<![CDATA[ Kimsbookstack - Adult Books]]>

<![CDATA[ Kimsbookstack - Adult Books]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 23:51:04 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[The Butterfly Season by Lea Korsgaard]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:06:25 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/the-butterfly-season-by-lea-korsgaardA sweet look at the little pleasures of nature that we skip over as one Danish woman tries to find and catalog every native butterfly in Denmark. Taking on this daunting task also gave her great challenges and rewards. It is a stop and smell the roses kind of memoir. 3 1/2 stars

]]><![CDATA[Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:00:52 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/hollow-bones-by-jodi-picoult
I enjoy Jodi Picoult because her stories are emotional and educational at the same time. Molly has lost her mother in 9/11 and now is head of emergency preparedness for her state. This is a job she takes very seriously. She and her husband are getting ready to have their first child. We then meet Eloise, Molly's mom and get to know her backstory and why she ran away from harming her baby. Eloise was suffering from postpartum psychosis and changed her name to Georgia. Years later Georgia is an OB nurse and meets Molly. They share a special connection. Jodi Picoult takes on serious subjects and handles them with grace and compassion. Be advised that there are many things that won't be for some readers - postpartum psychosis , mental illness, and 9/11 to name a few. It is a powerful story for mothers, daughters and those who love them. 5 stars

]]><![CDATA[Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel]]>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:52:37 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/exit-party-by-emily-st-john-mandel
As is the author's style the world of EXIT PARTY is in the near future and the world is a mess. It begins with a party in the hills above L.A. where the host goes missing and doppelgängers appear. We then travel back to a group of scientists and their friends which is clearly a police state where the United States is united no longer and the future is uncertain in so many ways. What began as a teleportation experiment led to something much harder to understand (this is where fear of my lack of knowledge of physics comes in). As the book progresses the hanging threads of the main characters begin to weave themselves into a storyline that explains what is happening. You will feel like you are on shaky ground the entire time you are reading it (on purpose) and don't be surprised if once you finish you go back and reread the beginning (you know you will). Her many fans will be thrilled and readers of unbelievable science like Blake Crouch's DARK MATTER or Inception will love it as well. 4 1/2 stars

]]><![CDATA[Ten Perfect Guests by Jonathan Santlofer]]>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:58:24 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/ten-perfect-guests-by-jonathan-santlofer
Ten annoying people are invited (commanded) to a remote memorial weekend honoring a dead artist they all had dealings with and hopes of a nice inheritance. The only way they will find out if they have a payout is if they show up and stay the weekend. Because they are greedy or have ulterior motives they stay only to find the island is secluded, swampy and full of danger. My only issue was I was not invested in any of the characters and didn't care if any of them made it out. Fans of SUCCESSION , Agatha Christie's TEN LITTLE INDIANS or reality tv will enjoy this.
3 stars

]]><![CDATA[Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry]]>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:50:39 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/saving-noah-by-lucinda-berry
What happens to a family when the eldest son confesses to a horrible crime? Noah is a teen who seemed to have it all but when he confesses to molesting a couple of young girls while he was their swim coach everything shatters. Mom defends him, dad shuns him and his younger sister is confused. After Noah comes home from rehab the family splits into two homes as they try to adjust to the new reality. This is a rough one to read as it brings up so many issues and big feelings. There is a twist at the end that adds to the complexity of the topic but there is plenty to discuss for book clubs. Morality, society, parental love and guilt all come into play. There are no happy endings and it is a powerful read but it will not be for every reader.
3 1/2 - 4 stars

]]><![CDATA[We Already Dug the Grave by Emma C. Wells]]>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:43:54 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/we-already-dug-the-grave-by-emma-c-wells
Two things are true - sisters will always protect each other and the tea leaves don't lie. Milly tries to protect her little sister from an affair with a teacher and it ends badly forcing the girls and their caretaker aunts to take matters into their own hands. Time goes by and the sisters are apart geographically and emotionally. Frances is in trouble and it is Milly once again who comes to the rescue. Fate is telling her that Frances needs to kill or be killed. Keeping secrets and the body count from getting bigger is harder to hide but these women are tough. Nothing to out of the ordinary other than a bit of magic and a southern family crime thriller well executed. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy. 4 stars

]]><![CDATA[Little Red Death by A.K. Benedict]]>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:36:32 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/little-red-death-by-ak-benedict
A killer in a wolf mask commands his kidnapped writer to write fairy tale murders for him to commit or die themselves. So begins a series of women murdered posed in Grimm fairy tales with clues left for the one detective whose own past may be connected. DCI Lyla still can't get past the abduction of her best friend as a teen that remains unsolved after many years. The chapters flip back and forth between Lyla and the kidnapped writer who is desperate to escape and save others from her stories.
There is a lot going on here from the killer who uses psychological manipulation of the writer to the unstable detective holding out hope that she can redeem herself. I really enjoyed the fairy tale element and this will appeal to readers of dark Scandinavian crime novels of Jo Nesbo and Soren Sveistrup. I confess that I got a bit lost in the plot twists. 3 1/2 stars

]]><![CDATA[The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon]]>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:25:27 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/the-pirate-queen-by-ariel-lawhonA vivid portrait of a fierce Irish woman born to the sea but forced to remain on land due to her sex. Grace, like her father and brothers ,was more at home on a ship at sea than in their castle but she was married off to keep the peace between the clans and it was only after her husband's death that she took her place as clan chieftain. The book jumps in timelines that focus on her as a young girl, mother and pirate/chieftain. The call of the sea, her loyalty to her people and uncanny battle/political skills made her beloved, respected and feared but also just a footnote in history books. Grace O'Malley is the type of heroine who navigated her way around the seas but also the oncoming British takeover of the Irish people that struck a chord with another female leader - Queen Elizabeth 1. Ariel Lawhorn presents a magical tale of adventure, romance and political drama that will appeal to readers of strong women who were erased by history but want an adventurous tale as well. 5 stars

]]><![CDATA[The Chinese Lady by Bo Wang]]>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:56:13 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/the-chinese-lady-by-bo-wang
Exploited by her mother, the American merchant and his wife and finally by P.T. Barnum Afong May left Canton without a say but later in life made a name and life on her own terms. Brought to the U.S. to be paraded around in a merchant's home to market the goods he would be bringing back from China she became the first Chinese woman to visit the U.S. Her situation changed again when she was "sold" to P.T. Barnum who made her a side show attraction. It was not until she ended up in San Francisco and opened up her own brothel that she was in control of her own destiny. This is an interesting debut that incorporates what is known about Afong May and embellished by the author as to what might have happened to her. Historical fiction of resilient women adapting and overcoming the odds. 4 stars

]]><![CDATA[As The Snow Gathers by Mere Joyce]]>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:12:16 GMThttps://www.kimsbookstack.com/adult-books/as-the-snow-gathers-by-mere-joyce
A logging camp deep in the Canadian woods holds more than its share of secrets, violence and monsters of every kind. In the camp there are men who prey upon the weak and in the woods there are monsters who had been only taking the dead but are now attacking the living. Dominic is bookish, reluctantly the man of the house but protected by his secret lover, Lex. The first half is full of stolen kisses and big plans while dodging the bullies of the camp while the second half of the story jumps fully into the horror of the monsters in the woods and vengeance. This felt like the perfect setting for a film by M. Night Shyamalan or very grim Grimm fairy tale. 4 stars

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