Xepherus Reads

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,     My  eBay Store  is on sale!  Shop  Comic-Con exclusives  and  Dollar Bins at $1, $2, and $3 . Special BOGO deal this week on $1-$3 comics!  Also CDs, Blu-rays, Toys, and more! Head to my store and see what treasures you can purchase for low prices.    All proceeds go to publishing my  debut novel .       Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.     If you wish to donate to my publishing fund at Venmo. All donations are appreciated.         Also please follow me on my  social media platforms  and enjoy shopping with me at eBay and Mercari.      SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS AT LINKTREE     Because there is always time to read,   Xepherus3   All written content (c) Copyright 2023 by Thomas Bahr II Top logo designed by Xepherus Studios  

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,    When I read a book, I skip trigger warnings and reviews to give me an unbiased and fresh entry into the book. I find that knowing very little about a book adds to the enjoyment. With that being said, here are five reads that handled difficult subjects.  Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian - this historical fiction masterpiece documents the struggles of one family during the Armenian Genocide of the early twentieth century. Its subject matter is often heartbreaking, while the determination of the lead protagonist,  Lucine, is heartwarming and inspiring. This book touches upon genocide, sexual assault, prejudice, and famine with dignity and a fluid narrative.  Doctor Sleep by Stephen King -  this is the second book in the Shining series re-introducing us to Danny Torrence. Now an adult, he is hitting rock bottom as an alcoholic, and dealing with the trauma from his abusive father trying to kill him. This...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,    Hideout is the third Alice Vega thriller written by Louisa Luna and is published by Doubleday Books, a part of Penguin Random House. In it, we are introduced to UC Berkeley student-athlete, Zeb Williams. In 1981, Williams bolted from the football field and kept running, never to be seen again. For decades, people have wondered what could have possessed the student to simply give up everything and disappear. Wealthy client, Anton Fohl is one of those people. He hires Alice Vega to find Williams and end the mystery of his vanishing act. Vega takes on the challenge, wanting to include on-again-off-again partner, Max Caplan. But their relationship is strained lately and they rarely speak. But with a bit of intervention by Cap's daughter, the two reunite with a layer of tension between them.   Max agrees to help Alice with the Williams case in part since he has his own cases. The two separate and begin to investigate. But wh...

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,     Having a budget does not always have to be a problem. You can still read on a budget thanks to free books, libraries, and sales. This series continues to introduce to you some of my favorite suspense writers that I read for little or no dollars. Lisa Gardner-  This popular crime thriller writer has a habit of creating some of the most terrifying villains. In  Say Goodbye  we are introduced to Mr. Dinchara, a crazed murderer and child predator with a love of spiders. His gruesome visage consists of two rows of spider eyes tattooed on his head. He is relentless and hangs his victims cocooned from trees. In  Find Her , Gardner brings serial killer Jacob Ness to life. A brutal mass murderer with a twisted view of humanity. After kidnapping young Flora Dane for over four hundred days and keeping her in and out of a coffin, he is finally defeated. But the nightmare never ends for Flora, as she and Detective D.D....

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,     Reading a story to a child can be one of the best things that an adult can do. To see their happiness as you make their favorite story come to life is a joy to see. And when you are that child that is being read to you tend to hold onto those memories. And when you are an adult facing adult things, it is sometimes wise to shed your grown-up self and just be a kid again.         Beezus and Ramona is written by Beverly Cleary and is published by Harper Collins.  This children's classic was first published in 1955, spawning a series of equally hilarious sequels. It tells the story of 9-year-old Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby, and her daily struggles looking after her mischievous four-year-old sister, Ramona. First appearing in 1952's Henry and Beezus, Beatrice Quimby was introduced as Henry Huggins' neighbor. Her story was so well received that she went on to star in many more of Cleary's books. ...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,        A Steep Price is Robert Dugoni's sixth novel featuring Tracy Crosswhite. It is published by Thomas & Mercer Publishers, an Amazon imprint. In this tense and shock-filled novel, Tracy Crosswhite is currently testifying at a murder trial and has been away from her team of detectives. Her partners Del Castigliano and Vic Fazzio are working on a case involving the murder of an activist that may be tied to the son of a criminal Fazzio put away a decade before. Meanwhile, the hiring of a new female detective sets Tracy even more on edge. The new detective, Andrea Gonzalez, is sitting at Tracy's desk and using her computer while Crosswhite is at trial. Tracy thinks that it would greatly please Tracy's boss, Johnny Nolasco, to finally have her out of his department and replace her permanently.    Detective Katie...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,           Malorie is the sequel to Josh Malerman's 2014 runaway hit, Bird Box . It is published by Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House. It is twelve years after the events of the first novel and the world has adapted to a sightless existence among the creatures that have stolen the world's sanity. Malorie and her now teenage children are living in Camp Yadin, an abandoned Summer campground. But seventeen years of hiding and survival have made teens Tom and Olympia resentful and complacent. Tom is tired of being cautious and wants to see the world. Olympia is living by the blindfold, never straying too far away from her mother's orders. They are as happy as they can be and safe. Malorie has worked hard to make their unconventional childhood as normal as she can.    Then a stranger arrives at Camp Yadin. He claims to be a Census taker that has gathered up many stories from all over the countr...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       Crash and Burn is the third novel in Lisa Gardner's popular Tessa Leoni series. It is published by Signet, an imprint of Penguin Random House. O ne night, Nicky Frank is found on a New Hampshire road, bloody and injured. She calls out for what appears to be a little girl that was in the car that she had crashed. Wyatt Foster begins to investigate the woman's accident, which grows increasingly suspicious.   In Boston Tessa Leoni meets with Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren, who is dealing with her fall from the book  Fear Nothing . D.D. has news that shatters their lunch date. The gun that Tessa had used to silence the hitman responsible for the death of her husband and the kidnapping of her daughter  has been recovered from the bottom of a stream . D.D. has suspicions about Tessa's involvement but has never pursued the case. Now Tessa is unsure whether she will ever escape the events of three years a...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,    Here it is, a rainy day. The dank and darkness have stripped you of motivation. All you wish to do is stay in bed and snuggle under the covers. What kind of books do you choose for rainy day reading? Here are my choices.  Graphic Novels-  these volumes either present new stories or collect single-issue comics to form one cohesive story. I like these on rainy days for the artwork, colors, and visual narrative. Series Books-  I like to pick up a book in a series I have already read. They contain familiar characters that are easy to visit again. This makes the reads faster, and the rainy day forgotten. Genre Reads-  for this, I usually choose Star Wars novels accompanied by their audiobooks. It is an immersive experience that utilizes some of the industry's best authors and voice actors. It is like hearing a movie, which makes the gloom go away. Magazines-  you can go right with a magazine on a rainy da...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,        The Janes is the second Alice Vega novel by Louisa Luna. It is published by Doubleday, a Penguin Random House imprint. In this latest adventure, Luna reunites Alice Vega and her partner, Max Caplan. Together they are called into a West Coast case involving the unidentified bodies of two young girls. With Max's help and that of a local detective, Alice begins to unravel the details of the Janes' identities.   Halfway through the case, they are told that they are no longer needed. Red flags go up for Alice as a seemingly by-the-book commander begins to act strangely. Vega and Caplan ignore their cease and desist and covertly continue to look for the location of the remaining trafficked girls. This leads them into danger and a set-up that will have dire consequences if those responsible get their way. The Janes have sisters and Vega will not rest until they are safely released and the guilty are brought to ju...