Hunt for the Enemy

Hunt for the Enemy is Rob Sinclair's third and final installation in his Enemy series. This was a great, fast-paced adventure filled with plenty of action. Carl Logan returns in this book for more thrills and teams up with a familiar face from earlier on in the series.

I really liked that this book jumps from past to present because I got to learn more about Logan's past and how he got to the point he is at in the book. These switches were very informative and not at all distracting to the flow of the book.

It starts off with a flashback to Carl Logan in Morocco, working for his firm Joint Intelligence Agency as he is framed for murder before it jumps to present day Russia. These first few pages are action packed and really set the tone for a great thriller spy novel that kept me on edge the entire way through to the amazing ending. This book showcases Sinclair's talents at thrill writing as he keeps the plot complex while still interesting and easy to follow. I highly recommend this book to any thriller novel fan.  

13 Anticipated Books for 2016

One of the best things about a new year is making a list of all the books I want to read. There are so many to look forward to in 2016 and so many from previous years that I still haven't gotten around to reading. Here are the first books on my list for this coming year!

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

A story spanning four generations of the Whitshank family, all living in the same Baltimore house in different decades.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

This is the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, set two decades after the original story and revisiting many of the same iconic characters we came to love in Lee's first novel.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

This is a psychological thriller about a family that gets torn apart after a horrific tragedy. 

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson

Set in the 1960s, this is the story of Kitty Miller and her very realistic dreams that start to blur with actual reality as she struggles to keep the two from blurring together.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

This is the story of Finch and Violet and how they learn to live their lives by balancing off one another.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a super fan of Simon Snow and spends hours and hours following his every move in fandom forums and dressing up like the characters for movie premieres. When she goes away to college, she must learn how to live on her own and not depend entirely on her fan world.

Inferno by Dan Brown

This is the fourth installment in the Robert Langdon series. These books are filled with Italian art, history and science and always have a fantastic mystery.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

A historical fiction novel set in 1945 during World War II, this novel follows thousands of refugees on their journey to freedom.

A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain

Kendra Donovan is an FBI agent. While on the trail of the person who murdered half her team, she finds that she has stumbled into the year 1815. Forced to adapt to the time period and try and figure out how to get home, events soon lead Kendra to think that maybe her new residence in this time period is not a coincidence.  

A World Without You by Beth Revis

Seventeen-year-old Bo goes off to an academy for people with special powers when he realizes he has the ability to travel through time. There he falls in love with Sophia, a girl who may need more help than Bo can offer.

The Lost & Found by Katrina Leno

Frannie and Louis have never met in person, but they are soon both on a road trip to Austin, Texas in search of answers in their lives and each other.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

A novel about family and humanity, this story follows the life of Lucy Barton and her troubled past.

Always Watching by Lynette Eason

The Elite Guardians Agency is made up entirely of women. When a celebrity discovers he has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians to protect him. 

5 Amazing Books From 2015

These are a few of my favorite books I read this year. Even though The Martian was originally published in 2011, I only read it this year and had to add it to my list of favorites. Look for reviews from Storytime Sisters soon on Finders Keepers and The Nightingale!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

 The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

 Finders Keepers by Stephen King

The Martian by Andy Weir

10 Holiday Books to Cuddle Up With This Winter

 
Winter is the best time to snuggle up with a good book. Below are some of my favorites to read during the Christmas holidays and all winter long.

1. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 A classic to read during the holidays, this book has been translated into so many great movies and similar stories. The original is always my favorite!

2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 Another classic that begins at Christmastime. I love to read this book during the holidays, but it's also a great novel for any time of the year.

3. The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

I read this book every Christmas Eve. It's a simple and fun story perfect for the season.

4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

This is a great book to read during the colder months. Enjoy the fantasy of escaping to a different world and going on some fantastic adventures!

5. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

A truly cozy story to read around the holidays. Take up a seat by a warm fire and enjoy this classic romance.

6. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

Another classic winter tale. Read the original story that inspired Disney's "Frozen" and the snow queen herself in ABCs hit TV show "Once Upon a Time". 

7. The Shining by Stephen King

This is one of my favorites. I always loved the idea of an abandoned hotel up in the snow. This story is just spooky enough to keep you entertained during cold winter nights.

8. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

One of my favorite books and movies to watch in December. This is a great story for any kid or adult who still believes.

9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

A must read during Christmas. I love this story about the sweet Whos of Whoville and watching the movies that the book inspired.


10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This is a fantastic story to read over a long holiday weekend. Protagonist Jane is a fun character to follow and root for as she proves society wrong about her.

11 Historical Fiction Books to Inspire You

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read. Many of the stories like The Book Thief are incredibly powerful, while others like The Gin Lovers are so fun to escape to another era like the 1920s and bask in a different lifetime for a while. Check out the list below for some of my favorite historical fiction novels.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Gin Lovers by Jamie Brenner
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Defending Jacob

Defending Jacob follows the story of respected assistant district attorney Andy Barber. When his fourteen year old son Jacob is accused of murdering his classmate, Andy struggles to do his job while also protecting his son. So much evidence leans towards Jacob being guilty, but there is also a lot that could prove him innocent.

Author William Landay does a great job of keeping the reader intrigued all the way though which is hard to do with a mystery like this. He had a fantastic twist ending that I actually didn't see coming. I didn't know the entire time whether Jacob had been falsely accused or not. I liked that Landay himself is a former district attorney just like the main character. It made the courtroom scenes and legal jargin much more believable which added to the story.

The character of Jacob is mostly developed through the eyes of the other characters. I think this helped with the suspicion and mystery of not knowing for sure if he was guilty or not. I had to rely on other people's opinions about Jacob to get an idea of what he was like.

This was a very emotional story and just as much a family drama as it was a crime thriller. I found it similar to We Need to Talk About Kevin, another great read. Go pick up Defending Jacob and enjoy getting lost in the mystery!

10 Thriller Novels You Won't Be Able To Put Down

If you're like us and love settling down with a gritty mystery story, check out some of our favorite picks below! These will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

Defending Jacob by William Landay
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
In the Woods by Tana French
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Never List by Koethi Zan
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith