent of "The It Girl" is a tiresome back-and-forth slog through past and present timelines. 

             A familiar set up.....5 first year Oxford university students, Hannah, April, Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily.....golden girl, wild child, bitch goddess April ends up murdered.  The surviving friends (including our main gal here Hannah) all have solid alibis.....more or less. 

              The most likely suspect: Neville, a creepy, vaguely threatening porter takes the fall for the crime, since he's the only one Hannah saw come out of the dorm just before April took the enforced dirt nap. 

              Years later, still proclaiming his innocence, Neville dies in prison. Now married to Will, Hannah's traumatized by a journalist who presents her with new theories that Neville was indeed falsely convicted. Despite Will's anger and anguish, a pregnant Hannah throws herself into her own amateur investigation.....leading to.....ha ha, not on this blog......

               When Ware finally drags the story across the finish line, it's a clever stunner alright, but along the way she commits the most heinous, cardinal sin that mystery-thriller writers can inflict on a reader.

              Pages and pages and pages on Hannah's internal musings, suspicions, fears about who did it, who didn't do it, who might have done it, whose alibi's still tight,  whose alibi's wobbly......on and on and on....blah, blah, blah, blah.

              Authors who perpetrate this crime, who fall down the internal thoughts rabbit hole and hardly come up for air, should realize the risk involved.

              The risk that we readers will give up staying pinned to the pages and just start skimming through all that repetitive blather so we can get to the good stuff.  You know.....who killed who, who did what....and why. 

             The Ruth Ware faithful must be lovin' it, though. 

              I didn't all that much. 2 stars (**).

             

'FALLING'....YOUR STOMACH MIGHT SHIFT IN FLIGHT....(*****)

 Falling by T. J. Newman (2021)

I'm exhausted as I write this......from gobbling the book up in one sitting which stretched into the way too early hours of the morning. "Falling" reminded me of every single Bruce Willis-Harrison Ford-Arnold Schwarzenegger-Sylvester Stallone high octane, non-stop action thriller that ruled the 1990's.

             You will definitely want to tighten up your seat belts and make sure your tray's in the upright position for this one.......and make sure to pay attention to the flight attendant's little safety procedure demonstration too.

               The premise here is damn near irresistible,  The pilot of a fully packed jet passenger plane in mid-flight finds himself offered a horrific choice by a terrorist who's taken his wife and children hostage at their home -either deliberately crash the plane or his whole family dies at the terrorist's hands. 

                 While the family-in-peril suspense heats up on the ground level, on the plane an unlikely trio of Scooby-gang flight attendants desperately try to save the plane and defend its passengers.... one of whom may well be an on board terrorist accomplice. 

                 I would not dare spoil 'the onslaught of shocking twists, surprises and reversals of fortune that spill out as this wild tale races to its conclusion.  This book had me tearing through the pages so fast, it probably generated a breeze.  If I wasn't afraid of smearing up the Kindle, I would've read this while munching through one of those giant movie theater tubs of buttered popcorn, the kind you need to take out a second mortgage on to buy. (I'll just have to wait for the film version to indulge in that particular pleasure....)

              To say it more simply, "Falling" is unquestionably a 5 star theme-park, upside-down rollercoaster thrill ride that you do not want to miss.  I can't even remember when I had this much pure, unadulterated fun from a reading experience. and I'd easily hand out 10 stars if allowed.   I can only wonder about T.J. Newman, the former bookseller and flight attendant who  wrote it.......what in the hell can she do for an encore after this?   I can hardly wait.  5 stars (*****)