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Lucinda Berry ~ Keep Your Friends Close

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Version 1.0.0

Started this book on 4/11/26 (Vacation book).  Finished on 4/19/26.
If I wouldn’t have been on vacation I could’ve finished this book in 3 days.  It was really good.
Story around a group of Moms.  One of them gets murdered at the “Mom’s Only” party.  Who did it and why?  All the secrets come out in this story.  Chapters were short and characters very well written.  I could picture them all in my head so it was easy to keep them straight.

Another banger by Lucinda.  10/10

Riley Sager ~ Survive the Night

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Started this book on 4/1/26.

Chapters are kind of long.  Characters are well written and the story line is suspenseful.
Charlie loses her best friend to the Campus Killer.  She’s leaving school early and needs a ride home back to Youngstown, OH.
The ride share board where she’s looking she meets Josh (or Jake) willing to let her ride with him.
Stories don’t line up as they get in the car and during the drive.

Will Charlie “Survive the Night”?  Is Josh (Jake) the Campus Killer? Finish it and let me know.

Finished on 4/11/26.  Characters well written and story line is really good.  Kendra is reading it now and doesn’t want to put it down.

I’m giving the book a 8/10.  Chapters were a little to long for me.

Freida McFadden ~ The Devil Wears Scrubs

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Started this book on 3/26/26 and finished on 4/1/26.  Yes 6 days.

It’s Kendra’s work life.  Mean boss, always putting down.  Others can do no wrong but she puts down this one intern down all the time.
This book was good, the ending was kind of meh!  Chapters were short and I knew who everyone was.

This is a 7/10 for me.  Kept my interest only because relating to Kendra’s work life.

 

Freida McFadden ~ One by One

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Just finished “Do You Remember” by Freida so I’m sticking the train and reading this one next.
Starting on 3/21/26.  Finished on 3/24/26.  Yep 3 days.

Claire a mother of 2 and wife for 10 years is starting to hate her husband.  She’s having a fling with her husbands best friend.  6 friends book a week away at a resort cabin.  Only 2 come back whole 1 of those friends is her husbands best friend.
Characters were very well written.  Story line kept me interested the whole time.  The chapters were short (ish) and I couldn’t put this one down.

My kind of book. 10/10

 

Freida McFadden ~ Do You Remember?

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Just read Brain Damage by Freida (then a Davenport book) but I hope this one is as good.
Started on 3/13/26.  Finished on 3/20/26.  Yep 7 days.

Groundhog day except you forget what happened the day, week, month before.
She started a small company that grew to a multi-million dollar corporation.  Her husband wanted control and she thought she had a tumor in her brain.
Turns out she remembers more than she thought.  She was never really in love with him but with someone else.

Great book.  Chapters were short, characters all well written.
9/10

 

 

John Sandford ~ Mortal Prey (Book 13)

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Started on 2/26/26 Finished on 3/12/26 (13 days)
Already read 1 Prey book this year.  It was really good so I’m hoping this one is too.
Rinker, the hired killer, was targeted along with her husband down in Mexico.  They hit her in the belly, bullet went through and killed her husband.  She’s pissed.  Lucas gets called by the FBI to go down to St. Louis and help them wrangle in Rinker.
She takes out all 4 of the players who tried to get her, but in the end did Lucas get the arrest?  Read the book and find out.

Give this book a 8.5/10

Chapters were loooonnnngggggg!  Characters well written though.  I knew who everyone was.  Could picture them.

 

Frieda McFadden ~ Brain Damage

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Started on 2/22/26.
We know Freida.  I’m expecting wicked twists and turns in this book!

Finished on 2/26/26.  Yes 4 days.

This book was amazing.  Charly, a dermatologist, gets shot in the head.  She lives.  They find out who, what and why.
Now it’s just recovery and more discovery.
You feel like you are setting in the wheelchair with her.

Giving this book a 10/10.  Chapters were short.  Characters very very well written.  I couldn’t put this book down.

 

Kate White ~ I Came Back for You

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Amazon first read.  Started on 2/8/25
Four chapters in already and it seems pretty interesting.

Finished on 2/21/26.  14Days!
Lives get turned upside down when their daughter is killed.  The killer, after spending 8 years in prison and is dying of cancer, admits to killing everyone BUT Riley.
She goes back to her hometown and ex husband (after leaving Uraguy and her new man) to find the truth about the killing, her daughter and herself.

I’m giving this book an 8/10.  Chapters were relatively short.  Characters were well written and it wasn’t really a Scoobie Doo mystery.

 

 

MRM ~ Jesus Juice

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12/23/25
1 Gallon batch.
3 lbs Summer Blossom honey
128 oz Ocean Spray cran-pomegranite juice
24 oz Sunsweet pitted dates (dried)
1/2 tsp Fermaid-O
1/4 tsp Tannin
1/2 packet Lalvin Qa23 yeast

Mixed all ingredients and pitched yeast.
S.G. = 1.122

12/25/25 (Day 2)
1/2 tsp Fermaid-O

12/27/25 (Day 4)
1/2 tsp Fermaid-O

1/5/26
S.G. = 1.062
1/2 tsp Fermaid-O

1/13/26
S.G. = 1.050

1/16/26
S.G. = 1.042

1/25/26
S.G. = 1.038
12.8% ABV.  Not to shabby.
It’s sweet and actually not bad tasting.

1/31/26
Racked off dates.  It’s a little bitter and a little sweet.

2/19/26
Added 2 whole sticks of cinnamon to the carboy.  They only get 3 days in there then it’s bottling day.
Labels printed and will bottle on Saturday!!

2/20/26
Bottled and labeled.  F.G. = 1.038.  12.8% ABV