The Poacher's Son

 Fiction by Paul Doiron

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Recently I read a book by this author that turned out to be number THIRTEEN in the series (see below.) This is book number one, introducing the character of game warden Mike Bowditch. I didn't really like it.

I also read by this author: Dead by Dawn

Thrown Away Child

 Nonfiction by Louise Allen

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is a memoir of the harrowing-childhood variety. Louise and her brother William were foster kids taken in by a woman called Barbara, who tied them to their beds at night and often starved them. Meanwhile, there was Kevin, a boy a few years older whom Barbara also looked after; Kevin had plenty to eat, was treated well, and was never punished.

Although Louise was raised by an abusive foster mother, she was apparently able to grow up to be a good foster mother herself. There are other books in the series about children she has helped; I plan to look for them. This story was both terrible and fascinating.

A Net for Small Fishes

 Fiction by Lucy Jago

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I think that both the title and the cover of this book are misleading, and not in a good-for-marketing kind of way.  This is a story from the Jacobean era of English history, centering in the court of King James VI. The cover looks like it's something mysterious and modern; the title sounds (to me) like it's something intellectual or maybe Asian? I think this marketing team should take a cue from Philippa Gregory.

You see those pretty brocaded bodices? That says "English Period Drama." That says "Royal Court Intrigue." That says "Someone Probably Gets Beheaded." And that's what this book is. 

But to be honest, it looks like even our girl Philippa's marketing team is moving away from this idea; all the current reissues of  her books are bodice-free. Oh well. 

Fire and Rain

 Fiction by Diane Chamberlain

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Valle Rosa is a California town experiencing severe drought, resulting in summer wildfires. This is a very bad thing for the interim mayor, and a very good thing for his ex-wife, the almost-washed-up reporter Carmen Perez. Carmen's news story gets even juicier when the mysterious Jeff Cabrio breezes into town, saying he can make it rain. 

This is an earlier work of Diane Chamberlain's, published in 1993, and I didn't think it was as amazing as her present work. Still, it was a very good story, although I would have preferred it not on audio.

I also read recently by this author: The Last House on the Street

Before She Disappeared

 Fiction by Lisa Gardner

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book comes before One Step Too Far, which I recently read by this author. In this story, the character of Frankie the missing-persons-finder is introduced. She's searching for a teenager in Boston who never came home after school a year ago. From the other book, I know that she finds the girl; however, the question is will she find her alive?

I liked the other story better; this one seemed to drag a bit in the middle. Still, it was interesting enough and held some surprises.

The Sword in the Stone

 Fiction by T.H. White.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the first book in the classic The Once and Future King, a set of four books published together in 1958 about the legends of King Arthur. I got a free limited version of this from audible.com, but was not able to finish the full thirty-three hours (!!!!) before the time expired. Unsurprisingly....

This is the story that the 1963 Disney animated movie was based on, and in the beginning it had the same fun lightheartedness of that film. But later on, it got kind of boring. I think this was because the author was trying to insert modern (1950's) political statements into a classic story, but I could be wrong. 

Anyways, it's a decent story, and the characters are much less one-dimensional in the book than in the Disney version.

Verity

 Fiction by Colleen Hoover

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Lowen Ashleigh is a lesser-known author on the verge of bankruptcy when she's offered a ghost-writing assignment that just might get her out of the financial hole. And bonus! it comes with a place to stay after Lowen gets evicted.

The job is to finish the book series for Verity Crawford, a popular author who suffered a debilitating accident, and the client is Verity's husband Jeremy. Lowen moves into the Crawford home (where Verity lies bedridden and unable to speak), and proceeds to fall in love with Jeremy. She also discovers some terrible secrets about Verity, and starts to think maybe the other woman is not as ill as her husband thinks. The whole thing is very Mr. Rochester. I mean, it would be if Jane Eyre had a lot of graphic sex in it.... 

The plot of this book was good, but it was awfully dark and smutty. It definitely held my attention.

I also read by this author: Confess, Hopeless