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MONSTERS OF OHIO - John Scalzi

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John Scalzi has developed a knack for taking an utterly absurd premise, treating it with complete sincerity, and somehow creating a story that is both laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly heartfelt. Monsters of Ohio continues that tradition. Richland, Ohio, is a small farming community that has seen better days. The town's largest employer is preparing to shut down, private equity has its sights set on what remains, and longtime residents are wondering what comes next. Mike Boyd returns home expecting only to help his family through difficult times, but instead finds himself caught in events that become stranger by the day. It starts with odd happenings involving local livestock before escalating into something that no one—not the townspeople, the authorities, or the readers—could have anticipated. Scalzi embraces the weirdness with enthusiasm, but beneath the bizarre surface lies a story about community, belonging, and deciding what kind of people we choose to be. One of Scalzi...
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GOD'S COUNTRY - William Kent Krueger

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Cork O'Connor is trying to enjoy his retirement and hopefully teach his grandchildren the joys of spending time in God's Country - the Boundary Waters. But just before a planned trip, two different family members have had a troubling vision involving, they strongly believe, Cork. Adding to the concern is that Cork has been having problems with his heart.  While he's encouraged to stay home for this trip, Cork is determined to get into the Boundary Waters. Not surprisingly, Cork first sees evidence of someone who's not familiar with the etiquette for being the area. And when he discovers a body, he knows it's time to send the youngsters back and asks them to contact the local law enforcement. Meanwhile Cork is going to investigate on his own. What Cork encounters is a pair of brothers seeking a treasure hidden by their father decades prior. The dead man that Cork came across was a third brother who was slowing them down. To say these men are dangerous is downplaying ...
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FART BOY AND REEKY DOG: DINO DOOM - Joan Holub

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How to write a book for middle school boys - Lesson #1: Put the word 'Fart' in the title. Lesson #2: Include lots of fart puns through the book. Joan Holub's book Fartboy and Reeky Dog completes both lessons. Fart Boy and his classmates are on a special field trip to the museum, but someone gave our intrepid protagonist peanuts and garbanzo beans for dinner - an explosive combination! The resulting massive and stinky farts bring the dinosaur exhibits to life! Fart Boy and his friends have to find a way to stop the rampaging dinosaur bones - as well as the evil Dr. Gravypants - who is also in the museum with some evil plans. I've read a few different 'fart' books for middle schoolers and I was honestly a little underwhelmed with this. The fart humor was like a high-pitched squeaky fart - a little bit forced. Like a lot of books for school-aged readers, this is more than just fart and scat humor - readers might actually learn a little something while snickering...
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CHAIN REACTION - Lee Child and Andrew Child

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Reacher! It feels good to have another Reacher novel in hand.  Jack Reacher can be a hard man to find when you want him but when you have the resources of the U.S. military intelligence at your disposal even finding Reacher is possible. Fortunately, General Susan Turner has that ability.  Turner needs to have someone look into an incident - off the record - in which one of her IT reports was killed in Colorado. Officially declared a mugging gone wrong, Turner suspects there's much more to it. And the fact that there is likely a breach in their internal communications suggests that it might be an inside job. Reacher, along with Turner and her most trusted aide, slowly unravel a multi-billion dollar scheme involving cutting edge technology.  Being unable to ask for much help, not knowing who to trust, severely handicaps the trio in their efforts to avenge the slain soldier and secure the military's communications once again. What is there to say about this? It's a Reacher n...
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STRIXHAVEN: OMENS OF CHAOS - Seanan McGuire

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I'm familiar with Magic the Gathering - I understand the mechanics of it and I know people who once played it almost religiously - but I have never played the game or gotten into all the various cards.  I am also generally not a fan of reading books based on a game ... I've yet to read one that I've enjoyed. BUT ... I am a big fan of Seanan McGuire's work and I was definitely curious to see what she could bring to to this game franchise. Five students from different worlds/universes/realities are invited to attend Strixhaven - an elite school for training those who already have a propensity for wielding magic. There's a war that's been devastating the Multiverse. Some worlds have managed to come through fairly well so far, but others have been all but destroyed. One student, Eula Blue, comes to Strixhaven from a world that has not survived the war very well, and she feels like an outsider in a community of outsiders. The new group of students is setting the stag...
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GRIM FOLK TALE - James J. Butcher

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An unusual magical illness is affecting the children of Boston. Junior Auditor Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby and his partner, the veteran Hunstman Mayflower, are tasked by the Department of Unorthodox Affairs with uncovering the cause and putting a stop to it - by any means necessary - before it spreads even further. It doesn't take long into the investigation, however, before Grimsby and Mayflower encounter some strange beings that appear to have ancient origins and a heck of a lot of magic power. The duo will visit a depth far below the streets of Boston to face off against unbelievable monsters and then off to a completely different reality, drawing on every bit of knowledge and strength they can muster to protect the humans on earth. This series actually is getting better and better with each book. The character of Grimsby has grown nicely through the series so far and while I've read the previous three books, I don't think it's necessary to have read them in order to e...
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THE SCAM - Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

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On the surface, it would appear that FBI agent Kate O'Hare is hot on the trail of con man Nicolas Fox. The truth, however, is that the pair are working together to bring down some of the biggest criminals in the crime business - people who are untouchable by standard, legal means. People like Evan Trace - the casino magnate know for his welcoming of the wealthiest patrons who like taking risks, but also known for his brutality. To infiltrate Trace's kingdom, Fox and O'Hare will have to get Trace's interest and an invitation to gamble 'off-the-record' - which is part of his major money-laundering operation. And to do that, they'll have to look and act the part of a couple of billionaires just looking to have a good time, even if it means losing a few million on some gambling. And to do that ... well, the FBI won't miss a few million dollars if it gets put back in time, right? Fox and O'Hare will be pit against some of the world's most dangerous mo...
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